KONE Academy opens in Petaling Jaya; striking architecture in George Town.

KONE Inaugurates Training Center 

KONE inaugurated KONE Academy in Petaling Jaya in March, describing it as the latest KONE training center to open exclusively for the Malaysian market. KONE CEO Henrik Ehrnrooth and Executive Vice President of Asia Pacific Axel Berkling were joined by Malaysia’s Deputy Director General of Occupational Safety Haji Omar bin Mat Piah for the occasion. Spanning 9,400 sq. ft., the training center will have a classroom for soft skills and lecture-based training, two mock-up elevator shafts for hands-on training, an e-learning center, motor simulators and a product showroom. KONE told ELEVATOR WORLD approximately 2,000 people are expected to visit either the academy or showroom each year.

Residential Towers Inspired by van der Rohe

Taking inspiration from the surrounding landscape and architect Mies van der Rohe, architecture firm SPARK created a pair of 50- and 32-story condominium towers in George Town with a twisting, curving, futuristic look, designboom reported. Developed by Malaysia’s Nusmetro, the towers share a podium that hides parking facilities and contain 460 residences augmented by balconies, terraces and pools. Elliptical extruded floorplates and a subtly rotating brise-soleil heat-reduction system help achieve the buildings’ twisting appearance. The taller tower’s two recreational pods, including one at level 35 with a sky garden, further enhance the space-age look. Together, the towers total 72,000 m2.