O

em>Over the years, an increasing number of high-rises has sprung up in the capital’s commercial areas, accentuating the city’s metropolitan status.

If things go according to plan, the sprawling capital will have one more addition, a 111-story, 686-meter-high building called the Signature Tower which, if built, will be the world’s fifth-tallest skyscraper, erected in the Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD) by 2020. Before the Signature building vaingloriously touches the capital’s sky, here is a list of Jakarta’s five highest high-rises according to current data from the Jakarta Supervision and Regulation Agency and a release by Jones Lang LaSalle back in June.

Graha Energi

The fifth-tallest skyscraper in Jakarta is the crystalline building primarily covered in blue glass, the Graha Energi or known simply as the Energy, located in the SCBD.

The building is 217 meters high if measured to the tip of the triangular edifice on top of the building, and consists of 45 stories.

Graha Energi, which was built in 2008, gets its name from PT Medco Energi of the Medco Group, an investment holding company focusing on gas and fuel, whose headquarters are located in the building.

The building is equipped with smart elevators that are set to determine the number of passengers inside and in order to function at optimal efficiency, no two elevators ever serve the same floor at the same time.

The Peak Twin Towers

The apartment towers on Jl. Setiabudi Raya, South Jakarta, is by far the tallest residential premises in the capital, with the highest one standing 219 meters tall.

The Peak comprises two 35-story towers that face south and two semi-detached 55-story towers that face north, so designed so as to have each unit oriented away from “the harsh eastern and western sun”, according to designer DP Architects Private Ltd.

The first tower was built and occupied in 2006, while the second was completed in 2007.

The buildings are equipped with exclusive private lifts installed adjacent to the balconies and are designed to adapt to any motion of the earth, including earthquakes.

The apartment complex was featured in The World’s 50 Best Apartments, published by Images Publishing Australia in 2006.

Equity Tower

The distinctiveness of the Equity Tower office building makes it hard to dismiss the dark-colored skyscraper that stands elegantly in the SCBD. The balance of the high-rise lies in its simple yet well-proportioned geometric design, with triangular framing enfolding its glass façade.

Zahara Annisa Maulida, secretary to the building management’s general manager, explained that the 220-meter-tall building, which was developed by PT Graha Sampoerna, was constructed in 2010 on 86,740 square meters of land.

The iconic nature of the skyscraper and its strategic location has led it to become one of the most desirable buildings for business and commerce.

Menara BCA

The 230-meter-high Menara BCA, or BCA Tower, rises over the Grand Indonesia shopping mall at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta.

The construction of the 56-story tower was completed in 2008 as one part of a US$242 million complex project, funded by major cigarette producer Djarum, on 640,000 square meters of land that included the Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, the Indonesia-Kempinski Hotel and the Kempinski Residences.

Ida, a 24-year-old bank employee who works on the 21st floor of the building, said that working in the lofty building gave her some pride but the remarkable height and the vast number of floors were challenging. “We have to line up for a long time, 30 minutes on some occasions, to get into the elevator in the mornings and after work in the evenings,” Ida said.

Wisma 46

Wisma 46 holds the crown of both the capital and the country’s tallest building, and has done since its construction in 1996. It is also the fourth-tallest high-rise in the second hemisphere and the 146th-tallest building in the world.

Its unique late-modernist shape, designed by the Zeidler Roberts Partnership and DP Architects Private Ltd., has made the building a Jakarta icon. Indeed, it is often displayed alongside the National Monument (Monas) when the city is depicted on screens or prints.

The tower looks like a giant fountain pen, culminating in a blue glass tower with a long antenna on top. The tip alone amounts to 62 meters of the building’s total 262-meter height.

According to developer the Lyman Group, the curved top of the building took its cue from the sail in the old sailing boat logo of state-owned Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), which occupies one third of the building.

The construction of the 50-story building with its 23 super-high-speed elevators cost $132 million, according to media reports. — JP