No_5_February_1963 — Page 83

Il-storey Lee Wah Bank in Kuala Lumpur

cost over $M3,000,000

HE WHOLE world is being

TH

laid under tribute today to build and furnish the palaces of commerce now going up in Kuala Lumpur, rapidly growing capital of the Federation of Malaya, where the disappearance of colonial rule has been followed by a rapid expansion of trade and industry calling for the best that architects can devise to serve it.

The new Lee Wah Bank building. opened by the Prime Minister. Tengku Abdul Rahman. on 6 November, 1962 is one of the best illustrations of this.

For into this 11-storey building. costing over M$3.000.000. in the heart of the city has poured not only the usual cement and steel of rein- forced concrete structure but also quartz panels from Australia for its murals, marble from Italy. selected Malayan timbers. Belgian blue mar- ble. materials from Japan for a Japanese style roof garden and pond. fittings and furniture from Hong Kong. Italy and Bangkok and blue granite from Sweden.

The building occupies a historic site of 6.000 square feet in the city. overlooking the Gombak River from the rear and fronting the Old Market Square where once Capitan China Yap Ah Loy. one of the pioneers of Kuala Lumpur. traded.

Because of the soft wet soil at the rear and harder soil in front. the piling work on the site involved three types of piling.

There is positive piling at the rear. Vibro piling was carried out for the front. And, because the engineers struck an area of thick shale. boring was needed for piling with rolled steel joists.