As passengers hurry through on their commute at the TRX MRT Station, they may not realise that this gem was architecturally designed to play its part as the gateway to Malaysia’s new financial district, and, symbolically, the country’s future.
The station is an ultra-modern infrastructure ready to serve the future urban economy, but it also lovingly pays homage to our rich traditions. In fact, it summarises the history of the city and what it means to be modern, yet deeply connected to our roots.
The moment you disembark, this story begins, when you arrive at the platform area, built at double-height to signal the significance of this station, set to become one of the busiest and most important in the Klang Valley transit network.
The station has four platforms on two underground levels: two for the recently completed Sungai Buloh – Kajang line (SBK) and another two ready to be connected to the second MRT line, Sungai Buloh – Serdang – Putrajaya (SSP). As an interchange for the two lines, it connects population corridors of 3.2 million people.
Commuters will find it rewarding to slow down your pace, and notice the sleek Islamic geometric designs that adorn the columns and the ceiling. The architects have aptly named the motifs “Islamic Corporate” to reflect the station’s link to the Tun Razak Exchange development, set to be Kuala Lumpur’s first dedicated financial district, which will cement the city’s reputation as a global leader in Islamic finance.
The Islamic geometric designs, with roots in the ninth-century Abbasid Caliphate, is not mere decoration. It is a lattice work of complex mathematical equations that evoke ancient yet highly sophisticated methods to study the cosmos.
This approach to decorative design was chosen as there can be no location more fitting to create an homage to mathematics than the future financial hub of Southeast Asia. The station’s architect, Ar. Jalid Hussin of Neuformation Architects said, “The station design must be looked at as part of the larger network of underground MRT stations. They string together the narrative of KL – from Pasar Seni as the origin in the confluence to the future economy in TRX”.
As you move towards the ground-level exit, pay attention to the ceiling while you ride the escalator up to the grand concourse. It truly feels like you are gazing into the stars.
When you leave the underground station, you will be greeted by the most modern reinterpretation of the same Islamic geometry on the ground-level entrance, where the roof is abstracted, creating an axis that streamlines your views: the main entrance, the bus stop and finally TRX’s signature tower, The Exchange 106.
Look up once more, and the impressive ceiling here incorporates delightful prismatic roof lights, each created out of metallic plates. Look more closely, and you will discover reflections of the Islamic geometric pattern encased in these roof lights. The sky-borne geometry here is ephemeral and ever-changing as you move around it – a charming contrast to the more traditional and structured designs that adorn the underground columns and ceiling.
