Putrajaya’s inspiring architecture

Putrajaya is one of those places where once you drive through the area, it welcomes you with its majestic building structures and wide clear roads. Known officially as the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, it is the federal administrative centre of Malaysia. It is important to note that while Putrajaya is the federal administrative centre of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur still remains as the national capital and the country’s commercial and financial centre.

There are three Federal Territories in Malaysia — KL, Putrajaya and Labuan. Putrajaya was originally part of Selangor until 2001. The name Putrajaya was given in honour of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. In the Malay language, the word “putra” means prince while “jaya” means success. Some of the government offices located here include the Prime Minister’s Department offices, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Palace of Justice.

Aside from offices, there are also places of worship such as the Putra Mosque and Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque. Beautiful bridges are also one of the prominent features in Putrajaya including the Putra Bridge, Seri Gemilang Bridge, Seri Saujana Bridge, Seri Setia Bridge and Seri Wawasan Bridge. Other buildings in the area include the Malaysian Islamic Development Department Complex, Malaysia Energy Commission Headquarters and Election Commission of Malaysia. Most of the buildings here are often noticeable from their unique architecture — for example, the Malaysia Energy Commission Headquarters is shaped like a diamond and the Palace of Justice resembles the Taj Mahal.

According to the official portal of Putrajaya Corp, an agency under the Ministry of Federal Territories, construction of the 4,931ha new city began in August 1995. It is approximately 25km south of KL and located within the Multimedia Super Corridor. For those using public transport, the city is accessible via the KLIA Transit. If you are planning to take a drive there, you can be connected via the Maju Expressway, South Klang Valley Expressway, Damansara-Puchong Expressway and North-South Expressway Central Link. Putrajaya is divided into precincts from Precinct 1 to Precinct 20.

Putrajaya is also developed as a “City in a Garden” whereby 38% of the area is made up of parks, lakes and wetlands. The remaining areas are for offices, commercial and residential developments, public utilities and amenities. There is also a 600ha man-made lake that serves as a climate moderator as well as for lake activities such as canoeing, kayaking and fishing.

One can also visit the Botanical Gardens, Putrajaya Equestrian Park and Alamanda Shopping Centre — the first shopping centre in Putrajaya — in Precinct 1. Another shopping mall in the vicinity is IOI City Mall, which opened end-2014.

If you are looking to stay the night in Putrajaya, there are some hotels in the area including Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside, Marriott Putrajaya, Palm Garden Hotel and Shangri-La Putrajaya.

Most of the residential developments here are occupied by the government servants who are working in this area. Some of the residential developments here consist of condominiums, terraced houses, semi-detached houses and detached houses. EdgeProp.my saw condo listings on an average asking price of RM668,333 while terraced houses saw an average asking price of RM937,166 as of October 2017. Meanwhile, semi-detached houses and detached houses have an average asking price of RM1.8 million and RM2.9 million respectively in the same period.

However, residents and visitors to Putrajaya admire the place most for its attractive buildings — each unique and individually designed.

This story first appeared in EdgeProp.my pullout on Oct 13, 2017. Download EdgeProp.my pullout here for free.