The process of Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) has its infrastructure “99 pc completed, says CEO” (Malay Mail, 2022). The pandemic delays occurred to Tun Razak Exchange, but they are to catch up to completion (Aman, 2021). Despite nearing the completion of the TRX supposedly, 2023 this year (Aman, 2021), there are some uncertainties about the impact of the TRX without critiques. This completion marks “Malaysia’s first international financial district” for Kuala Lumpur (KL) to prepare Tun Razak Exchange’s “70-acre master plan” to analyse its historical and current progress requiring analysis (Tun Razak Exchange, no date).
Overall Process of Tun Razak Exchange
The beginning of the process is rough, with 1 Malaysia Development Corporation (1MDB) as a “development company” “launched by Najib Tun Razak” to build the foundation of TRX as an “international financial hub” not making the nation democratic with scandals (Case, 2017). Case (2017) mentioned the scandals that initiated public fears about the Tun Razak Exchange’s downfall and corruption. Nevertheless, despite the challenges, the Malaysian government attempts to proceed with the financial hub as the “first Islamic superpower” with TRX (Ennew and Alam, 2013). Groups and companies, like Mulia Group & Lendlease, still bid and invest in the TRX (Wei-Shen, 2015 & Williams, 2015). However, the opposition continually occurred against TRX with political turmoil (Choudhury, 2015). Despite all of this, they continued funding billions of dollars to TRX to attempt to alleviate scandals throughout the court (Bernama, 2019, Shankar, 2019 & Leong, 2018). The fact that both progress and controversy exist toward completion requires further analysis of landmarks of Tun Razak Exchange (Malay Mail, 2022).
Tun Razak Exchange Built Form and Functionality
The overall built form shows that it is a “70-acre master-planned development, which will include 30 buildings” (Tun Razak Exchange, no date). The TRX acknowledges the overall built-form future influences on KL (Buro Happold, 2020 & Grimshaw, no date, Figure 1). So, the TRX attempt to achieve these impacts by having its sustainable “high-density mixed-use development” “consisting of 2.2 million sq. ft of innovative city centre retail, six residential towers with over 2000 apartments, 250,000 sq. ft of commercial office, a hotel and a 10-acre public rooftop park” (Grimshaw, Tun Razak Exchange Master Plan no date, & Tun Razak Exchange, no date).
The TRX successfully targeted key goals infrastructures, such as a “5-minute’ walk to “KL’s largest MRT station” and “network of local buses”; a comprehensive water and wastewater treatment; and a walkable region with underground infrastructure (Buro Happold, 2020, & Tun Razak Exchange, no date). The Tun Razak Exchange have collaborated well with private companies to the point where they won the rewards with “LEED-ND Stage 2 Gold accreditation and Platinum status” to reach the goal of “Smart City Design” and improving the economy and the income of Malaysia (Buro Happold, 2020 & Tun Razak Exchange, no date). There has been a positive trend for the government and the companies to finish TRX, which is sceptical.
The Exchange Tun Razak Exchange (TRX)
The major landmark is The Exchange Tun Razak Exchange will open soon in Q4 2023 (Landlease, 2022). There is a “10-acre rooftop public park” with over “400 experience stores at a human scale of “four retail levels” with many amenities and is “modelled after Canary Wharf in London, Marina Bay in Singapore, and the International Financial Centre in Hong Kong” (Grimshaw, Tun Razak Exchange Master Plan no date & Landlease, 2022). There is positive reviews that acquires “new experiences” against “old KL malls,” with amenities and placemaking such as with “150,000 plants on top,” ““depachika” Japanese food hall,” international Asian stores, and over “4000 stores and a park spanning across 1.3 million” ft2 with 100 dining options(Grimshaw, no date, Tun Razak Exchange Master Plan no date, Landlease, 2022, UiHua, 2022, Figure 2-5). This description demonstrates the Tun Razak Exchange’s seeming attempt to cover up with positive reviews without many negative reviews to become an international hub for public places.
Landmark: The Exchange 106
The Exchange 106 is at the heart of Tun Razak, with significant architecture (Mulia Group, 2021). The Exchange is at a 10-acre public green to make the tallest landmark (Edgeprop. my, 2023 & Mulia Group, 2021). The morphology of the Exchange 106 at Tun Razak Exchange is the rooftop LED “crowning glory,” “the arrival” podium, amenities of mixed-use, lobby and sky lobby, and world-class design architecture (Mulia Group, 2021 Figure 6-8). It is accredited to be the tallest building in Malaysia (Edgeprop. my, 2023). It appears that this landmark attempt to make a phenomenon for a better reputation for Tun Razak Exchange to influence the world in Malaysia.
Conclusion about Tun Razak Exchange
To take a neutral view of TRX’s progress is bittersweet at most. The samples of infrastructures demonstrate overt positivism and perhaps need more improvement rather than alignment to strict rules to make TRX more aligned to democracy (Han, 2015 & Yew and Zhu, 2019). The worldwide phenomenon is what Tun Razak Exchange is supported to represent with future progress of architecture (Tun Razak Exchange, no date). One lesson is that though there are turmoil and joys, the future of the Tun Razak Exchange will impact Malaysia and the international world in events of good and bad times that will persist with positive trends. Plus, the Tun Razak Exchange should consider preparing for a brighter future.
References:
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