Exchange 106, the signature tower of Malaysia’s first dedicated financial district, the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) is 106 storeys and 492 metres high, making it the 6th tallest office building in the world.
The sleek tower is an impressive addition to the contemporary Kuala Lumpur skyline, and if you look closer, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to its architecture.
New take on a vintage design
Indonesia’s property powerhouse, the Mulia Group, took on the challenge of reimagining an iconic architectural approach for Exchange 106, imbuing the whole structure with a unique sense of continuity, from rich history to brilliant future.
“We have a classic blue glass façade with a geometric crown that represents a modern interpretation of Art Deco design. At the top of the building, we have a 12-storey crown, the jewel of Exchange 106,” said Patrick Honan, General Manager, Mulia Property Development Sdn Bhd, referring to the distinctive style popular in the 1920s and ‘30s, with buildings such as the Chrysler building in New York City.
Top of the range, ahead of the game
Only the very best and most advanced building materials and techniques were utilised throughout the construction of Exchange 106, resulting in an office building that is luxurious and has the look and feel of a 5-star hotel.
The crown is no different; made of double-layered laminated low-iron glass panels with satin-finished stainless-steel framing in an elegant diamond pattern. Using low-iron glass maximises the clarity of the surface, while the addition of a customised, one-of-a-kind interlayer made from a special vision fabric with a metallic coating on the external face, increases the reflectivity of the glass.
Together with the triangulated and folded diamond effect configuration, the final result is an unbeatable sparkle and shine, resulting in dramatic reflections during the day and distinctive luminous glow at night.
The local soul of a contemporary classic
The structure of the crown consists of two sections. The first, the external multifaceted glass, is inspired by the many faces of multicultural Malaysia.
The second internal section is dubbed “the Lantern”, which provides a constant glow, changing colour to reflect the Malaysian currency, befitting the tower’s role as the beacon for Kuala Lumpur’s newest financial centre, illuminating a bright future for the industry specifically, and the country more generally.
“The glass on the crown has been cut and placed so that it also represents an Islamic art element,” Honan added, referring to the geometric pattern which draws upon Islam’s rich history of art.
“Islamic architecture is about order, pattern, repetition and geometry, all of which is evident in the whole building, the crown especially,” said Ali Moghaddasi, architect of Exchange 106 and Chief Development Officer for the Mulia Group.
Moghaddasi was seeking to harmonise international design elements with a local soul. “I look for solutions that lie in the poetry of place, history and regional character in providing environments that reflect the soul and spirit of each community,” he said.
A tower reaching to the skies with 106 gleaming floors, TRX’s defining beacon ushers in a new era of globalised business for Malaysia’s ambitious capital city.
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