WANGSA MAJU
By DAVID KOH AND JOE CHOO
BACK in the early days, Wangsa
Maju was part of the Setapak
rubber estates, north of Kuala
Lumpur. It was considered too far
out in the boondocks and thus, the
developer probably did not target
the high-end market. This provided
affordable housing for a number
of people in the area: students
and staff of Tunku Abdul Rahman
College (TARC) and Wardieburn
Camp.
Today, with new developments,
Wangsa Maju has become one of
the largest suburbs in Kuala Lumpur
with a fair mix of high-value proper
ties.
Wangsa Maju is also noted for the
Alpha Angle, a shopping mall built
amidst low-cost flats, with Jusco as
its anchor tenant. This could be considered unusual as the demographics are not ideal for its business. Not
so with Alpha Angle and Jusco,
which continue to do brisk business
even after Giant and Carrefour set
up shop nearby. Perhaps it is the
reassuring presence of the Wangsa
Maju Police Station directly in front
of the mall that kept unwanted elements at bay. Or perhaps there is an
environologic reason.
Within Wangsa Maju there is a hill
on the eastern border with Taman
Wangsa Melawati. Relative to the
Alpha Angle, it is on the north-east.
The entrance of the mall -- and
Jusco -- faces west -- away from
the hill. Therefore, it is shielded from
the earth energy that streams down
the hill. (For Google map reference,
please log on to http://maps.google.
co.uk/and search for "Kuala
Lumpur".)
It also faces the Bunus River
located to the west. This is a conducive direction for the mall and the
effects are apparent. Jusco is still
doing very well here.
LRT AND THE ALPHA ANCLE
The Light Rapid Transit runs through
this area and services residents
of Taman Sri Rampai and Wangsa
Maju via the Wangsa Maju station
located near Alpha Angle.
The LRT line could be a concern
as fast-moving trains generate
strong winds which can disperse the
earth energy collected in the area.
However, trains always slow down
when they approach a station, just
as when they approach the Sri
Rampai station, even though it is still
unused.
Thereafter, the trains come to a
stop at the Wangsa Maju station. In
such a situation, the movement is
slow and this may mitigate the winddispersal impact on the
surrounding areas. Furthermore,
since the line and station are on a
hill slope, they could also be acting
as a buffer to moderate the effects
of onrushing energy from the hill.
Environologic factors do not
change with this opening of the station: it would be interesting to
observe the impact of being "embedded" in the hillside, on the station's
performance. Earth energy flows
rapidly downhill. The train line may
disperse and deflect some of this
flow, which slows down the energy
movement and may create a pool of
energy.
UPHILL TASK
If the entrance to the station faces
uphill, that would not be helpful as
it is still bombarded by oncoming
energy. Facing away from the line
-- and the slow pool of energy -- is
also not a conducive orientation.
Will this affect the success of the
LRT system? Probably not. Will this
affect the performance of the sta-
tion, in terms of utility, maintenance
and sustainability?. Probably yes.
With the exception of a few houses, homes on Section 27B are
arrayed in a grid that either face
uphill or downhill. Those that have
an easterly facing direction are likely
to do well since their backs are higher than the front.
The Wardieburn army camp is
located across Jalan Genting Klang.
This is an old base, existing since
the colonial days. Military personnel
who live on the premises should try
to ensure that their main entrance
faces the river and their quarters
have their backs to high land.
COLLEGE
TARC was started in 1969 with 764
enrolled in its School of Pre
University Studies. Classes were initially held in Cheras and Jalan
Kuantan. As the college expanded,
new centres were set up in secondary schools. It moved to its present
- and permanent - Main Campus in
Jalan Genting Kelang in 1976.
The college was named after
Malaysia's first prime minister,
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra aI-Haj,
and was founded by the Malaysian
Chinese Association (MCA). The
college is funded by government
subsidies and governed by a board
of trustees. The majority of students
here are ethnic Chinese due to its
association with the MCA, but there
are no admission quotas and a significant proportion of non-Chinese
students study here as well.
UNIVERSITY
Contrary to popular belief, the college and Universiti Tunku Abdul
Rahman (UTAR) are not connected,
The college has not been upgraded
to university status either, The success of TARC prompted the Minister
of Education to invite the MCA to
establish UTAR in 2001.
TARC is best known for its School
of Business Studies and its diploma
level accounting course. It is said
that over 75% of Malaysia's
accountants graduated from this
school! It is also noted for producing
top ACCA scorers.
The main campus is the largest
college in the city. UTAR's Setapak
campus is also located within the
premises.
A small mound-like hill can be
found on the grounds of TARC, to
the east of the buildings. A mound is
actually good from an environology
standpoint. It is typically lower than
surrounding mountains and energy
from the taller mountain will flow up
and over the mound. This slows
down the speed of movement and
makes it gentler. Thus, it is conducive to build anywhere on the
mound, except for areas where the
slope is steep.
This would suggest a wonderful
conducive environment for the success of TARC.
TARC would do well to remain on
its present grounds and build further
on its impeccable reputation. Over
time, the college may need to
recharge its energies, especially
when it enters an unfavourable
phase -- everything goes through
cycles of good and bad, ups and
downs. This would ensure continue(
success.
As for each student, they should
ideally orientate their study and
sleeping directions to one that can
help them excel academically. To
determine this direction, each would
need to compute his "Gua" number
based on his date of birth.
Taman Bunga Raya, located in a
small pocket surrounded by TARC,
Wardieburn camp and Wangsa
Maju, also enjoys the same benefits
as TARC. As long as the slopes are
gentle, the houses here receive gentle energy.
Again, due to the layout of the
land and rivers (south-flowing
Gombak and Bunus rivers), south is
generally a better direction, althoug
on a mound, even non-south-facing
houses will do well.
Wangsa Maju location map |
Other Map Link
Batu Caves map, Ampang map, Cheras map
Resident Area
Taman Bunga Raya, Wangsa Maju Section 2, Taman Wangsa Melawati, Wangsa Maju Section 4, Wangsa Maju 5, Wangsa Maju 6, Taman Sentiawangsa, Taman Seri Rampai,
Street / Road
Jalan Genting Kelang,
Highway
Middle Ring Road II
Others in Wangsa Maju
Pro One Badminton Centre, Alpha Angle Jaya Jusco, Putra LRT Station, Desa Setapak, Seteya B.R.J. Restaurant, Tunku Abdul Rahman College, Carrefour at KL Suburban Centre |
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