Buildings that give Malaysia the 'wow' factor

Buildings that give Malaysia the 'wow' factor

New buildings that sprung up did not wow. But one
institutional building Mr Zulhemlee admires is another belonging to the
national oil company - the Petronas University of Technology in Tronoh, Perak.
"I thought this was very, very well designed. It is almost U-shaped, curvy
and corridors link the main building to secondary buildings. It is all covered
by a sweeping roof to protect against the elements, and the big plaza allows
for interaction so that the whole place becomes lively."

Designed by Foster & Partners and GDP Associates,
it was the recipient of the 2007 Aga Khan Award for architecture.

If all goes to plan, another project that is expected
to bring the spotlight back to Malaysia
is Permodalan Nasional Bhd's Menara Warisan Merdeka. Foundation work on the
118-storey superstructure started last year at the site of the old Stadium
Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur
and that phase will be completed this year.

It is safe to say the 600-metre skyscraper will dwarf
everything in its surroundings when completed in 2020. PNB and its subsidiaries
will occupy the monolith, part of a mixed development on 7.7 hectares close to Chinatown.