Architecture of Kuala Lumpur

The architecture of Kuala Lumpur is a blend of old colonial influences, Asian traditions, Malay Islamic inspirations, modern and post modern mix. Being a relatively young city, most of Kuala Lumpur's colonial buildings were built toward the end of 19th and early 20th century. These buildings have Mughal, Tudor, Neo-Gothic or Grecian-Spanish style or architecture. Most of the styling have been modified to cater to use local resources and the acclimatized to the local climate, which is hot and humid all year around.

Independence coupled with the rapid economic growth from the 70's to the 90's, saw buildings with more local and Islamic motifs arise in the central districts of the city. Many of these buildings derive their design from traditional Malay items, such as the head dress and the keris. Some of these buildings have Islamic geometric motifs integrated with the designs of the building, such as square patterns or a dome.

Late Modernist and Post Modernist style architecture began to appear in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Buildings with all-glass exteriors sprang up around the city, with the most prominent example being the Petronas Twin Towers As an emerging global city in a newly industrialized economy, the city skyline is expected to experience further changes in decades to come with construction works like The Gardens, The Pavilion, Four Seasons Place, Lot C of KLCC and many more.

Buildings with Neo-Moorish or Mughal style of architecture were built at the turn of the 20th century by the colonial power, Great Britain. While most of the buildings with such architecture are in Dataran Merdeka, there are some in older part of town such as the Jamek Mosque on Jalan Tun Perak, and the KTM railway station and the KTM Administration Office. Famous buildings in the neo-Moorish style includes Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the Court of Appeals and the old Kuala Lumpur High Court. All the buildings mention before are within the Dataran Merdeka area. Other buildings with Moorish architecture are Bandaraya Theatre, InfoKraft (National Textile Museum), Kuala Lumpur Memorial Library, National History Museum and the old Sessions and Magistrates Courts before it was moved to Jalan Duta. The architect responsible for many of these buildings was Arthur Benison Hubback who designed the Jamek Mosque, the Railway Station, KTM Administration Office, Bandaraya Theatre and the textile museum, as well as contributing to the design of Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

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