Kuala Lumpur city skyline and skyscrapers building at business district downtown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Asia.
Cover The Kuala Lumpur city skyline has a mix of skyscrapers designed by international and local architects. Photo: iStock

As the Kuala Lumpur skyline welcomes a new record-breaking skyscraper, we highlight five iconic skyscrapers designed by local architects

The Kuala Lumpur (KL) skyline seems to always be in a state of flux. In fact, according to the World Tallest 50 Urban Agglomeration 2010 Projection by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), KL was ranked 10th among cities to have most buildings above 100 metres (330 feet), with a combined height of 34,035 metres (111,663 feet) from its 244 high rise buildings then.

Looming over Chinatown is Merdeka 118, which is racing towards completion this year. It will be Malaysia as well as Southeast Asia's tallest building; it will also be the second tallest building in the world. The faceted tower was designed by an Australian firm, Fender Katsalidis Architects, and will no doubt be the subject of many photo opportunities.

As Malaysia's 65th Merdeka celebration approaches, let's discover five iconic skyscrapers, old and new, designed by local architects.

1. Dayabumi

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Photo 1 of 2 Photo: iStock
Photo 2 of 2 Photo: Farizal Resat (Unsplash)

One of the earliest skyscrapers in the city with 35 floors, Dayabumi, at the height of 157m (515 ft), was the tallest building in Malaysia when it was completed in 1984. 

Designed by Arkitek MAA and BEP Akitek under joint venture firm BEP+MAA, Dayabumi was the first modern building in the capital to incorporate the principles of Islamic design into its architecture. The Moorish and Byzantine architectural influences ensure that it fits into its immediate surrounding of heritage buildings such as Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, the old railway station and railway administration building, and the National Mosque.

Dayabumi was the first steel frame building in the country and one of the few buildings in the city at that time that had a rooftop helipad for emergency evacuation. Its gleaming white glass mosaic tower is undoubtedly its focal point and looks just as majestic today as it did then. 

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2. Menara Maybank

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Photo 1 of 2 Photo: IA SB (Unsplash)
Photo 2 of 2 Photo: samovar72 (wikicommons)

Completed in 1987 and designed by Hijjas Kasturi & Associates (now Hijjas Architects & Partners), Menara Maybank clocks in at 243.5m (799 ft) with 50 floors. It was the tallest building in Malaysia between 1987 and 1998 until the Petronas Twin Towers were completed.

Built on the site of the former Sessions Court Building, the building's stature is magnified by its hilltop location. While the sheath of a keris inspired the architecture, the building is absolutely modern and devoid of column or beam lines. The architect also lobbied to build the tower on the hill to avoid cutting into the slope by placing the escalator outside.

Another green initiative is the prism space truss roof that cascades down the hill from the top. The tower's unique look comes from the two square-based blocks that interlock each other at one of their corners and are fashioned in a way that makes both the ends of the building stand out at peculiar angles—the tension that creates a memorable identity.

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3. Menara AmBank

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Above Photo: Cccefalon (wikicommons)

Designed by TR Hamzah & Yeang, best known for designing innovative signature green buildings and masterplans, AmBank Tower or Menara AmBank was completed in 1998 on Jalan Yap Kwan Seng.

Clocking in at 210m and 50 floors, the building is topped by a seven-metre antenna. Currently the 30th tallest building in KL, it's the headquarters of AmBank Group. Its blocky massing gives it a neo-Gothic look but with a modernist approach. Its curtain wall windows, in varying shades of blue, are eye-catching.

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4. TM Tower

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Photo 1 of 3 Photo: iStock
Photo 2 of 3 Photo: Hendri Sabri (Unsplash)
Photo 3 of 3 Photo: Alfred (Unsplash)

Completed in 2001, the uniquely shaped Telekom Tower, also known as TM Tower, is a 55-storey, 310m skyscraper shaped to represent a sprouting "bamboo shoot".

Designed by Hijjas Kasturi & Associates (now Hijjas Architects & Partners), Malaysia's fifth tallest building is an intelligent building emphasising energy efficiency. It was designed to accommodate a working population of approximately 8,000 with a 1,500-seat theatre and a large exhibition area at the foot of the tower.

With a series of hanging gardens climbing it, a unique feature of the tower is its 22 open sky gardens alternating every three floors. The office floors are separated into north and south wings served by express double-deck elevators.

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5. Menara Kerja Raya

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Completed in 2014 and soaring at an impressive 175m with 37 floors, Kompleks Kerja Raya 2 (KKR2) is Malaysia’s first high-rise office building to achieve a GBI Platinum rating.

Designed by GDP Architects, the building creates a centralised location for Jabatan Kerja Raya or the Malaysian Public Works Department. Its diamond facade represents the public service's role as a diamond in the crown of the Malaysian construction industry, leading it to being dubbed "diamond in KL city". 

Its 'twisted' appearance comes from 10-circular columns slanting in two directions, mirrored at each side of the tower, whose radius decreases upwards. Each level is a unique floor plate, and geometry incrementally shifts skyward with a triangular footprint tapering into leaf-shaped upper levels. A rooftop green terrace enjoys fantastic views and hosts arguably KL’s highest garden with rainwater harvesting.

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