Best Project, Residential/Hospitality: Cantara Residences

The park-topped and inhabited skybridge that connects the four residential towers presented the most challenges.

Photo courtesy Turner International Malaysia

Cantara Residences
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
BEST PROJECT

Owner: Sime Darby Ara Damansara Development Sdn Bhd
Lead Design Firm: Arkitek FAA Sdn Bhd (FAA)
General Contractor: OrangeBeam Construction Sdn Bhd (OBC) (f.k.a. Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd)
Civil and Structural Engineer: Perunding Mahir Bersatu Sdn Bhd (PMB)
MEP Engineer: PE Associates Sdn Bhd (PEA)
Project Manager: Turner International LLC
Landscape Architect: LandArt Design Sdn Bhd
Consultant: JUB Central Sdn Bhd

The 23-story Cantara Residences, located near Kuala Lumpur, are named after the Arabic word for bridge, because of the span that links the four apartment towers. But the skybridge, at levels 16 and 17, is no ordinary connector—it contains living units. To further complicate the project, the bridge is capped by a rooftop park, with a jogging track and gym.

The span, dubbed the Dwelling Bridge, posed the biggest challenge to the building team, especially regarding the risk of falling objects. Attention was paid to safety, protection, fit-up and other details. Still, the biggest feat was erecting the link's 1,400 tons of structural steel framing, 60 m in the air.

According to the original schedule, construction of the level-19 transfer beam and slab was to wait until after completion of levels 16, 17 and 18. A change in sequence allowed level 19 to start earlier and independent of the other floors’ completion. The resequencing resulted in the early finish, by one month, of the transfer beam and slab, the remaining level-19 structure and the tower elevations above the Dwelling Bridge.

A 4D building information model identified 219 design issues. For example, the buildings’ reinforced concrete columns—independent of the bridge steel but running up through the bridges—were modified before construction to eliminate BIM-indicated clashes with the bridge steel.

Back to ENR Global Best Projects Award Winners 2020

Nadine M. Post, ENR's editor-at-large for buildings, is an award-winning journalist with 45 years of experience covering trends, issues, innovations, controversies and challenging projects. Post has written about many industry giants, including 10 ENR Award of Excellence winners. And she has covered disasters, failures and attacks, including the 1993 bombing and the 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center. Project stories include the redevelopment of the World Trade Center; the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa; Los Angeles’ Disney Concert Hall; and Seattle's Bullitt Center and Rainier Square Tower. In 1985, Post wrote McGraw-Hill's book Restoring the Statue of Liberty (1986) for the restoration’s architects—Richard S. Hayden and Thierry W. Despont.

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