Written by By Anna Bauckham, CNN Malaysia.
The world’s second tallest building — in Malaysia — has finished its construction and completed its final piece.
Permanent structure the Asia Tower currently stands at 1,063 meters (3,046 feet) above sea level, just 9.9 meters (36.3 feet) shy of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Melaka Arch is the tallest tower in the Selangor state, Malaysia, and is expected to be completed this year. It is located at the site of the existing international airport, Kuala Lumpur, and will replace it as a commercial hub and convention center.
More structures are expected to rise from Malaysia’s oil-rich territory, leading to what may be an increase in tourist numbers visiting the island state.
The proposed Bergen project consists of a massive new jagged city center as well as the light railway, the Asian Underground, connecting Kuala Lumpur’s southern ring road to the seafront city of Bergen, located 12 miles away.
Masterminded by developer Edhi Development Group, the $16 billion project will combine large-scale residential complexes with high-rise office buildings and casinos, among other projects.
Awarded by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in 2005, the record for the world’s tallest structure is still held by the Burj Khalifa (1,829 meters, or 5,451 feet).
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the world’s tallest building was the Empire State Building. This version has been corrected.