Kuala Lumpur is one of the best known cities of skyscrapers, its soaring twin towers were once the tallest buildings in the world, and have been an icon of the city. The twin towers were surpassed by Taipei 101 in 2004, but they never appeared that lonesome as Taipei 101, as there were already a considerable amount of skyscrapers built in the city at that time, though only a few are higher than 300m.
Since around 2010, Kuala Lumpur has witnessed an unceasing boom of skyscraper projects, proposals for new supertall towers (buildings higher than 300m) are announced regularly one after another, some of them have already got built, some are under construction or nearing top out, others are being prepared to be built in the next few years, or the near future.
With five supertall towers existing, currently Kuala Lumpur has the most supertall towers in Southeast Asia. And with more than ten another such buildings under construction or proposed, the city will remain as the city with most supertall towers in Southeast Asia for quite a long time.
Below is the list of the tallest skyscrapers under construction, and proposed in Kuala Lumpur, the buildings listed are at least 300 meters tall. Buildings that are completed or topped out are moved to the page Tallest Buildings in Kuala Lumpur.
Under Construction:
1. Merdeka PNB118
Standard height: 644 meters Roof height: 500 meters
Uses: Office, Hotel Estimated top out year: 2021
Architect: Fender Katsalidis Architects & RSP Architects
Developer: PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd
Formerly known as KL 118, this tower is the first megatall project in Kuala Lumpur, and set to become the new landmark of the city.
The tower is located next to the Merdeka Stadium and Negara Stadium, the construction is still ongoing but the concrete core has reached the top in early August 2020, the height surpassed the Petronas Towers, and also surpassed Vincom Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City, making it the new tallest building in Southeast Asia.
2. Fairmont Kuala Lumpur 1
Standard height: 380 meters Roof height: 380 meters
Uses: Residential, Hotel Estimated top out year: 2023
Architect: Cesar Pelli
Developer: KLCC Holdings and QD Asia Pacific
Fairmont Kuala Lumpur Tower 1 is a part of the Fairmont Kuala Lumpur complex, which will be built near the Petronas Towers, at a site immediately east of Suria KLCC, and south of Four Seasons Place. The complex is designed by Cesar Pelli, it consists of the 370m Tower 1 and the 278m Tower 2, and a large podium. The tower 1 has hotel and residences, the hotel will be the first Fairmont Hotel in Malaysia, the Tower 2 is an office tower. Similar to the Petronas Towers, the podium will be used for a shopping mall, the net lettable area of the retail space will reach two million square feet, that will be even larger than Suria KLCC.
The complex is being developed by Petronas’ subsidiary KLCCH, in a joint venture with QD Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, which is an investment arm of Qatar Investment Authority.
3. Oxley Tower 1
Standard height: 380 meters
Uses: Residential, Hotel Estimated top out year: 2020
Architect: Veritas Design Group Developer: Oxley Malaysia
Oxley Tower 1 is a part of a mixed-use development, Oxley Towers. It’s under construction along Jalan Ampang (Ampang Street) in the City Center, not far from the twin towers.
Designed by Veritas Design Group, the development is comprised of a 29-storey office tower (Tower 3), a 49-storey Jumeirah Hotel with residences (Tower 2), and a 78-storey So Sofitel Hotel (AccorHotels’ lifestyle brand) with residences (Tower 1), the three towers are linked by a 2-storey retail podium called The Boulevard. There are sky decks hovering between three towers, linking the towers in the sky and adding to them some elevated public spaces. The Jumeirah Hotel will offer 181 hotel rooms and 267 residence units while the So Sofitel Hotel will offer 207 hotel rooms and 590 residence units. The two hotels are expected to be completed in 2023.
4. IBN Bukit Bintang
Standard height: 330 meters
Uses: Hotel, Residential Estimated top out year: 2022
Architect: Unknown
Developer: IBN Corp; KKH Pavilion Development
KKH Pavilion Development Sdn Bhd bought over Hotel Fortuna at Bukit Bintang in 2014, to redevelop the hotel, in a joint venture with IBN Corp.
The original Hotel Fortuna was then demolished to make way for the new hotel, the ground breaking on the new hotel began in February 2019, and expected to be built in 2023.
The new hotel will be a 330-meter supertall tower with 68 floors above ground, and will have 268 hotel rooms, and 339 serviced apartments.
5. M101 Skywheel
Standard height: 317 meters
Uses: Observation, Hotel, Residential, Retail
Estimated top out year: 2021
Architect: Studio F. A. Porsche & Veritas Design Group
Developer: M101 Entity
This iconic-looking building is a part of the Kampong Bharu City Center Complex, located about 1 kilometer north of Petronas Towers.
The building is designed by Veritas Design Group, it’s comprised of two twin towers with a bridging structure connecting each other, this design shares the similarity with Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo. The most notable part of the building is that Ferris wheel on the rooftop of the skybridge, the highest vantage point is 220 meters above the ground. The Ferris wheel’s frontage spans a 60m high definition LED screen, many renders of the building show that a large clock is displayed on the LED screen, but it actually can also display other things.
Besides the sky ferris wheel, the building will also house the world’s highest shopping mall, or actually, the first sky shopping mall in the world, it will occupy Levels 48 to 52 of the building, right below the Ferris wheel, with over 200,000 sq ft of retail space.
6. Kempinski Hotel & Residences
Standard height: 308 meters
Uses: Residential, Hotel Estimated top out year: 2020
Architect: RSP Architects Developer: KSK Land
Also known as 8 Conlay Tower C, this tower is part of 8 Conlay complex, which consists of three towers ranging from 260 to 308 m in height.
The complex is located at Jalan Conlay, amid Golden Triangle and the KLCC area, about 0.9 km southeast of Petronas Towers, and is approximately on the middle point of the line connecting Petronas Towers and the Exchange 106.
The three-tower complex is being developed by Malaysian property developer KSK Land, and was designed by RSP, a leading Malaysian architecture firm that is known for designed Merdeka PNB118.
Tower A and Tower B are two twisted residential towers connected together with several sky decks in between, they make up Yoo8 residences serviced by Kempinski, while Tower C is a standalone tower that stands next to Yoo8, it will have residences and a hotel, which will be the first Kempinski hotel in Malaysia.
Proposed buildings:
1. Tradewinds Square Tower A
Proposed in: 2011
Standard height: 775 meters
Uses: Office
Estimated top out year: Unknown
Architect: DP Architects
Developer: Tradewinds Corporation
Tradewinds Square Tower A is an office tower of the planned Tradewinds Square Complex, which comprised of a megatall office tower (Tower A), a hotel/residential skyscraper (Tower B) and a 24-storey office building (Tower C). The project was announced in 2011, the Tower A was planned to be 608 meters tall, and was later increased to 775 meters and will have 150 floors. If built, the tower will become the world’s tallest building by roof height, even the Burj Khalifa and Jeddah Tower will not be that high without spire.
The site of the project is located at Jalan Sultan Ismail, not far from the Petronas Towers, only about 600 meters (2000 ft) south of them, it was originally occupied by the Crowne Plaza Mutiara Hotel and Kompleks Antarabangsa, respectively are a 35-storey hotel and a 21-storey office building. The two buildings had been demolished to make way for the new towers, but after that the project stalled, now the site remains empty.
2. Tower M
Proposed in: 2017 Standard height: Above 700 meters
Uses: Office Estimated top out year: 2030
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Developer: KLCC Properties Holdings
As Menara PNB118 is expected to be completed in 2021, and will overtake the title of Malaysia’s tallest building from the Petronas Towers, the owner of the twin towers KLCC Holdings so proposed a new tallest tallest building called Tower M, in an effort to regain that title.
The proposed new tower will rise to a whopping height of 700 meters and is reportedly to have 145 floors. It will be situated within the Kuala Lumpur City Center development, immediately south of As Syakirin Mosque, and east of Fairmont Kuala Lumpur Towers, the distance between Tower M and the Petronas Towers will be less than 0.5km, it will surely dwarf the twin towers.
Preparation works on the foundation is currently underway, but the tower will not start to be built in a short time, as KLCC Holdings is not a speculative developer, it will only build the tower upon pre-securing leases for the whole building. In view of the current market speculation, it is estimated that the tower will not be built earlier than 2030.
3. Bandar Malaysia Landmark Tower
Standard height: Above 600 meters
Uses: Mixed-use Estimated top out year: Unknown
Architect: Unknown Developer: 1 Malaysia Development Berhad
This supertall building with a large base is a part of a large mixed-use development called Bandar Malaysia, it will cover an area of 486 acres, the location is at Simpang Airport, about 3km southwest of the 445-meter supertall The Exchange 106, the airport will be relocated to make space for the project. The site will become a new business hub of the city, and also a transport hub, as the terminus for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed railway will be set within there.
The project will be developed by 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) Group via its subsidiary TRX City, in a joint venture with IWH-CREC Sdn Bhd, which consists of Iskandar Waterfront Holdings and China’s CREC (China Railway Engineering Corporation). 1MDB is a company owned by the Minister of Finance and is known for being developing Tun Razak Exchange, which contains The Exchange 106, and CREC is the world’s largest infrastructure builder, it has extensive experience in developing world-class urban commercial centers.
As the model of the building indicates, the Landmark Tower will have an unprecedented form for a skyscraper, resembling a mountain, or more accurately, it’s the skyscraper’s version of Mont Saint-Michel.
4. Bandar Malaysia Iconic Tower
Standard height: Above 500 meters
Uses: Mixed-use Estimated top out year: Unknown
Architect: Unknown Developer: 1 Malaysia Development Berhad
Bandar Malaysia Iconic Tower is a twisted tower of another project within Bandar Malaysia, it will be at least 500 meters tall, and will be built adjacent with two other shorter towers. The three twisted towers will be connected together by a sky ring (circular skybridge), such sky ring can also be found on Datum Jelatek, which is the city’s another skyscraper complex, comprised of four 45-storey residential buildings and is currently under construction near Jelatek LRT station.
5. Bukit Bintang City Center Signature Tower
Proposed in: 2010 Standard height: Above 400 meters
Uses: Office, Hotel, Residential Estimated top out year: 2023
Architect: GDP Architects Developer: Ecoworld Development
Bukit Bintang City Center Signature Tower is a part of Bukit Bintang City Center (BBCC), a mixed-use development located on a 19.4-acre land in the middle of Bukit Bintang. The location is within Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle, and the development is poised to be the new gateway into the Golden Triangle and become a future center of Kuala Lumpur.
The development will feature 4 residential towers, 3 office towers, a 28-storey hotel, a shopping center, and the mixed-use Signature Tower, which will contain residences, corporate offices, and a five star hotel. The exact height of the tower is still not confirmed.
The whole project is being developed by EcoWorld Development Group in joint with UDA Holdings Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund.
6. Plaza Rakyat
Standard height: Above 400 meters Roof height: Above 370 meters
Uses: Office Estimated top out year: unknown
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Developer: Unknown (original developer abandoned the project)
Plaza Rakyat (People’s Plaza) is a mixed-use development located on a triangular tract of land facing Jalan Pudu and Jalan Robertson, near Bukit Bintang.
The development was planned to comprise a shopping center, a 46-storey residential tower, a 24-storey hotel, and a 79-storey office tower, which would be 382m tall, the building complex was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.
The development commenced construction in 1994, but the construction was stalled in 1998 after being hit by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, only the base of the complex was completed, it has remained an abandoned site for over 20 years.
In 2010, the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry terminated the original contract with the project’s developer Plaza Rakyat Sdn Bhd. After that, there have been several other companies trying to revive the project, announcements of the revival of the project were made every few years, but there was nothing occurred subsequently every time, leaving the project continued to be abandoned.
Visions:
1. EkoPark Place
Proposed in: 2015
Standard height: Above 400 meters
Uses: Office, Hotel, Residential
Estimated top out year: unknown
Architect: unknown
Developer: Ekovest
EkoPark Place is a 80-storey skyscraper envisioned in 2015 by Ekovest as a part of a project called Kuala Lumpur River City, the project is planned to be built near Titiwangsa Lake along Gombak River. Construction of the project had begun in 2017, but as to the skyscraper, there’s no detailed information given as of now, the design and height may be just conceptual, which could be changed or even never built, or replaced by other types of buildings.
2. Platinum Tower
Proposed in: 2011
Standard height: Above 400 meters
Uses: unknown
Estimated top out year: unknown
Architect: SOM
Developer: Naza TTDI
Also known as Landmark Tower, the Platinum Tower is a 100-storey conceptual tower included in American architectural firm SOM’s master plan for KL Metropolis, which is a large future development at a currently undeveloped green field in Jalan Duta, located seven kilometers west of Kuala Lumpur’s central business district.
Conclusion:
When all the above skyscraper projects (not including vision projects) are completed, the total amount of supertall towers in Kuala Lumpur will increase to 17, this number will make Kuala Lumpur rank 4th in terms of number of supertall towers among all the cities in the world, only after New York City, Dubai, and Shenzhen.
The development of supertall skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur is progressing much more rapid than other cities in Southeast Asia. Compared to Singapore, where the buildings’ height is strictly restricted to under 290 meters due to the flight issue, an issue also affects Chinese cities and American cities, no height restriction is set for buildings in Kuala Lumpur. And in Jakarta, which is another Southeast Asian city having lots of supertall projects ongoing, no one has truly topped out yet.
Kuala Lumpur is also one of a few cities in the world that is currently constructing megatall skyscrapers, which are the skyscrapers over 600m or 2000 feet in height. In 2010, the city’s first megatall skyscraper KL 118 was proposed and now has structurally topped out, with an estimated completion date set in 2021. Some other Southeast Asian cities like Bangkok and Jakarta, also have megatall projects planned, but no one is under construction yet. Kuala Lumpur currently has 4 megatall projects ongoing or proposed, which is extremely rare in the world, only Dubai is comparable to it.
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