Tall & Urban News

Tower M, a 145-Story Skyscraper, is Planned for Kuala Lumpur

Construction of the office tower atop a retail podium will commence on a four-acre (1.6-hectare) site near Jalan Binjai in Kuala Lumpur after 2030.
Construction of the office tower atop a retail podium will commence on a four-acre (1.6-hectare) site near Jalan Binjai in Kuala Lumpur after 2030.
23 August 2019 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Petronas Twin Towers, may lose its title as Malaysia’s tallest building(s), when The Exchange 106 and Menara PNB 118 are completed in Kuala Lumpur. However, its owner, KLCC Holdings,  plans to regain its crown through the construction of a 700-meter building known as Tower M within the Kuala Lumpur City Centre development.

Construction of the office tower atop a retail podium will commence on a four-acre (1.6-hectare) site near Jalan Binjai in Kuala Lumpur after 2030. The gross development value of the yet-to-be-named skyscraper is estimated to be between RM3.7 billion (US$883 million) and RM4.2 billion (US$1 billion).

When asked for his comments, Zerin Properties CEO Previndran Singhe praised the proposed development, stating, “It is a fabulous idea. By 2030 to 2035, the city will have developed further. KLCC Holdings is looking ahead and will help make KL and Malaysia a commercial center for Southeast Asia.”

“This is foresight. Without a doubt, the proposed development will do well. It will beckon conglomerates from China and the West to Southeast Asia.”

Data from the CTBUH Skyscraper Center ranks the Petronas Twin Towers as the 12th-tallest building in the world.

Rising 454 meters and over 103 levels, the aptly named Exchange 106 will trump the 452-meter, 88-story Petronas Twin Towers by the end of this year. But it could, in turn, be relegated to second spot when the 630-meter tower known as Menara PNB 118 is completed in 2024.

Another skyscraper, known as the Tradewinds Tower, standing at 608 meters, could also illuminate the Kuala Lumpur skyline. However, construction seems to have stalled on this development.

The tallest twin structures in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers, are expected to retain that status for the foreseeable future.

Asked to confirm plans for Tower M, a spokesperson for KLCCH stated that the proposed tower has been designed to soar up to 700 meters tall, and that it will be built on Lots L, L1, and M next to the MRT KLCC East Station. The number of floors has not yet been officially released.

The proposed Dubai One project, on the other hand, is to reach a height of 711 meters. It will house a total of 161 floors, while the Tianfu Center in Chengdu, at 677 meters, is to rise 157 stories.

“Without a doubt, the proposed development will do well.”

“When the government announced the MRT Line 2 project in 2010, it involved a station strategically located to provide further connectivity to the KLCC precinct,” the KLCCH spokesperson stated.

“On 4 May 2017, MRT Corp (MRTC) and KLCCH signed a mutual agreement that paved the way for the integrated transit-oriented development comprising four basement levels, one concourse retail level, and four retail podium levels, which also include the foundations for a future tower on KLCC Lots L & M. The MRT2 project includes an MRT Kuala Lumpur City Centre East Station, an underground station on Persiaran KLCC-Jalan Binjai,” the spokesperson added.

“In 2012, KLCCH undertook a review of the KLCC masterplan of 1995 to enhance the development potential of the remaining undeveloped parcels within the project. This was to ensure that the masterplan’s legacy continued in the next development phase with fully integrated, mixed-use developments and enhanced by below, on and above-grade connectivity, reaffirming the KLCC precinct as a destination and a national symbol,” the spokesperson explained.

“Our next phase of development will see joint ventures with foreign and local partners, culminating in the ongoing development of Lot 185 and Lot 91. To date, the substructure works at Lot 185 have been completed whilst the superstructure development work of the Lot 91 tower is in progress and targeted for completion by 2020.”

Lot 185 is being jointly developed by KLCCH and Qatari Diar Asia Pacifc Ltd. The joint venture is building a commercial development comprising office, retail, and hotel space. The hotel will be managed by Accor Group as a Fairmont property.

According to the spokesperson, a retail study has also been undertaken by Savills, which affirms that the retail and transport services will serve the residential community, hotel community, and office population in the established areas of Persiaran KLCC, Jalan Binjai, Jalan Lumba Kuda, and Jalan Tun Razak, in addition to an existing population of about 20,000 within the KLCC precinct.

MRT2 will serve a two-million population corridor stretching from Sungai Buloh through the center of KL to Putrajaya, and is expected to attract even more foot traffic to the KLCC precinct to complement Suria KLCC.

Space within the new development could potentially take up to 16 years to fill.

Adzman reckons that Tower M could add another three million square feet (278,709 square meters) to four million square feet (371,612 square meters) of floor area to the market. “With the current trend of office location decentralization to the fringe and suburban areas due to congestion in the city center and better accessibility, it will be a challenge to improve the take-up of office space in the city center. The feasibility of a mega-development such as Tower M may therefore need to take into account future market demand and supply in order to not end up as a white elephant,” he says.

For more on this story, go to The Edge Markets.