Who is developing Amora Park? Astaka Kimlun and what it has delivered

Who is Astaka Kimlun Sdn Bhd?

Astaka Kimlun Sdn Bhd is the company that sells you an Amora unit and signs your sale and purchase agreement. It is the existing joint venture between two Johor names: Astaka Padu Sdn Bhd, the developer of One Bukit Senyum and Amora Park, and Kimlun Corporation Bhd, a construction group listed on Bursa Malaysia under stock code 5171. The Star and The Edge both reported on 15 October 2026 that Amora Serviced Residence will be built through this company.

The split works the way most developer and contractor partnerships do. Astaka brings the land and the masterplan. Kimlun brings the building side. In the 2024 deal for Arden @ One Bukit Senyum, Astaka's side held 51% and Kimlun's subsidiary Kii Amber held 49% of the joint venture company, with Astaka running sales, finance and licensing and Kimlun overseeing construction (The Edge, 12 July 2024). The 2026 reports on Amora do not give the shareholding, so do not assume it is the same.

Who is Astaka Padu?

Astaka Padu is the developer behind The Astaka, the two residential towers at One Bukit Senyum, Johor Bahru, of 72 and 67 storeys. Tower A stands 278.9 m and is the tallest building in Malaysia outside Kuala Lumpur. Astaka's own release says the towers were completed in June 2018. Its parent, Astaka Holdings, is listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX: 42S) and describes itself as a developer based in the Iskandar region. Allen Khong is the chief executive of Astaka Padu.

Amora Park is Astaka Padu's newer masterplan in Tampoi. Besides the serviced residence it has 44 shop offices on Amora Boulevard, a planned wellness mall of about 400,000 sq ft, a wellness hotel and an education hub of about 100,000 sq ft. The 44 shop offices were launched earlier in October 2026 and were all taken up within an hour, according to the developer.

Who is Kimlun?

Kimlun Corporation Bhd is a Johor construction and engineering group on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia. Its contracting arm, Kimlun Sdn Bhd, says it has completed more than 200 construction projects. For Astaka it has worked as a builder first: it held 40% of JBB Kimlun Sdn Bhd, the main contractor for Menara MBJB, and it was the main contractor for Aliva @ Mount Austin on a RM150 million contract. Chin Lian Hing, Kimlun's executive director, called the Amora deal an expansion of a longstanding collaboration with Astaka Padu.

What have Astaka and Kimlun delivered together?

Three projects came before Amora. Here they are with the figures each company published at the time.

Sources: Astaka media release of 8 May 2017 (Menara MBJB), Astaka press release of 18 April 2024 (Aliva), The Edge of 12 July 2024 (Arden), and The Star and The Edge of 15 October 2026 (take-up rates and Amora).

The record that matters most for an Amora buyer is Aliva. It is the same partnership on a serviced residence of similar type, and it is due for completion in the fourth quarter of 2026. If it hands over on time, you will be able to walk through a finished Astaka and Kimlun building in Johor Bahru before Amora's towers go up. I will add the handover news here when it comes.

What is in the Amora project the developer is selling?

Amora Serviced Residence has 617 units in Tower A (48 storeys) and Tower B (45 storeys), sold as serviced apartments under the Housing Development Act on freehold commercial land. The developer's site breaks the 617 units down by type.

Three in four units are the A types, 461 of 617. The dual-key B1 is the one investors ask me about, because one key can be let while the owner keeps the other. The developer's site lists the penthouse at 2,235 sq ft, while the press reports and this site say 2,230 sq ft, so check the figure on your own SPA plan. Car parks run from two to six bays a unit, and the Level 10 deck has a 50 m infinity pool. The six layouts are on the main page.

What should you check before you book?

• The licence and permit. Every advert and brochure must carry the developer's licence number and advertising permit number with its validity dates. Search Astaka Kimlun Sdn Bhd on KPKT's Teduh portal and match the numbers. The developer's website did not show them when I read it on 16 October 2026.
• The Housing Development Account. Your progress payments go into this account, and the bank name and account number are in the SPA. Pay only into that account.
• The completion date in the SPA. 2030 is a target. The date that counts for late delivery damages is the vacant possession date written in the agreement.
• Aliva's handover. It is the partnership's live test. Ask me for an update when you view.
• The foreign buyer position, if it applies to you. Johor's minimum for a foreign buyer is RM1,000,000 and the indicative entry price here is RM600,000, so most units sit under the line. The foreign buyer guide sets out what that means.

My take

Astaka has finished the tallest towers in Johor Bahru and a government headquarters, and Kimlun has been its builder for close to a decade. That counts for more than a show unit. The open question is pace: Aliva is due this quarter and Arden is still selling, so Amora will be the third serviced residence the pair has under way at once. Look at Aliva before you sign, read the SPA dates, and pick your layout early, because only 14 penthouses and 16 B2 units exist. Send me the layout you want and I will come back with what is open and the current price list.

Questions buyers ask about the Amora developer