Get Your Phones Ready for the Best Pictures of 2026 — OMBAK Is Not Another Mall

Ombak took three years to name — a word chosen to sit alongside Suria. Suria, the sun. Ombak, the wave. Sun, sea and sand are woven into our identity as a tropical peninsula, and now into the KLCC precinct too.

Ombak is an architectural delight and an engineering feat. Its curved cantilever runs 45 metres — about the length of the Statue of Liberty lying on her side — so standing beneath it feels like standing at the mouth of a three-storey cave, framed by a park and one of the world's most photographed skylines.

Inside, escalators wind up through all seven storeys, a twisted sculpture in their own right. Look up from any angle and it's mesmerising.

The rooftop is an attraction of its own. You no longer need to stand in the middle of Jalan Ampang for a vertical shot of the Twin Towers — Ombak's roof gives you the skyline too. Visitor numbers are already being controlled.

But the real draw is the art. Galeri PETRONAS now anchors Ombak as Malaysia's first cantilevered art gallery — roughly 126,000 sq ft over two floors along the arching cantilever, with international curation alongside an interactive digital art space.

If there's one thing missing from our cultural landscape, it's art. Malaysia overflows with indigenous culture and talent, yet our gallery and performance destinations have never really been mapped out. Ombak changes that: a venue for arts, culture and lifestyle. Yes, there are shops. But the anchor is art.

Persiaran KLCC MRT station is at its door and the city's best-known park is right next to it. KL Car-Free Morning draws thousands every Sunday, KLCC Park is already a favourite base for run clubs, and brands such as Asics are capitalising on it.

The food fits too: hot pot, local bakeries, contemporary restaurants and seafood for the estimated 110,000 office workers nearby.

Suria KLCC already draws around 150,000 visitors a day. Add Ombak and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, and footfall across the precinct could soon top 200,000.

What does this mean for retailers? Ombak had to work hard to land major brands. Most established names are already in the three premium malls nearby, and luxury fashion doesn't suit its art-led DNA.

The answer has been complementary trade: activewear, athleisure, bouldering and similar experiences. Names like Nintendo, Lego or Pokémon would fit naturally here — brands built on play rather than prestige.

For investors, KLCC's central location continues to lead the market. Land within the 98-acre development is valued above RM5,000 per sq ft, and condominiums trade above RM2,500 per sq ft. Grade A office rents around the Towers top RM18 per sq ft, and office occupancy has been climbing since late last year as corporates position early. Twenty-three hotels, mostly 4- and 5-star, surround the area, household incomes in the catchment are estimated above RM24,000 a month, and about 45,000 of Suria's daily visitors come from abroad.

The crowd — especially the younger generation — is embracing Ombak: its beauty, its park setting, its experience-led tenants and its central location. This is what we should be building for the next generation. Not another mall.

What a strong second act for the owners of the Twin Towers — and for everyone with a stake in the KLCC precinct.