This New Skyscraper Will Soon Be Taller Than KLCC. How Is It Being Built So Fast?

Formerly known as TRX Signature Tower, The Exchange 106 will be another landmark of the city upon its completion as it will be the tallest building not just in Malaysia but also in the whole of South East Asia, at a height of 492.3 metres with 106 floors and eight basement levels.

It will also take over the popular Petronas Twin Towers as the country's tallest building.

The lead contractor commissioned for this project owned and developed by Mulia Property Development Sdn Bhd, is China State Construction Engineering Corp Ltd's unit China State Construction Engineering Sdn Bhd.

Construction began in 2016 with the pouring of the mat foundation concrete.

According to TRX.my, the event was massive - with 20,200 cubic metres of concrete pouring, which is about the size of eight Olympic swimming pools - making it one of the largest concrete pours recorded globally.

"The concrete pouring took 48 hours. It involved 120 cement mixers, carrying 8.5 million kg of cement, 16 million kg of sand, 19 million kg of construction aggregates and about two million kg of ice to overcome the extreme heat generated during the process. When hardened, the concrete weighed about 50 million kg," read the excerpt on the site.

The Star Online reported that the construction rate has been rapid, as the building has been rising one floor, every two to three days.

Project director Ronald Suckling said that the building has been designed specifically in a way that it could be erected and built quickly, adding that they developed a specific strategy to fast-track its completion.

"We started off with a four-day cycle. A full floor completed in everyday four days. Then we move to a three-day cycle. At the top of the building now, we're doing two-day cycles on the concrete floor slabs."

It is said that new technologies used in this project such as the tower crane and concrete pump have led to operational efficiency - saving time, labour, and cost.

In a video by the Construction Industry and Development Board (CIDB), it was learned that work has been ongoing at the central core of the tower and the glass cladding is being installed simultaneously.

Ying Yue Ming, the Safety Director of the project, said that a meeting is being held every week to discuss issues related to the employee safety.

With advanced technology and skilled workforce, The Exchange 106, which stands to be one of the world's most luxurious and efficient office skyscrapers, is on track to be completed by June 2018.