Article from Northcroft Malaysia office

Cost management knowhow brings life to extraordinary building designs

Since opening its Malaysian operations in 1990, Northcroft has contributed expertise to a number of iconic buildings in Kuala Lumpur and surrounds. Each project has its own, unique challenges. However, by drawing on our international quantity surveying experience, we are able to assist our clients turn their outstanding visions into life.

Here are 3 examples of our work.

The Troika

Located in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, The Troika is a group of 3 spectacular towers that are both beautiful and an engineering feat. Completed in 2011, the 230 condominiums were renowned for their opulent design and high price tag.

Each apartment has stunning views. A 4-storey perimeter building contains offices, shops and cafes. On level 24, a sky bridge links the 3 towers. There are also 4 basement levels.

Designed by legendary architect Norman Foster, The Troika’s main design feature is a series of slender concrete walls which support stacked blocks. This allows the entire building to subtly rotate – providing each condominium with the best possible view from their primary living areas and balconies.

The design of the sheer walls also enabled a more flexible approach to the size and layout of each apartment.

Northcroft was asked to provide full quantity surveying services throughout the design and construction process for The Troika. One of the biggest project challenges was accurately costing The Troika’s main feature – the raw finish, slender concrete walls.

At the time of design, this type of finish had never been used on such a grand scale. The finish of the concrete needed to be consistent throughout the entire building. There were also planning rules to consider.

The costing a one-of-a-kind feature, yet the Northcroft team were able to accurately cost this important feature of the building and help the architect make his revolutionary design a reality.

Aira

The Aira project is located in the highly coveted Damansara Heights area and involved 2 distinct components. The first component required the design and construction of a new 18 storey, luxury residential tower with ground floor swimming pool and 4 levels of private basement carpark. The second component involved completely refurbishing the original 40 year old building and, in the process, upgrading it to the same luxurious specifications as the new tower.

To bring the vision to life, the client assembled a team of international consultants which included Northcroft and we are honoured to be part of such an outstanding project.

Due to our extensive experience with such ambitious projects, the Northcroft team, quickly understood the extent of the project’s requirements and the complexities of making the design concepts a reality. Throughout the project, we were tasked with carefully balancing the client’s vision with the practicalities of budget.

As a result, Northcroft was responsible for:

• Advising on procurement strategies and evaluating the costs of importing overseas materials
• Controlling and managing costs throughout the entire project with continual enhancements and refinements made
• Liaising between consulting teams while managing all documentation

To complete a project like the Aira tower on time and on budget requires a resourceful and dedicated commitment to excellence. This is something Northcroft brings to every project.

Pavilion Damansara Heights

The Pavilion Damansara Heights is an ambitious project set on approx. 15.8 acres. It is part of the continued expansion of the successful Pavilion Shopping Mall in Kuala Lumpur’s Central Business District and is located between 2 MRT stations.

Given its size, there are many components to this project with Northcroft commissioned to provide quantity surveying assistance for Parcel 2. This section is anticipated to include a mix of high-end shopping, luxury condominiums, serviced apartments and a hotel. Part of Northcroft’s brief is to ensure the smooth interface of Parcel 1 with Parcel 2.

This project is currently ongoing with a completion date set for 2023. Given the size of the project, timeframes are tight and so are budgets.

The client aims to complete Parcels 1 and 2 of the shopping mall around the same time. To achieve this goal, top-down construction methods are being used for the substructure works in Parcel 2.

Since our first top-down construction project in KL dating back in the early 1990s, Northcroft has a great deal of numerous cost control and monitor experience in this type of construction.

In fact, the recent top-down construction project in the capital city of Kota Kinabalu in the State of Sabah and the vast and complex top-down construction in Pavilion Damansara, Kuala Lumpur also involved Northcroft.

The Pavilion Damansara Heights is an exciting project and Northcroft is proud to play a role in its completion.

Excellence at every stage

Northcroft has been involved with these prestigious Kuala Lumpur projects because of the depth of our knowledge and our commitment to achieving each client’s vision. Our team are dedicated to providing excellence at every stage of a project – no matter how challenging.

For a team of quantity surveyors you can rely on for independent advice, contact Northcroft.