Kuala Lumpur trip report: 2023

The KL city skyline continues to bulk up, Merdeka 118 (2nd tallest building in the world), the second-tallest building in KL, and more 300m+ buildings that look small in comparison.

Kuala Lumpur is one of my most frequently visited cities in Southeast Asia. While I spend more time in Penang, I will always take the opportunity to spend a few days in KL if I have a flight on the way somewhere else. Thanks to AirAsia, which flies practically everywhere from KL, I am here a few times a year.

This is my trip report for my July 2023 visit.

Merdeka 118

The 678.9-metre Merdeka 118 is completed, and it’s the second-tallest building in the world (after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai). It bothers me, though, that the 160 m spire is part of the height. It is architecturally part of the building, so of course, it is counted, but it just feels like cheating a little bit. Here is what it looks like in comparison to the other supertalls.

Tallest buildings (Wikimedia)

The building is all the more remarkable in that there are no other tall buildings around it, so there is a clear view of the entire tower from most angles.

There was still a crane attached to the top when I was in KL last year, but now the building looks entirely completed. It is not until you visit the base that you can see that work is still ongoing. There will be a mall at the base, so maybe that will be ready for 2024.

At the base of the tower, they were working on the entrance to the Park Hyatt Hotel, which will be in the tower. The lobby will be on the 3rd floor, there is a Sky Lobby on the 75th floor, and the hotel itself will be on floors 97 to 112

Waldorf Astoria

KL is getting a Waldorf Astoria, and it’s being built at the landmark Hotel Istana site, which closed during the pandemic. This project is notable in that the building will be refurbished and not demolished and rebuilt.

Bukit Bintang City Centre

Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC) is the development on the site of the old Pudu Prison. It is being built in stages, and the mall at the base is completed. I visited last year when it was newly opened, and there was hardly anyone there. I figured it was still early in the pandemic recovery, so I would check back. The mall still felt quiet, and there were many unopened shops. One of the cafes I went to last year has already closed.

I didn’t appreciate how quiet it was until I went to Suria KLCC Shopping Centre (at the base of the Petronas Twin Towers) and Pavilion Mall at Bukit Bintang. Both of those malls were packed.

BBCC is now building the SWNK Houze tower (pictured below), but there is no word yet on when the 80-storey signature tower will begin.

Oxley Towers

Oxley Towers is a 4-tower project in the KLCC area, in the shadow of the Petronas Twin Towers. In any other city, this would be a defining landmark on the skyline. The main tower is 339 metres, and when you catch a glimpse of it without the twin towers in sight, it looks big. When you see it next to the twin towers, it just looks like another tower.

8 Conlay

8 Conlay is another project that will add a 300m+ tower to the skyline. The tallest tower (308m) will house a Kempinski Hotel & Residences. This project has been through delays, but progress has been made since my last visit.

Agile Bukit Bintang

Agile Bukit Bintang overlooks the KLCC area. According to Google Maps, it’s not in the Bukit Bintang area, but it’s on Bukit Bintang Street, so it can claim the Bukit Bintang title.

Tun Razak Exchange

Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) is a new financial district on the eastern edge of the city centre. This is still a work in progress, though it’s already making a solid impression on the city skyline. The signature tower (The Exchange 106) is finished, and at 453.6 m it is 1.7 metres taller than the Petronas Twin Towers. Like the Merdeka 118, work on the mall at the base hasn’t finished.

Bandar Malaysia

Bandar Malaysia is an urban redevelopment project on the Sungai Besi Airport site. The old airport can be viewed from the Airport Express train.

There were talks of reviving it last year, and the project might have a better chance of restarting if the KL-Singapore high-speed railway is also revived. The terminal station will be built here.

Old City

The old city area (around Chinatown) continues to make incremental changes. This area has always had the potential to be a great pedestrian-friendly area. Medan Pasar (Old Market Square) was recently landscaped, and now it is being renovated again to turn it into a green space.

The square (which is more of a triangle) is surrounded by historic buildings that need renovation.

I noticed that some streets had some bike lanes added. This would be a good idea, but as you can see, the bike lanes aren’t separated from car traffic. How many cans of blue paint were sacrificed for this pointless endeavour?