Striving to be the best

Developed as an extension of Malaysia’s architectural icon, the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers, Menara 3 PETRONAS has risen up to be one of the “most wanted” office addresses in Kuala Lumpur.

Part of the KLCC development that also features the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Suria KLCC shopping centre and the 60-acre KLCC Park, the 59-storey building was completed in 2011 on a 1-acre plot fronting Persiaran Petronas.

At a height of 267m, the project comprises 53 storeys of offices above the podium block of six retail floors that are connected to Suria KLCC. It also has four basement levels of car park. It has a gross floor area of 1.5 million sq ft with a net lettable area of 812,806 sq ft for offices and 133,190 sq ft for retail.

Following on the heels of Petronas Twin Towers’ success at the inaugural EdgeProp Malaysia’s Best Managed Property Awards last year, Menara 3 PETRONAS has also won Gold at this year’s Awards, in the below 10 years mixed development (entire) category. The 2018 Awards also saw KLCC Park winning Gold in the above 10 years specialised category as well as the title Editor’s Choice — Exemplary Contribution to the Nation.

Developed by KLCC (Holdings) Sdn Bhd, Menara 3 Petronas is owned by KLCC Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and managed by KLCC Urusharta Sdn Bhd, a facility management company and a unit of KLCC Property Holdings Bhd. KLCC Urusharta also manages Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC Park, Menara ExxonMobil, Kompleks Dayabumi and Menara Maxis.

According to KLCC Urusharta’s valuation as at end-2017, Menara 3 PETRONAS is worth some RM2.05 billion.

The building is mainly occupied by Petroliam Nasional Bhd and its contractors as well as multinational companies (MNCs) such as Bloomberg Malaysia, Mitsubishi, McKinsey and Microsoft Malaysia.

“Currently, the Twin Towers and Menara 3 office spaces are fully occupied, yet we still receive enquiries from companies that are looking to set up office here,” says KLCC Property and KLCC REIT Management Sdn Bhd group CEO Datuk Hashim Wahir.

“Its prime location in the heart of the city, well-maintained facilities and high security levels are what make KLCC one of the most sought-after addresses among MNCs,” he adds.

Current office rental at Menara 3 Petronas averages around RM14 psf to RM15 psf — the highest in Kuala Lumpur city centre and possibly the country.

“Security and a healthy and comfortable environment are our priority in managing the buildings,” says Hashim. Menara 3 PETRONAS is equipped with an intelligent Building Management System (BMS) and Building Control System.

Meanwhile, the retail space at Menara 3 PETRONAS is also close to 100% leased out to international and local brands including dUCk by Vivy Yusof and De Beers.

Shopping at or visiting the KLCC precint is popular among both locals and tourists. Not only do they have easy access to the area via the light rail transit which has a stop there, they can also use the covered walkway that links KLCC to Bukit Bintang and the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall.

According to KLCCP Stapled Group’s annual report for 2017, the visitor footfall in the KLCC precinct has exceeded 48 million annually, with Suria KLCC and the adjacent retail podium at Menara 3 PETRONAS achieving an impressive RM2.6 billion moving annual turnover.

With such high visitor numbers, safety, maintenance and utility consumption have become major concerns for KLCC Urusharta in managing the properties here, says Hashim.

While keeping the overall precinct vibrant, the company maintains high security by combining state-of-the-art technology, manpower (guards and auxiliary police), security procedures and physical facilities such as air gate and X-ray machines.

There are a total of 634 cameras installed in the KLCC precinct, including at the office towers, park and mall. Besides this, an automatic plate-number recognition system is also used in the building, which enables the security team to capture the vehicle plate number and driver’s face image.

Besides the routine upkeep of the building, Hashim says the company is also working hard to achieve full Green Building Index (GBI) certification for Petronas Twin Towers and Menara 3 PETRONAS this year. It already has a Provisional GBI Certification in 2015.

Meeting the full GBI certification entails the upgrading of the BMS especially the energy management component to monitor and control energy consumption, the use of LED lighting in the common areas as well as the commissioning of the electrical, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system at Menara 3 PETRONAS.

This story first appeared in EdgeProp.my pullout on May 11, 2018. Download EdgeProp.my pullout here for free.