BRDB has acquired a 7.98-acre parcel at Wisma Damansara in Kuala Lumpur for a transformative mixed-use project and will collaborate with British design firm Heatherwick Studio to design an integrated residential, retail, and community-focused development. The aim is to foster a people-centred living environment, with the site positioned as a strategic gateway between Damansara Heights and Kuala Lumpur’s city centre, and located in proximity to the MRT Semantan station. The land, formerly owned by Selangor Properties Sdn Bhd, will host a bold urban initiative that blends living, shopping, and social spaces with carefully designed public realms. The financial details, including the purchase price and gross development value, will be disclosed at a later date. This partnership is framed as a pivotal moment for BRDB and Malaysian architecture, signaling a shift towards high-impact, design-led urban futures that rethink how residents engage with city spaces while maintaining BRDB’s heritage of quality and innovation.
Background and Partnership Framework
The collaboration between BRDB and Heatherwick Studio represents a deliberate convergence of local pedigree and international design leadership. BRDB, renowned for its long-standing contribution to Malaysia’s built environment, is leveraging a land asset that sits at a crossroads of prestige and opportunity. The acquisition of the Wisma Damansara site marks a clear commitment to redefining the urban landscape of Damansara Heights through a mixed-use paradigm that integrates living spaces, retail experiences, and communal facilities in a way that prioritizes human interaction and well-being.
Heatherwick Studio, founded by Thomas Heatherwick and led by a team of designers known for sculpting public experiences through architecture, is set to bring its distinctive approach to this Malaysian context for the first time. The partnership is described as a transformative moment—both for BRDB, which seeks to elevate its portfolio with a flagship project that embodies quality, innovation, and timeless design, and for Malaysian architecture, which is increasingly looking toward global design languages to enrich urban life. The project underscores BRDB’s strategic intent to push the boundaries of conventional development models by placing emphasis on how people move, meet, and mingle in built environments.
From BRDB’s perspective, the aim is not merely to erect a landmark; it is to cultivate a living ecosystem that integrates residential housing with high-quality retail and thoughtfully designed community spaces. This holistic approach is meant to promote social engagement, wellness, and a renewed sense of place. Heatherwick Studio’s involvement brings a track record of delivering immersive environments that blur the line between architecture, landscape, and urban intervention, as demonstrated in their international portfolio. The collaboration will involve joint master planning, conceptual design, and eventual execution of a master plan that aligns with both BRDB’s standards and Heatherwick Studio’s design language. While the exact financial terms are not yet disclosed, the significance lies in the strategic alignment of Malaysia’s urban development ambitions with world-class design leadership.
In articulating the partnership’s intent, BRDB’s leadership emphasized a forward-looking vision: this project is about redefining the skyline not just with tall forms, but with meaningful urban experiences that transform daily life. The executives highlighted a commitment to thoughtful, people-centric design that places public realm, accessibility, and social interaction at the core of the development. Heatherwick Studio’s leadership reinforced the expectation that Malaysia would gain a new type of community hub—one that blends architecture with nature, culture, and commerce in a way that is both joyful and responsible. This shared vision sets the stage for a master plan that seeks to balance iconic design with practical livability, ensuring the project contributes positively to the broader Kuala Lumpur metropolitan fabric.
The Site: From Land Acquisition to Urban Promise
The Wisma Damansara site, spanning 7.98 acres, becomes the anchor for a larger narrative about how Kuala Lumpur’s suburbs and city centre areas can connect more effectively through accessible, sustainable urbanism. The site’s conversion from a private tract to a mixed-use master plan signals a move toward transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly environments that reduce car dependency while enhancing street life. The choice of proximity to MRT Semantan reflects a deliberate intent to weave public transit accessibility into the heart of Damansara Heights, enabling easier access to central Kuala Lumpur and reinforcing the corridor’s vitality. The project’s retail component is expected to emphasize a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor spaces, with water-efficient landscaping and naturalistic design cues intended to foster social interaction, spontaneous encounters, and wellness—core elements of a people-centred living environment.
This section’s framing—acquisition, site characteristics, and strategic location—provides a clear lens through which to view the broader ambition: creating a connected, vibrant district that serves not only residents and workers but also visitors who are drawn to a thoughtfully designed urban realm. The project’s positioning near a major transit node and its role as a gateway between Damansara Heights and Kuala Lumpur’s city centre are central to understanding the expectations placed on the master plan. In addition, the site’s scale enables a sophisticated mix of uses and generous public realm interventions, allowing for a layered experience where daily rituals, leisure, and commerce intersect within a single, coherent environment.
The financial specifics, including the purchase price and gross development value, will be disclosed in due course, but the importance of the site lies in the potential it holds to catalyze a broader urban transformation—one that elevates the quality of life through design-led development, sustainable practices, and an enduring sense of place. The collaboration signals a willingness to pursue a bold, future-oriented approach to urban growth—one that respects local context while drawing on global expertise to craft a distinctive Malaysian landmark that can serve as a model for similar developments elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Design Intent: A New Standard for Community-Centric Living
A central pillar of this partnership is the intention to deliver a development that integrates residential, retail, and community spaces in a way that is more than the sum of its parts. The emphasis on a people-centred living environment suggests a design strategy that prioritizes human-scale experiences, walkability, and meaningful public spaces as endpoints of everyday life. The conceptual framework envisions a district where housing sits alongside high-quality retail environments, cultural and social spaces, and expansive green areas that invite outdoor activity, conversation, and collaboration.
Heatherwick Studio’s design philosophy—built around joyful, purposeful, and transformative spaces—will be applied to the Malaysian context with sensitivity to local climate, culture, and urban dynamics. The studio has demonstrated expertise in creating places that invite public participation and that become catalysts for community life. The Malaysia project is noted as Heatherwick’s first execution in the country, marking a milestone in the studio’s global portfolio and presenting an opportunity to translate its design language into a new cultural setting. The project is expected to explore a tactile, material-rich palette and design elements that foster a sense of discovery and delight, while adhering to rigorous standards of sustainability, resilience, and functional livability.
The collaboration also signals a broader ambition to contribute to Kuala Lumpur’s urban evolution by introducing a master plan that balances iconic architectural presence with everyday usability. The integrated approach to design—from the macro urban plan to the micro-detailing of public realm features—reflects a commitment to enduring architecture that performs across multiple scales. A key objective is to ensure that the development remains relevant and adaptable as urban needs evolve, maintaining a timeless quality that can withstand shifting tastes and market conditions without compromising essential human-centred priorities.
Location, Connectivity, and Urban Context
The Wisma Damansara site’s strategic location near MRT Semantan situates the project at a critical intersection of mobility, accessibility, and urban vitality. The development’s role as a gateway between Damansara Heights and Kuala Lumpur city centre positions it to influence the flow of people, commerce, and activity throughout a highly connected part of the metropolitan area. Transit-oriented development (TOD) considerations are likely to shape the master plan, encouraging compact urban form, mixed-use intensity, and a high-quality public domain that invites pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users to linger and engage with the space.
The integration of indoor and outdoor retail, combined with natural landscaping, underscores a design approach that leverages landscape as an extension of indoor programs. This strategy aims to create seamless transitions between private and public realms, offering a stacked experience in which residents, workers, and visitors can move fluidly from housing to shopping to leisure in a single, cohesive environment. The concept of social engagement and wellness within the retail and public spaces aligns with global trends toward healthier urban living—where access to green space, opportunities for physical activity, and social interaction are considered fundamental components of daily life.
Damansara Heights is renowned for its distinctive urban character, blending residential prestige with proximity to business districts, shopping districts, and cultural amenities. The proposed project seeks to honor this identity while infusing it with Heatherwick Studio’s internationally informed design sensibilities. The outcome is anticipated to be a contemporary, resilient district that respects the scale and human-friendly proportions of the surrounding neighbourhood, while introducing new layers of activity, accessibility, and public life. The project’s success will depend on balancing high-quality residential offerings with vibrant retail experiences and inclusive public spaces, all integrated into a coherent urban system that serves both local residents and the broader Kuala Lumpur community.
This ambitious undertaking is also expected to address environmental performance and sustainability at multiple scales—from site-level water management and energy efficiency to material choices and long-term maintenance. While exact performance targets and metrics will be defined in later planning stages, the overarching objective is to deliver a development that remains meaningful and adaptable over time, with a robust public realm that supports healthy lifestyles and social cohesion. The collaboration’s emphasis on a well-designed, people-centred environment is intended to set a new benchmark for how mixed-use schemes can enhance Urban Living in Kuala Lumpur and act as a blueprint for future initiatives in Malaysia and the region.
The Player Roles: BRDB’s Legacy Meets Heatherwick’s Innovation
BRDB brings decades of local market knowledge, development experience, and an established presence in Kuala Lumpur’s architectural and real estate landscape. Its governance, quality controls, and brand promise are expected to guide the project toward outcomes that reflect Malaysia’s architectural heritage while embracing modern design principles. Heatherwick Studio contributes international design leadership, an emphasis on experiential space-making, and a track record of creating meaningful landscapes and structures that encourage public interaction and cultural exchange.
The collaboration aims to harmonize these strengths—BRDB’s local execution capability and Heatherwick Studio’s creative vision—into a unified master plan that can deliver both immediate impact and long-term value. The project’s emphasis on a “joyful and impactful community hub” aligns with broader urban design objectives that prioritize people-centred experiences, social cohesion, and adaptable space usage. As the development progresses, governance structures, decision-making processes, and stakeholder engagement strategies will play crucial roles in translating this shared vision into a tangible, deliverable project.
Design Vision and Project Scope
Heatherwick Studio’s involvement signals a design approach that prioritizes human-scale interactions, tactile materials, and a strong public realm. The studio’s international portfolio includes projects such as Azabudai Hills in Tokyo and Little Island in New York, which are noted for their ability to merge architectural form with landscape, urban context, and social vitality. The Malaysia project is anticipated to apply a similar philosophy—an integration of residential, retail, and community spaces through a cohesive design language that fosters connection, exploration, and social engagement.
The retail component is described as blending indoor and outdoor spaces with natural landscapes, a concept that invites shoppers and visitors to move fluidly between built interiors and open-air settings. This approach emphasizes the importance of outdoor rooms, shaded walkways, green corridors, and well-considered landscape design as integral elements of the retail experience. The residential components are expected to be complemented by community spaces—venues where residents and visitors can gather, learn, engage in cultural activities, and participate in wellness-oriented programming.
A central design objective is to achieve a balanced, timeless aesthetic that remains relevant across generations. This means selecting materials, forms, and spatial configurations that endure beyond fashion cycles and market fluctuations. The project is also expected to incorporate sustainability considerations that address energy efficiency, water management, and the broader environmental footprint of the development. Heatherwick Studio’s leadership has indicated an intention to bring a joyful and impactful community hub to Damansara, implying a design outcome in which architecture and landscape work together to create memorable, usable places that enrich daily life.
The site’s master plan will be developed through a rigorous design process, including urban design studies, public realm programming, and careful integration with surrounding infrastructure and neighbourhood fabric. While the exact details of the final program—the precise mix of residential units, retail floor area, office or flexible-use spaces, and the overall development scale—will be determined in subsequent planning stages, the guiding principle has been established: a highly integrated, people-centric, multi-use environment that serves as a model for responsible, aspirational urban development in Malaysia.
The Road Ahead: Milestones and Next Steps
At this stage, key milestones include refining the master plan, assessing regulatory requirements, and preparing for formal approvals and public consultations. The collaboration will rely on a phased approach that allows for iterative design refinement informed by stakeholder input, market analysis, and technical feasibility studies. The timing of construction is contingent on a range of factors, including permitting timelines, financing arrangements, and market conditions, and will be communicated as plans mature. The project’s success will depend on aligning design ambition with practical considerations—ensuring that the public realm is accessible, safe, and inviting, while preserving the site’s environmental and climate resilience credentials.
In parallel, the mixed-use concept will necessitate careful planning of circulation patterns, parking strategies, and service delivery logistics to minimize congestion and maximize pedestrian comfort. The integration of green spaces, water features, and shade structures will be critical to delivering a climate-responsive development that performs well in Kuala Lumpur’s tropical context. The collaboration’s outcomes will be measured not only by the architectural excellence of the built form but also by the vibrancy of the public realm, the quality of life for residents and workers, and the development’s ability to catalyse broader urban improvements in the Damansara Heights area and beyond.
Economic and Urban Impacts
The Wisma Damansara project has the potential to impact the local economy by creating construction activity, jobs, and ongoing opportunities in retail, hospitality, and services. The development’s scale and ambition suggest a positive contribution to property values and the broader Kuala Lumpur market, while also presenting challenges typical of large-scale projects, including planning approvals, infrastructure coordination, and ensuring inclusive access to new amenities. By leveraging Heatherwick Studio’s design language and BRDB’s local expertise, the project could attract regional attention, influence design discourse in Malaysia, and set benchmarks for high-quality, future-ready urban projects that integrate living, commerce, and community life in a responsible, regenerative manner.
The project’s positioning as a bridge between Damansara Heights and Kuala Lumpur’s city centre reflects a strategic effort to strengthen the city’s transit-oriented growth narrative. If successfully realized, the development could catalyse improved connectivity, stimulate nearby neighbourhoods, and contribute to a more dynamic, walkable urban environment that aligns with contemporary expectations for sustainable, people-first urban design.
Implementation Timeline and Governance
The purchase and planning process for a project of this scale involves a comprehensive sequence of steps, from due diligence and designs through regulatory approvals and construction. The acquisition’s completion marks the beginning of a formal master-planning phase, during which BRDB and Heatherwick Studio will define the development’s spatial arrangement, program mix, and public realm strategy. Subsequent phases will include refinement of the architectural language, environmental performance targets, and social programming to ensure the development meets both market and community expectations.
Governance for the project will likely involve a joint steering committee or equivalent governance structure comprising BRDB executives and Heatherwick Studio leadership, with representation from relevant regulatory authorities and local stakeholders. Transparency in reporting, sustainable development benchmarks, and stakeholder engagement will be essential components of the process, ensuring that the project remains aligned with urban planning objectives, community needs, and market realities.
Financial planning and risk management will play a critical role in shaping the project’s trajectory. The release of purchase price and gross development value at a later date indicates careful financial handling, with attention to forecast accuracy, capital deployment, and return on investment. The project’s financial strategy will need to address financing arrangements, construction phasing, and potential contingencies, ensuring that the master plan can be delivered within budget and on schedule while maintaining the highest standards of quality and design integrity.
Community, Social, and Cultural Impact
A central promise of the BRDB–Heatherwick Studio collaboration is the creation of a community-centric living environment. By prioritizing public space, social interaction, and wellness, the development aims to enhance the everyday lives of residents, workers, and visitors. The integration of residential, retail, and community spaces provides opportunities for occupants to engage in cultural activities, leisure, and informal gatherings, contributing to a richer social fabric within the Damansara Heights corridor and across Kuala Lumpur.
The project’s emphasis on natural landscapes, indoor-outdoor retail experiences, and thoughtfully designed public realms has the potential to encourage more sustainable urban behaviours. By enabling easy access to transit and prioritising pedestrian-friendly routes, the development could reduce reliance on private vehicles, promote healthier lifestyles, and support local businesses through increased foot traffic. The inclusion of community spaces—whether they host markets, performances, workshops, or civic programming—can strengthen social ties and foster a sense of shared ownership over the district.
In addition to social benefits, the project is poised to become a cultural touchstone that signals Malaysia’s capacity to attract international design leadership while embedding local context and identity. Heatherwick Studio’s involvement highlights the importance of cross-cultural exchange in shaping contemporary urban architecture, and the project can serve as a platform to celebrate Malaysia’s architectural heritage alongside global design innovations. The potential for public engagement and cultural programming will be a key aspect of delivering a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient urban precinct.
Sustainability and resilience are also at the forefront of the community narrative. The project’s design and planning stages will consider long-term environmental performance, climate resilience, and adaptability. The public realm, green infrastructure, and energy strategies will be designed to endure changing climatic conditions while maintaining a high quality of life for occupants. The development’s success will be judged not only by its architectural statement but also by the extent to which it supports inclusive, healthy, and vibrant urban living for all segments of Kuala Lumpur’s population.
Materials, Environment, and Smart City Elements
While specific material choices and technical specifications will be determined in future planning phases, the project’s stated emphasis on timeless design suggests a materials palette and architectural language meant to endure. The integration of natural landscapes within a dense urban context points to a strategy that uses vegetation, water features, and shade to create comfortable microclimates and visually engaging spaces. The public realm is expected to feature a variety of scales and programs, from intimate pocket plazas to larger civic spaces, all designed to encourage frequent use and spontaneous interaction.
In addition, the project is likely to explore smart city considerations, including data-informed planning for crowd management, energy efficiency, and maintenance of public spaces. While these aspects will be defined as planning progresses, the overarching objective remains clear: to deliver a district that operates as a coherent urban ecosystem—one that is responsive to resident needs, adaptable to future trends, and capable of maintaining a high standard of quality over time.
Economic Prospects and Market Relevance
From a market perspective, the Wisma Damansara development has the potential to influence investor sentiment and buyer interest in Damansara Heights and the broader Kuala Lumpur market. A well-executed, design-led mixed-use project can attract a diverse range of purchasers and tenants—ranging from high-end residential buyers to premium retailers and hospitality operators—thereby creating a vibrant, resilient precinct with long-term upside. The collaboration’s emphasis on a people-centric approach aligns with contemporary demand for live-work-play environments that offer meaningful social experiences, which can translate into sustained demand and enduring value for the development.
The project’s success will hinge on translating its design ambition into deliverables while navigating regulatory, financial, and market realities. The partnership anticipates ongoing updates as project milestones are achieved, with continued emphasis on maintaining the integrity of the design concept and ensuring that all aspects of the development contribute to a high-quality urban environment.
Conclusion
BRDB’s acquisition of the Wisma Damansara site and its collaboration with Heatherwick Studio to create a mixed-use, community-centric development marks a decisive moment for Kuala Lumpur’s urban future. Positioned near MRT Semantan and envisioned as a gateway between Damansara Heights and the city centre, the project aims to blend residential living, retail experiences, and social spaces within a landscape-driven design framework that emphasizes wellness, social engagement, and enduring quality. Heatherwick Studio’s first Malaysian venture promises to translate a global design language into a local context, delivering a joyful and impactful community hub that aligns with BRDB’s commitment to innovation, timeless design, and sustainable urban living.
The project will proceed through a structured planning and design process, with details on purchase price and gross development value to be announced in due course. As Kuala Lumpur continues to evolve as a dynamic, walkable, transit-oriented city, this development has the potential to become a benchmark for how Malaysia can integrate iconic architecture with functional, inclusive public realm design that enhances everyday life for residents and visitors alike. By concentrating on people at the center of the urban experience, the BRDB–Heatherwick Studio collaboration seeks to redefine Damansara Heights as a model of modern Malaysian urban living—one that harmonizes local character with global design excellence and sets a new standard for future developments in Kuala Lumpur and beyond.
