Semua House Retail Mall Refurbishment Works

Established in the 1980s, the shopping mall at downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has undergone a renovation since 2022 and is set to reopen in 2024 with pop-up stalls, events, shops and a food court. The project involved the repurposing and refurbishment of the retail podium, encompassing Basement 1, Basement 2, Ground Floor and Level 1. The remaining 16 floors above are designated for future development to complement the retail podium.

OPEN-BOOK CONTRACTING
The project was completed by way of an open-book managing contractor strategy, where the owner, Semua Properties, and the main contractor, Freeport Projects, collaborated transparently on the work plan, including costs, pricing, budgets and materials. This approach enabled the main contractor, owner and other design partners to work together as a team to save cost and time under a tight budget and timeline. With the open-book approach and transparent processes, Freeport Project’s main contractor role shifted towards that of a managing contractor. It allowed the team to engage with contractors and vendors during the early design stage, so as to review timely and validate the design value propositions to prevent budget overruns.

The team reconfigured the openings and atriums between floors to improve sightlines

OPTIMISING STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, WORKFORCE AND COSTS
One of the major works associated with the project was the relocation of the food court from Basement 1 to Basement 2, which sat directly atop the existing raft foundation that has been in place for over 30 years. Given the age of the existing raft slab and its importance to the building’s structural integrity, it was important to minimise any disruption or potential risks during the works, as well as to facilitate a seamless transition. As such, the team explored various construction methods to accommodate the food court’s needs while safeguarding the long-standing foundation. This included implementing a raised floor system for the kitchen drainage and integrating submersible pump systems to manage wastewater.

Besides, to accommodate the new escalator pits, part of the existing concrete raft foundation at Basement 2 was removed by utilising a 1.2-metre-diameter diamond cutting machine.

The main entrance of the retail mall is now at the corner of Jalan Bunus and Lorong TAR

PROJECT DATA
Project Name
Semua House Retail Mall Refurbishment Works
Location
Jalan Bunus 6, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Completion Date
December 2023
Gross Floor Area
160,000 square feet
Building Height
Podium: 4 storeys
Owner
Semua Properties Sdn Bhd
Managing Contractor
Freeport Projects
Architect
Urban Agenda Design
Submitting Architect
ROA Architecture Sdn Bhd
Civil & Structural Engineer
SNA Consult Sdn Bhd
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer
LEC M&E Consult Sdn Bhd
Quantity Surveyor
ER Consult
Images
Freeport Projects

This is an excerpt. The original article is published in
Construction+ Q2 2024 Issue: The Contractors: Integrating Expertise Across Construction.
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