Komtar Tower, or Menara Komtar Complex is Penang's tallest building and the sixth tallest building in Malaysia located in the heart of George Town, dominating the island's skyline. . When the skyscraper topped out it was the tallest building in Asia. However, by the time construction was completed it had been surpassed by Seoul's Korean Life Insurance Building (KLI 63 Building). Yet Komtar was still Malaysia's tallest building for 3 years before it was surpassed by Menara Maybank in Kuala Lumpur in 1988.Komtar is a multipurpose complex consisting of retail outlets, transportation hub and administrative offices for the Penang State Government. An acronym for Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak, KOMTAR was named after Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the second prime minister of Malaysia, who officiated in the piling of Phase 1 on 1 January 1974. It bears the same name as Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak in Johor Bahru, built about the same time but on a smaller scale.
The 65-storey tower is a 232 m (761 ft) 12-sided geometric block atop a 4-storey podium. The complex comprises office and retail commercial space as well as public and recreational facilities. It was designed by Architects Team 3 (AT3) of Singapore.and designed and constructed with local expertise, also a geodesic dome of Buckminster Fuller's design. The architect involved in the design of the building was Lim Chong Keat, the younger brother of Dr Lim Chong Eu.
KOMTAR Tower commenced construction on year 1974 and at the time of its construction, Komtar is regarded as one of the cutting-edge buildings in Penang. KOMTAR was the vision of the then Chief Minister of Penang Dr Lim Chong Eu to revitalize the urban centre of George Town and usher the state forward.
KOMTAR occupies an 11-hectare site and is the single most ambitious urban renewal project undertaken by Penang Development Corporation, the development arm of the Penangstate government. The master plan is divided into five phases for implementation.
History
Important dates in the planning and construction of KOMTAR include the following:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 January 1974 | The first piling of the building's phase one was done by the late Tun Abdul Razak, the second PM of Malaysia. |
| 1978 | Part of the complex's first phase podium block was completed in 1978. |
| 1983 | A fire broke out at the 43rd floor of the building and destroyed the floors above it. Firemen were unable to put out the flames as it was too high up. The flames eventually burnt out after approximately eight hours. The building was still under construction at that time and it was the worst highrise fire in the country after the Campbell Shopping Complexand the Bank Bumiputra fires, both of which took place in Kuala Lumpur. |
| 1986 | Phase 1, Phase 2A and Shangri-La Hotel opens. |
| 1988 | The construction of 65-storey Komtar Tower was completed. |
| 1997 | Construction of Phase 4, Prangin Mall begins. |
| 2000 | Prangin Mall opens. |
| 2005 | The long-time anchor tenant at the mall, Super Komtar, a local department store chain folded in. Another department store, Aktif Lifestyle (formerly Yaohan) occupying the adjoining block, has also ceased operations. Both sites have since been left vacant and the KOMTAR shopping precinct continues its demise. |
| 1 May 2008 | The new Penang State Government reaffirmed its commitment to revitalise KOMTAR by calling off the relocation plan of its administrative offices to Bayan Mutiara. |
| 17 December 2008 | A new anchor tenant named Pacific took over Super Komtar Supermarket & Departmental Store as the main anchor tenant with a floor space of over 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2). Upgrading and renovating works on Phase 2A completes. |
| 19 August 2009 | Komtar Walk was opened outside Pacific's main entrance. It features 19 F&B outlets and an open space. 1st Avenue, Phase 3 commenced construction. |
| 27 May 2010 | Popular Bookstore, which opened in Komtar at 1991 and was the first Popular outlet outside Kuala Lumpur, returned to its former location after moving to Prangin Mall in 2004. The store in Prangin Mall has since ceased operations. |
| 17 August 2010 | The state government, in a bid to bring the shine back to Komtar, is looking into installing a bubble lift that will take visitors right up to the 65th floor of the tower. The government is called for a Request for Proposal (RFP) to revive the 59th, 60th, 64th and 65th floors of the tower. |
| 17 November 2010 | ICT Mall @ KOMTAR opens. |
| 25 November 2010 | 1st Avenue opens. |
KOMTAR Walk
KOMTAR Walk, which covers a 155m-long stretch parallel to Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong, is a food and beverage hub being developed by Pacific Hypermarket & Department Store Sdn Bhd. With a performance stage, water features and soft landscapes, a taxi station and other public amenities, Komtar Walk is set to live up to its slogan as a ‘One-Stop Dining Place’ as well as a leisure and recreational spot for tourists and locals alike.
The attraction is expected to create a spinover of activities in the heart of George Town by linking Upper Penang Road (the state’s clubbing central) and Prangin Mall.
KOMTAR Walk would house 19 high-end F&B outlets underneath an open-air lightweight roof. The 19 new outlets, five single-storey ones will stand in a single structure at the foot of the overhead bridge facing the outdoor carpark. Meanwhile seven more are connected to the KOMTAR building next to the GeorgeTown White Coffee outlet while the remaining seven outlets, which are all double-storey, are located opposite (KOMTAR). These two rows are separated by a 5m walkway, which also allows for outdoor seating.
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