Wisma 46, country's tallest building, nears completion
Wisma 46, country's tallest building, nears completion
JAKARTA (JP): A new milestone will soon be reached in the history of the city's skyscrapers following the completion of the 258.85-meter-high Wisma 46 tower on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta.
Located in the Kota BNI complex, the 50-floor building, over two times higher than the 115-meter National Monument (Monas) monument, is billed as the tallest building in the country.
The exterior design of the US$100-million tower, dominated by curtain wall of solar reflective glass, resembles the sail and mast in the official logo of the state-owned Bank BNI.
But many Jakartans have likened the shape of the building's top to the tip of a gigantic fountain pen.
Workers are putting the finishing touches on several parts of the tower to meet the completion target of June.
Several construction workers, ignoring the available safety helmets and equipment, were seen on Thursday fixing parts of the building's attractive peak.
Wisma 46 was designed by Zeidler Roberts Partnership and DP Architects Pte. Ltd.
Standing on a total of 3.3 hectare, the tower has 125,871 square meters of office and retail space and parking for about 1,400 cars. Wisma 46 is developed by PT Swadharma Primautama, a joint venture company of Dana Pensiun BNI/PT Tri Handayani Utama, the Salim Group and the Lyman Group, which is also known as the Satya Djaya Raya (SDR) Group.
The main contractors are a joint operation between Societe Auxillaire d'Enterprises from France and PT Waskita Karya, whose previous projects include the development of the Shangri-La Hotel and the extension of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Speaking to reporters during a short tour of the site yesterday, a project executive said that the building is equipped with local and international standard facilities and security systems.
Although the building has no helipad to evacuate tenants during emergencies, the contractors and architects have furnished the tower properly to protect the tenants, said Pietro Stellon of DP Architects.
"Besides adequate fire extinguishers and sprinklers, we also have installed fog blowers at every emergency staircase," said Didit Oemar Prihadi from Waskita Karya.
Yussuf, project manager from SDR Group, told The Jakarta Post that about 35 percent of the retail space has been leased.
The tenants include BNI bank, Bank Central Asia, Bank Danamon, Mrs. Fields' Cookies, Delicious, PT. Indo Swissatama, PT Amara Sanabil travel agent, Ahamas Kencana travel agent, Starmart Convenience Store, Dunkin Donuts, Subway Sandwiches, Sushi Ippachi, Hoka Hoka Bento, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's, Garuda Sports-Golf Shop, Enigma bookstore, Daniel Amarta salon and Jaya Mitra Retailindo office supplies.
"Although the office retail market is still sluggish here, we highly expect that the retail space will hit 100 percent before June," said Yussuf.
Wisma 46 is located close to its sister building, Gedung BNI 46, and the Shangri-La Hotel in the Kota BNI complex.
The developers insist that occupants will not face significant problems with the traffic congestion on Jl. Sudirman.
The office tower can be accessed from three alternative roads, which are free from traffic jams and the three-in-one restriction, Yussuf said. (bsr)