The Komtar Skywalk is the highest outdoor glass sky walk in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. It is located at the top of
Komtar
The Tun Abdul Razak Complex, ( Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak; Chinese: 光大大厦; Tamil: கொம்டார் கோபுரம்); colloquially known by its Malay acronym Komtar, formerly known as the Penang New Urban Center and t ...
, the
tallest skyscraper in
George Town,
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
. The horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge with a glass walkway sits at an elevation of above ground.
Launched in 2016, the Komtar Skywalk, also known as the Rainbow Skywalk, was part of the major facelift of
Komtar
The Tun Abdul Razak Complex, ( Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak; Chinese: 光大大厦; Tamil: கொம்டார் கோபுரம்); colloquially known by its Malay acronym Komtar, formerly known as the Penang New Urban Center and t ...
undertaken by Only World Group, a local
private limited
A private limited company is any type of business entity in "private" ownership used in many jurisdictions, in contrast to a publicly listed company, with some differences from country to country. Examples include the '' LLC'' in the United Sta ...
firm specialising in food and beverages.
The U-shaped 16 metre-long glass walkway offers visitors an unimpeded panoramic view of the cityscape of
George Town, its surrounding suburbs such as
Tanjung Tokong
Tanjung Tokong is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. It is located along the northeastern coast of Penang Island, next to Pulau Tikus and northwest of the city centre. Over the recent decades, the former fishing village has been transfo ...
,
Pulau Tikus
Pulau Tikus is a northwestern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Situated between the city centre and Tanjung Tokong, this upper class suburb was named after a rock just off the coast of Penang Island. It is home to small minorities of ...
and
Air Itam
Ayer Itam (also spelt Air Itam or Air Hitam) is a suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Nested within the central valleys of Penang Island, it is located approximately southwest of the city centre. Ayer Itam is one of the well-known place ...
, and the
Penang Hill
Penang Hill is a hill resort comprising a group of peaks near the center of Penang Island, Malaysia. It is located within the Air Itam suburb, west of the center of George Town. Penang Hill is also known by the Malay name ''Bukit Bendera'', w ...
.
Design and construction
In 2012, Only World Group (OWG) was awarded the RM50 million project to revitalise
Komtar
The Tun Abdul Razak Complex, ( Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak; Chinese: 光大大厦; Tamil: கொம்டார் கோபுரம்); colloquially known by its Malay acronym Komtar, formerly known as the Penang New Urban Center and t ...
, which until then had been largely seen as a white elephant.
[http://profile.nus.edu.sg/fass/socgohd/trans_2.1.pdf ] This major renovation effort was aimed to rejuvenate
Komtar
The Tun Abdul Razak Complex, ( Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak; Chinese: 光大大厦; Tamil: கொம்டார் கோபுரம்); colloquially known by its Malay acronym Komtar, formerly known as the Penang New Urban Center and t ...
as a tourist attraction in
George Town, and included the construction of a banquet hall, a sky lounge at the 65th floor and an international-themed restaurant at the summit of the
skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
.
These new tourist attractions are collectively known as The Top''
'.
The U-shaped Komtar Skywalk is situated at the newly added 68th floor of
Komtar
The Tun Abdul Razak Complex, ( Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak; Chinese: 光大大厦; Tamil: கொம்டார் கோபுரம்); colloquially known by its Malay acronym Komtar, formerly known as the Penang New Urban Center and t ...
, which also elevated the
skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
's height to . The Komtar Skywalk is similar in construction to the
Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge with a glass walkway at Eagle Point in Arizona near the Colorado River on the edge of a side canyon in the Grand Canyon West area of the main canyon.Yost, Mark.Close to the Edge ''W ...
, in that both bridges use the same heat-treated and temper-proofed
laminated glass
Laminated glass (LG) is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by a thin polymer interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), lonoplast polymer ...
.
The
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
-based
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Universiti Sains Malaysia ( 'Science University of Malaysia'; abbreviated as USM) is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is among the oldest institutes of higher l ...
also ran an array of pendulum, wind and vibration tests on the glass, which was designed to withstand the load of 16 adults.
In addition, three high-speed bubble lifts were installed along
Komtar
The Tun Abdul Razak Complex, ( Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak; Chinese: 光大大厦; Tamil: கொம்டார் கோபுரம்); colloquially known by its Malay acronym Komtar, formerly known as the Penang New Urban Center and t ...
's
facade, one of which connects level 59 with the 68th floor. While the bubble lifts were originally designed with a transparent glass wall to allow for a panoramic view of
George Town on the way up, the lifts were then completely concealed in 2016 in accordance with a safety advice by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health.
"JKKP 基於安全考量 光大觀景電梯改封閉式", 光明日報 Guangming Daily
/ref>
The Komtar Skywalk was opened to the public on 18 December 2016 in a ceremony attended by the CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of OWG, Richard Koh, and the Chief Minister of Penang
The Chief Minister of Penang is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Penang. According to convention, the chief minister is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The chie ...
, Lim Guan Eng
Lim Guan Eng (; born 8 December 1960) is a Malaysian politician and accountant from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bagan, Member of the ...
.
Access
The Komtar Skywalk can be accessed between 11am and 10pm daily. The standard entry fares for Malaysians and foreigners are as follows.
See also
* Komtar
The Tun Abdul Razak Complex, ( Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak; Chinese: 光大大厦; Tamil: கொம்டார் கோபுரம்); colloquially known by its Malay acronym Komtar, formerly known as the Penang New Urban Center and t ...
References
{{Reflist}
External links
Komtar Skywalk
Glass architecture
Bridges completed in 2016
Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang
Tourist attractions in George Town, Penang
Observation decks