A city of spectacular landmarks

The well-marked lighting over the major buildings in Kuala Lumpur provide an interesting skyline during night while accentuating their beauty at the same time. Every thing in the city blends together into a kaleidoscope of colour and sound to delight the senses, observes Harish Saini

KUALA Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, speaks of a sharp contrast where old and new merge in perfect harmony. While taking a stroll down the street, one comes across 18th century historical buildings, giant shopping malls, 5 star hotels, discos and haute couture boutiques etc apart from the spectacular high-rise structures of the modern times.

Out of all, truly magnificent 452-metre-high Petrona twin towers, made of steel, are the ones which are visible from every nook and corner of the city. At present the world’s tallest buildings, they exceed the famous Sears tower in Chicago by 10 mt. Apart from presenting a breathtaking view, they represent the rising tide of structural engineering potential in architecture. The two towers are joined strategically in the middle, providing the necessary rigidity to the structure. While standing next to these huge buildings, it becomes impossible to capture the whole structure in the camera. However, they are not accessible to the general public and tourists.

Very soon, the Petrona towers shall be the third highest buildings as the upcoming Suyang Bay landmark tower in Korea—with a height of 462.1 mt — will be the tallest. The Shanghai World Financial Centre with a height of 459.9 mt will be the second tallest building in the world.

Another spectacular landmark in the city is Menara Kuala Lumpur, which stands 421 mt above the ground. This is one of the tallest concrete towers in the world, built to enhance the quality of telecommunication services and the clarity in broadcasting. Menara Kuala Lumpur is the fourth tallest tower after CN tower in Canada (553 metres), Ostankanio tower in Russia (537 metres) and Shanghai tower in China (450 metres). Situated at the top of Bukit Nanas, Menara Kuala Lumpur is divided into five basic sections:

1. The foundation base — Houses three basements, floors for safety needs, storage and services.

2. The touristic building — Bears the administration offices, souvenir shops etc.

3. The tower shaft — Comprises 22 levels with four elevators (speed of 4 metres per second) and 2058 flights of stairs.

4. The tower head — Holds the public observation platforms and revolving restaurant as well as the telecommunication and broadcasting stations.

5. The antenna mast — Crowns the tower and is specially utilized for telecommunication and broadcasting transmissions.

The intricate design of this tower reflects the Islamic architecture known as Muqarnas. brought from Esfalian, Iran. Interestingly, the natural surroundings were cared for during the construction of this tower. A 100 year-old tree can be seen just next to the tower . It has been preserved by a huge retaining wall which has been built at a cost of RM 4,30,000 (Rs, 47 lakh approx.) A visit to this magnificent landmark while you are in the city is an absolute must. The view from the top is breathtaking.

The well-marked lighting over the major buildings provide an interesting skyline during night while accentuating their beauty at the same time. Every thing in the city blends together into a kaleidoscope of colour and sound to delight the senses.