Twin Towers or Douglas Towers?

“What first brought you to KL?” I asked as I sat down next to him, notebook and recorder in hand.

The 73-year-old proud Scotsman scratched the back of his now white hair and pondered a moment, preparing the first answer to his interview.

“I was here from 1991 to 1997 building the Petronas Towers,” he said after much thought.

Douglas was once the Logistic Manager Consultant at Lerher Mcgovern, a construction management firm in London- and he oversaw the construction of the Petronas Twin Towers, or as he so lovingly call the “Douglas Towers”.


Dressed in a pink Gant collared shirt with thin vertical white stripes and dark grey shorts, he looked very much at ease as he explains to me about logistics management.

“By logistics I mean getting men and material to the right place at the right time, and that's very important in high rise construction because you can only build as fast as you can supply,” he said in a deep voice, the air punctuated by his thick British accent.

He continues talking in detail about tower cranes and hoists and how the logistic manager essentially caters to the “morning rush” which was when every contractor wants to get their men quickly up the building.

This is because the contractors want to ensure their workers start work as quickly as possible as they will not get paid whilst being idle.


“Although the logistics function doesn’t build the building, like the project manager in charge or the engineer, neither can build unless the logistics manager ensures things get to the right place at the right time,” he reiterates passionately.

This was especially paramount as the buildings had to be completed in six years, and that two construction firms, one for each tower, were hired to meet the deadline.

Tower 1(west tower) was built by a Japanese consortium led by Hazama Corporation, while Tower 2 (east tower) was built by South Korean consortium led by Samsung C&T Corporation.

“We never had a ‘race’ to which (consortium) would get to the top first.

“But there was a bit of competition between them,” he chuckled.

However, this man’s accomplishments does not stop there- he oversaw the construction of London’s major business and financial district, Canary Wharf; and Europe’s most visited theme park, Disneyland Paris, originally Euro Disney Resort.

At this point, the interview got too technical, so I asked him about one of his favourite memories when working in “Kwalah Lumpuh” (as he says in his thick drawl).

With a twinkle in his eye, he recalls a story of when the site was the former Selangor Turf Club, a 100-acre horse track located right smack in the center of Kuala Lumpur.

“My colleague and friend, John Spencer, had a large Pajero and we would drive around the race track and it was the rainy season in November... is that right?” he confirms politely mid-sentence.

“Yes, I believe so,” I answered, anxiously wanting to know what happened at the site of the iconic 88-floor gleaming beacon of concrete, steel and glass.

Douglas smiles, proud that he knows the Malaysian weather cycle (weather is very important to the British) even after years of not staying permanently in the country.

He continues on, that familiar twinkle still in his eyes and his voice reaching a crescendo: “And we are crashing around the racetrack and its full of puddles,”

"John used to turn around to me and say: Douglas, this is great fun and we are being paid for doing this!” he laughed, gesticulating wildly, the corners of his eyes wrinkling.

If you would like to know more about his other experiences whilst on site building the “Douglas Towers", I will be sharing more of his exciting experiences in the near future so do look out in the space!