Tuesday, 27 October 2020

Eden Singapore Apartments

As the name implies, one can expect to experience the hanging gardens of Eden living in this apartment designed by Heatherwick Studio. The ripple configuration of the shell shaped planters is particularly dramatic seeing from the street level.








Source: Archdaily

Saturday, 17 October 2020

SOM's Masterplan For Shenzhen

Establishing strong connections between urban and nature, tradition and innovation, and economy and culture, SOM has designed a master plan for the Central Area of Guangming District, ShenzhenChina. A new benchmark of ecologically integrated development, the project will lead the next generation of urban growth in the Greater Bay Area.


Located at the intersection of 
Shenzhen’s “emerald necklace” of protected natural landscapes that frame the city, and the eastern bank of the Pearl River Delta high-tech industry development corridor, the development is surrounded by mountains, water, and at a business node. Commissioned in 2018 to design the urban design master plan for the Guangming Central District, SOM has proposed to transform small-plot farmlands into Shenzhen’s premier sustainable urban district.



Central to the success of the master plan is the integration of new open spaces that build upon existing topographical, hydrological and landscape systems of the area”. In fact, open spaces account for over 40% of the total project, with the Science Park as the centerpiece of the system, with a wide range of recreational, cultural, and unique agricultural uses. Moreover, the scheme blurs the boundaries of the Science Park in order to create a stronger overall landscape system that expands into the urban environment via streets, smaller open spaces and plazas, and within architecture.



The Transit-Oriented Development project is situated immediately adjacent to two new metro stations, while the commercial business district is situated at the eastern edge of Science Park, generating commercial offices, retail, residential and cultural uses; and the northern edge consists of retail, hotel, and residential uses. Finally, the southern neighborhoods provide a unique mix of cultural and sports-oriented uses that promote health, wellness, and active lifestyles.



Defining the image of the Central Area and highlighting the “ecological genes” of the district, the 23-hectare Science Park North site is the first phase of development at Guangming Central District. Designed to incorporate a landmark tower, cultural themed retail center, residential, and the Xuefu Hill Park, this area emphasizes the integration of architecture and landscape, creating an urban platform for healthy and sustainable living. The architecture of the start-up parcels will create a new icon for Guangming that represents both its agricultural heritage and its technology-driven future. Designed to optimize pedestrian flows and provide maximum connectivity between transit, living, and working within the North district, the proposal provides convenient access to retail, commercial and hotel uses for visitors and workers, and enhance the livability of the project for residents.


Source: Archdaily

Sunday, 30 August 2020

Top 20 Tallest Buildings In The World

 As of August 2020, the ranking of world's tallest buildings are as follow:

  1. Burj Khalifa
  2. Shanghai Tower
  3. Makkah Royal Clock Tower
  4. Ping An Finance Center
  5. Lotte World Tower
  6. One World Trade Center
  7. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre
  8. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre
  9. CITIC Tower
  10. TAIPEI 101
  11. Shanghai World Financial Center
  12. International Commerce Centre
  13. Lakhta Center
  14. Vincom Landmark 81
  15. Changsha IFS Tower T1
  16. Petronas Twin Towers
  17. Suzhou IFS
  18. Zifeng Tower
  19. The Exchange 106
  20. Willis Tower
75% of the tallest buildings are located in Asia.


1) Burj Khalifa


2) Shanghai Tower


3) Makkah Royal Clock Tower


4) Ping An Finance Center


5) Lotte World Tower


6) One World Trade Center


7) Guangzhou CTF Finance Center


8) Tianjin CTF Finance Centre


9) CITIC Tower


10) TAIPEI 101


11) Shanghai World Financial Center


12) International Commerce Centre


13) Lakhta Center



14)  Vincom Landmark 81



15) Changsha IFS Tower T1


16) Petronas Twin Towers


17) Suzhou IFS


18) Zifeng Tower


19) The Exchange 106


20) Willis Tower


Source: ArchDaily

Saturday, 29 August 2020

Shenzhen Prince Plaza

Another iconic works by OMA although looks a bit conservative when compares to their previous works. Nevertheless, this tower enhance the skyline of Shenzhen.







Friday, 28 August 2020

Raffles City Chongqing

Raffles City Chongqing is like Marina Bay Sands on steroid! Designed by the same architect Moshe Safdie, this futuristic mini-city drastically changes the skyline of the city of Chongqing in China.  











Wednesday, 26 August 2020

Skyscraper-mania In Asia



Recent years have seen an influx of skyscrapers completed, nearing construction, or proposed in Asia. Stimulated by an exponentially growing population and, therefore, thriving economy, Asia has contributed more soaring buildings to the world’s Supertall list than any other continents combined. With the completion of the world’s tallest building at 828 meters tall, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, comes the proposition of progressively more structures which aim to surpass the prior and ascend to the number one status.



Record number of skyscrapers were completed in Asia just this last year:Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the International Commerce Center in Hong Kong, Zifeng Tower, Guangzhou International Finance Center in China . Subsequent years are anticipated to be even more triumphant for skyscraper construction, seeing that the global recession caused some projects to be halted or abandoned prior to 2010. 




Of the skyscrapers which are currently under construction, most will dwarf the completed towers which hold the top ten tallest building ranking, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Structures anything less than Supertall (400 meters) will become obsolete to the skyscraper genre with the ever increasing standard.

2011 and 2012 are expected to continue on this upward trend, and more skyscrapers near completion this year: Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia, the Princess Tower in DubaiAl Hamra Firdous Tower in Kuwait City, 23 Marina project in Dubai, and Emirates Park Towers Hotel & Spa in Dubai. In 2014, the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia is proposed to take the lead as the world’s tallest building, at 1 kilometer tall.

The modern tall building has drastically changed from its historical counterpart; what used to be a boastful display of a region’s wealth and prosperity in office building form is now a practical response to a dense city’s need for housing, transportation, and multi-use facilities. Asia’s, more specifically China’s, soaring population has fueled the demand for supertalls. Increasingly more skyscrapers have taken on the program of residence; Burj KhalifaKingdom Tower, and India Tower, just to name a few.

A number of American architectural firms have been accommodating Asia’s need for skyscrapers, of the top 10 skyscrapers under construction, 6 were designed by U.S. Architectural Firms. With reference to projects discussed, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM)Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)Fosters + Partners, and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill have benefited from Asia’s skyscraper craze. The skyscraper is, undeniably, the architectural symbol of the future and upward trend of Asian architecture further declare the region’s worldwide significance and prominence.

Source: ArchDaily

Sunday, 23 August 2020

The Light City


GEORGE TOWN: IJM Land Bhd will restart work on the stalled RM4.5bil The Light City project, which is located next to the Penang Bridge, in August.

IJM Perennial Development Sdn Bhd general manager Tan Hun Beng said the construction work was supposed to start in April.

IJM Perennial is a joint-venture company between IJM Corp Bhd and Singapore-based Perennial Real Estate Holdings Ltd to oversee the project.

“But because of the movement control order (MCO), we have to postpone it to August, ” Tan added.

According to Tan, the details of the contract for the project are now being finalised.

“The contract should be awarded in July to the group’s construction subsidiary, Jurutama Sdn Bhd.

“The time is right to start the project because the drop in fuel price will lower the construction cost, ” he said.

Tan added that the project, scheduled for completion within a four-year period, might take longer because of the new SOPs that needed to be adhered to in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Last December, IJM Perennial signed with OCBC Bank Bhd, RHB Bank Bhd, CIMB Bank Bhd and Malayan Banking Bhd for a loan facility of over RM1bil to finance the project.

Initially, IJM Land had planned to start work on The Light City in 2018, but given the property market slowdown, the group held back the implementation of the project to revise the plan.

“We made revisions so that the project could be launched in two phases, according to the pace of market demand.

“The new plan can now accommodate more food and beverage outlets and possibly, an experiential themed park in phase two, ” Tan said.

In the revised plan, the first phase will have a mall with a 680,000-sq-ft net lettable area, the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre, a four-star hotel with 500 rooms, offices and the Mezzo residential condominiums.

The second phase will have a 300,000-sq-ft mall, a five-star hotel with 250 rooms, offices and the Essence residential condominiums.

“The work on the first phase should create some 1,000 jobs for the local construction industry.

“The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2024, ” Tan said.

Tan said the sales of the Mezzo condominiums and the occupancy of the mall would determine the commencement of the second phase.

“If the response to the condominium and the mall is good, we will start the second phase as soon as possible, ” said Tan.

“The retail mall and the hotel business would be well supported by the convention centre, which is expected to bring in the crowds.

“The meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition market will drive the demand for the convention centre space.

“Our location is well-centralised around the airport, free industrial zone, George Town city and the mainland. This is also an added advantage, ” he added.

IJM is one of Malaysia’s leading conglomerates with businesses in construction, property, plantations, industry and infrastructure. It has operations in 10 countries, with the primary focus on Malaysia, India, the United Arab Emirates, China and Indonesia.

Perennial is an integrated real estate and healthcare company headquartered and listed in Singapore.

As a real estate owner, developer and manager, Perennial focuses strategically on large-scale, mixed-use developments.

It has operations in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Ghana with a combined portfolio spanning over 65 million sq ft.

Source: The Star