The Brief
PNB, the building’s owner and operator, pursued WELL certification for Merdeka 118 – the 2nd tallest building in the world as of 2026 – at a scale the standard rarely encounters. Performance verification had to cover all ten WELL concepts across a supertall structure with dozens of distinct zone types, each with its own HVAC configuration, occupancy patterns, and pressure conditions that shift with elevation. Airscan Malaysia was appointed as the WELL Performance Testing Agent (WELL PTA) to design, plan, and execute the verification programme.
What we did
Our work started with a gap analysis to map out the conditions the building already met, what needed attention, and where the heaviest testing effort would likely be. Months of modelling and preparation followed, with every test planned and analysed multiple times before any equipment entered the building.
On site, a five-person team spent roughly fifty hours across three days collecting 9,600 air quality measurements, 500 thermal comfort readings, 150 lighting assessments, eight hours of acoustic data, and 55 litres of water samples for laboratory analysis. Sampling points were distributed across altitude bands and functional zones, from lower-level lobbies to mid-rise offices and upper storeys, so the data captured the full range of conditions a supertall structure produces.
How we did it
Supertall buildings present verification challenges that standard WELL projects don’t. Pressure differentials change with height, HVAC systems are zoned differently across functional areas, and occupancy patterns vary widely between a ground-floor lobby and an upper-storey office. A single sampling strategy applied uniformly across the building wouldn’t produce a reliable snapshot of its ability to perform for its occupants across all levels.
Airscan had to use a non-standard verification approach, distributing measurement points across altitude bands and zone types so each portion of the building was assessed under the conditions it actually operates in. The months of advance modelling made it possible to compress the on-site campaign into three days without compromising data quality or coverage.
Outcomes
Merdeka 118 has achieved WELL Platinum certification, making it the tallest WELL Platinum building in the world. The verification programme covered 21,000 individual measurements across air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, and water quality, confirming that the building performs to the highest industry standards for occupant wellbeing.
If you’d like to learn more about Airscan’s approach to WELL Certification, visit our Green Building Certifications page.
