UTP (University Technology Petronas) - An Awesome Design In A Former Mining Town

The entrance was a circular building at the end of a long drive in to the campus

I had absolutely no idea that Perak had such a beautiful University ie until I attended an event at University Technology Petronas four years ago.

 It was the long drive into the campus and at the end was a circular building that looked like a set from Star Wars but was clearly in the jungle and it took my breath away.  

The roof canopy was at least 4 storeys high and long slender white poles seemed to hold up the ceiling giving an unhindered spaciousness below.

The long drive in  .....

..unhindered spaciousness as you walk through the entrance... and natural light

...long slender poles 'seemed'  to hold up the roof canopy ....

Later when I googled UTP  i learnt that this ‘circular block’ was called the Chancellor Complex and the signature building of the campus. 

It described the Chancellor Complex as a ”towering building 21 meters high and around 150 meters in diameter. It is separated in two "crescent-shaped" halves , the resource center and the chancellor hall”.

..the complex is separated by two crescent shaped halves 

..a covered walkway and open spaces behind the complex 

I didn’t get to see the ‘chancellor hall’ but the resource centre , it looked like a library was filled with a four-storey-high display of books, visible through a vast steel and glass façade. It was something to behold. 

..the Resource Center which looked like a glorious library 

 “Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) was established in 1997, and is one of the research universities in the region. 

Designed by Foster and Partners it received an Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2007. The overall layout of the new academic complex is in the shape of a five-pointed star made up by five semicircles. It is wholly owned by Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), Malaysia’s oil and gas multinational corporation".

An overview of UTP ..pulled from its website .. looks like 450 hectares 

The university site is located 1 km after Tronoh, a once upon a time tin mining town in the Kinta Valley in Perak and its campus is set within a 450 hectare site of jungle in the township of Seri Iskandar.

 From the entrance I could see through to the garden on the other side. I was amazed at the of amount of open space. 

..the spaciousness of its grounds .....

Every step that I took in the building was wonderful. The spaciousness, the canopied walkways, the gardens and the entire complex, it seemed to be integrated and their library was breath taking.

 

...and covered walkways used to shelter users from the sun and showers...

..links the academic buildings and student facilities with the Chancellor complex ..

... a truly integrated complex. 

So I took as many pictures as possible to showcase what a beauty we have in my state Perak.

So .....Out-Of-The-Box ......

 

Metal, Glass and Nature ... an inspiring place

JAG

The House - On A Hillock

A house on a hillock is always nice. This one off Tambun Road is one of two houses on the road that stands out when trees are not blocking the view. 

Was it an officers house or a Malay house ?

 Frangipani tree on the left makes it look homely 

                                        Steps that led to a wide garden 

A driveway that led to the house 

 

 But its taken over by our APM / Civil Defence Force but still part of our charming landscape

JAG

Before It Goes – Kg Kuchai

Kg Kuchai ..a wonderful piece of heritage right in the heart of town BUT wasting away

I visited Kg Kuchai today on a wet but cool morning. It was an Fb invitation by Jain Mahmud who alerted readers that he was going to be at Kg Kuchai and invited others to join him.

The Majestic apartments on Chamberlain Road looking down on Kg Kuchai 

Kg Kuchai is possibly the last Kampong of Ipoh city, well within the Ipoh proper. But it slowly but surely is rotting and wasting away naturally and the state government can’t think out of the box and do anything about it.

Workshops like this used to be littered all over Kg Kuchai ....

 

..but now it is like 'the end of the road' for this Datsun 

A real pity because long before the Europeans and Chinese and Indians came who was here …Tun Kelalang and his noble men of Malays.  They built beautiful homes, I guess they were mansions then. And Kg Kuchai has a cluster of them but they are ….sigh …a wasting away. 

If only the area of Kg Kuchai and its houses could be preserved and conserved as a Kampong it would look magnificent and reflect a missing heritage of Ipoh before the arrival of migrants.  

The house of Dato' Seri Adika Raja Wan Muhammad Salleh (1861-1917) conferred upon him by
Sultan Idris Murshidul Al-Adzam Shah (1887-1916). The house is on Jalan Datoh but
in deplorable condition

..Kg Kuchai. Nature takes over then development?

Well before it goes and becomes part of nature I managed to get some clips of the place.

A word of advice when visiting this Kampong wear a long sleeve shirt and long pants otherwise the mosquitoes will eat you alive.

 JAG

A Garden Of Treasure

 I noticed this butterfly first and then these small flowers that seemed to sprout seemingly because of the gloomy weather that we've been experiencing lately. Whatever the reason they brighten up the garden. 

Bougainvilla

Spider plant

JAG

MBI's 'Back-Lane' Contractors Did Not Clear Their Waste. 1Week Now

                                      

These black bags were contributed by the 'Back Lane' workers contracted by MBI to clear the back lanes of the neighborhood. 

The contractors leave it at the the entrance of the lane. 

But they have let these bag uncollected for a week now. Shouldn't these be cleared immediately or the next morning at the latest.

This lane was not completed but there were bags waiting for collection.

If its left any longer other residents will use the area as a dumping ground. That already is a problem. MBI should send its officers in charge to check on their contractors. Please clear this dump immediately.

Gunong Lang Recreational Park - On A Wet Evening