Glass Staircase

Stainless Steel Frame supporting the Glass Slaps

The Glass Staircase is one of the architectural attractions at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak. It is situated at the converging ends of the Cultural Wing and the Educational Wing of the main building.
Beneath the staircase is an in-house water fountain that enhances the beauty of the staircase by giving it the wavy and glittering look.

Original Design

It was originally designed as a concrete staircase with two flight of stairs ascending and another two flights descending. Midway through the construction period, it went back to the architect’s drawing desk to be redesigned as an aftermath of the then Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Abdul Taib Mahmud’s visit to the construction site.
It was considered the first of its kind in Sarawak and probably the first in the country during that time.

Planning and Construction

The stainless steel that made up the supporting frame of the staircase was imported from Kuala Lumpur, while the heavy-duty glass slaps that formed the main body were imported from Indonesia. Highly skilled stainless steel welders had to be rush ordered from Penang to complete the welding since there were no known persons with such skills in Sarawak at that time. The in-house fountain beneath it was constructed by the local contractors. Did it incur additional cost?. It certainly did.