KL Sentral has been designed by award-winning Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, whose other works include the KLIA Main Building; Melbourne Central; Oita Stadium in Oita, Japan, one of the venues of the 2002 World Cup; the Osaka International Convention Centre; the Toyota City Stadium, in Toyota, Japan; and Republic Plaza, next to Raffles Place in Singapore, winner of the World Best Architecture 1997 Award by FIABCI.

Stesen Sentral itself has won the Specialised Public Sector Development 2002 by FIABCI-Malaysia. In year 2003, Kuala Lumpur Sentral was additionally honoured as one of the world's best projects in the FIABCI-International's Prix d' Excellence.

Kurokawa has a keen sense of aesthetics which is evident in all his projects. A common denominator in his designs is the emphasis he places on the human element. Kurokawa is known for exploring the notion of engawa, or the "in between space", where public realm and private space co-exist in harmony.