Komtar Tower

KOMTAR Tower
Malay : Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (KOMTAR) Chinese : 光大大厦 Tamil : கொம்டார் கோபுரம்
KOMTAR in April 2016
Location within George Town
Record height
Tallest in Penang, Malaysia since 1985
General information
Type	Government offices Commercial offices Retail
Address	Penang Road, 10000 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Town or city	George Town, Penang
Country	Malaysia
Coordinates	5°24′52″N 100°19′45″E / 5.4145°N 100.3292°E / 5.4145; 100.3292Coordinates: 5°24′52″N 100°19′45″E / 5.4145°N 100.3292°E / 5.4145; 100.3292
Construction started	1974
Completed	1986
Renovated	2013 - 2017
Cost	RM207 million
Height
Roof	248.7 m (816 ft)
Top floor	68
Technical details
Floor count	68
Floor area	71,080 m2 (765,100 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	26 Mitsubishi/Hitachi Elevators
Design and construction
Architect	Architects Team 3 Jurubena Bertiga International Sdn Bhd
Structural engineer	Ove Arup & Partners
Renovating team
Renovating firm	Only World Group
References

KOMTAR Tower, in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia, is Penang's tallest skyscraper and the sixth tallest building in Malaysia. KOMTAR is an acronym for Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak, named after the second Prime Minister of Malaysia.

The tower was constructed in 1974 and completed in 1986. When the skyscraper topped out in 1985, it was the second tallest building in Asia after Sunshine 60 in Tokyo. KOMTAR remained as Malaysia's tallest skyscraper for another 3 years before being surpassed by Menara Maybank in Kuala Lumpur in 1988.

KOMTAR actually consists of a multipurpose complex, comprising retail outlets, a transportation hub and administrative offices for the Penang state government. It was named after Tun Abdul Razak bin Hussein Al-Haj, the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, who officiated the piling of Phase 1 on 1 January 1974.

KOMTAR Tower remains as Penang's tallest skyscraper since 1985. It was originally completed with 65 floors and a height of 232 metres (761 ft). In 2015, as part of a revitalisation plan, three more storeys were added, raising the height of KOMTAR Tower to 249 metres (817 ft). In addition, KOMTAR Tower is home to the Rainbow Skywalk, the highest glass skywalk in Malaysia, which has been installed at the top of the skyscraper and launched in 2016. Further efforts to revitalise KOMTAR include an upcoming attempt to create the world's tallest mural along the skyscraper's facade.