New Istana Negara at Jalan Duta

[maltap]

Huge but doesn't seems to reflect the kuasa,the umpph of kesultanan melayu.
Istana ni besar tapi tak nampak gagah.
Same like the carigali tower,above 250 meters of height but nothing 'WOW' to it

[nazrey]

image hosted on flickr

Istana Negara Malaysia by bretuk, on Flickr
image hosted on flickr

The Istana Negara Malaysia by bretuk, on Flickr

[Bourgandy]

Haih... everytime when i look at our New Istana negara.... i feel so ashamed. Doesnt even has that grandness n majesticity of a palace at all...


Everytime i look at our Istana negara, i feel like its a failure. A big flop in overall aspect, especially design and proportion. The only thing i can be proud of is the scale. NOt to much proud, but just ok enough with the scale.

[XNeo]

it is ok for me....i like it. because it is much better from the old one .
maybe after 10-15 years...they will renovate/upgrade this Istana - put more tradisional elements

[bananapotato]

yeah..i think it look nice in reality,.just lack of imposing element,maybe adding 2-3 floor will make it nicer

[azey]

for me,i havent seen more grandness of a palace at other place,yes its white and
people expect a palace shud lood like cinderella's,with tall minarets surrounding a building
made with old brick/stones...but if nak ikut sgt the traditional malay palace,x sesuai with the modern kl,with the minang roof on tht scale,is sooo not attractive,if u ask foreigners,
their jaw dropped everytime seeing this palace,..its normal,malaysians x bersyukur...cheers

[Bourgandy]

Originally Posted by azey

for me,i havent seen more grandness of a palace at other place,yes its white and
people expect a palace shud lood like cinderella's,with tall minarets surrounding a building
made with old brick/stones...but if nak ikut sgt the traditional malay palace,x sesuai with the modern kl,with the minang roof on tht scale,is sooo not attractive,if u ask foreigners,
their jaw dropped everytime seeing this palace,..its normal,malaysians x bersyukur...cheers

I've been to many places with loads of palaces, UK, Tokyo, Malaysia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Thailand, Italy, France. I'm a traveler you see, so im well experienced with palaces and castles. I dont make illogical judgement base on own personal thoughts and reflectance.

Plus, i study architecture, and made tons of research and comparison, so i know what im talking about. I nvr expect palaces or castles should be as literal as Cinderella or traditional malay architectural elements or using too of an expensive foreign building materials, that is so not vernacular of it.

What we ppl who study n have experience here, is about the TWIST of architectural form and design and materials that should be consider and have that WOW factor that should've reflect Malaysian Royal power and its cultural identity. (this is where the new istana is lacking the most!)

The reason why foreigners drops their jaw everytime they see this palace, is because its such a white elephant project and in the end, the results was like this"??? (in their mind)

I hope another 5-10 years pls, demolish it and build a proper Istana, not another huge bungalow or government complex. 0 Umpphh, 0 Wow factor.

[Arkdriver]

everytime i see istana negara, i can't help but to question why unknown company was awarded RM 400 million initial contract and few years latter the cost ballooned up to RM 800 million to build this grandiose showhouse. If it's awarded to reputable builders, it would have lessen my bitterness about this project.

[XNeo]

sebab ada bina flyover ke Istana kot...

[bananapotato]

Originally Posted by Bourgandy

The reason why foreigners drops their jaw everytime they see this palace, is because its such a white elephant project and in the end, the results was like this"??? (in their mind)

just because u dont like the design make it "white elephant project"? lol

[daeng_jal]

To me. It look like uia main campus minus the muddy river and flood problem

A good palace in my mind is something like UIA ISTAC.

[semsemyee]

so arabic! no local identity...

[bananapotato]

i agree on that, but we still can see malay architecture on roof element, layout of the palace and interior

[XNeo]

Originally Posted by semsemyee

so arabic! no local identity...

i think it is represent Islamic symbolism....

[zawae87]

Originally Posted by XNeo

i think it is represent Islamic symbolism....

i don't see it represent islamic symbol. because there got a big dome in front of it, people think it is islamic. even you can see topkapi palace at istanbul don't have a big dome on it, but it still looks islamic plus it more elegant and beautiful.

think about it..

[XNeo]

because semsemyee said it look like arabic and arabic is very related to origin of Islam.that is what i mean.

[daeng_jal]

Dome preety much brought here by the britz..

And most public building build by them has dome!. From keretapi station to offices..all got dome.

So shouldn't the istana be seen as a british thinggy?

[semsemyee]

islamic is not about dome! in history , dome is not originally from islamic architecture. why such beautiful malay architecture is neglected in this iconic building? islamic architecture much more than dome.. i hate those mosque in malaysia that simply put a dome. such pity that malay architecture is gone...

[Bourgandy]

Originally Posted by semsemyee

islamic is not about dome! in history , dome is not originally from islamic architecture. why such beautiful malay architecture is neglected in this iconic building? islamic architecture much more than dome.. i hate those mosque in malaysia that simply put a dome. such pity that malay architecture is gone...

I agree with u. I studied architecture history from my course, dome has nothing to do with islamic architecture!. Its soo hard to make the rest understand here!

They should've combine the whole states malay architectural elements and comes out with an astonishing majestic design. Not this huge bungalow/institution.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by Arkdriver

everytime i see istana negara, i can't help but to question why unknown company was awarded RM 400 million initial contract and few years latter the cost ballooned up to RM 800 million to build this grandiose showhouse. If it's awarded to reputable builders, it would have lessen my bitterness about this project.

Answer is pretty straightforward....untendered work awarded to cronies that cost more to build. I think even the design was awarded to a crony architecture firm. That explains why the design is so koyak! Koyak designs in Malaysian government buildings and institutions, including many police stations, are nothing new.