Premier Tower Inspired by Beyonce

Sydney has a building described as a “squashed paper bag” and soon Melbourne will have a tower inspired by Beyonce. The Texas-born superstar apparently inspired the design of the 226m-high Premier Tower, which will replace the iconic but long-­shuttered Savoy Tavern on Spencer Street, according to architects Elenberg Fraser. 

 

“Art and science? You betcha. For those more on the art than science side, we will reveal that the form does pay homage to something more aesthetic — we’re going to trust you’ve seen the music video for Beyonce’s Ghost,” the architects said.

The undulating glass shape of the apartment and hotel project, which was designed on behalf of Singaporean developer Fragrance Group, pays homage to the fabric-wrapped dancers who appear in the music video, directed by Belgian director Pierre Debusschere and released in 2013.

Fragrance purchased the site, opposite South Cross Station, in June last year for $44.5 million, just a week after buying another development site, at 555 Collins Street, from Harry Stamoulis for $78m.

The 1800sq.m. Savoy Tavern, at 134-160 Spencer Street in West Melbourne, was previously owned by businessman Mark Rowsthorn after he purchased it from the Republic of Nauru in 2005 for $9.9m.

The project has development approval for a 68-floor tower with 660 apartments and a 160-room hotel, but the Elenberg Fraser-designed building rises to 78 floors in anticipation of aviation authority approval for additional storeys.

But even if Fragrance, headed by billionaire developer Koh Wee Meng, is granted approval for the additional height, the tower will still be somewhat shorter than a nearby project being developed by his brother, Koh Wee Seng.

Aspial has commenced the construction of the 317m, 108-floor Australia tower, designed by Fender Katsalidis Architects, at 70 Southbank Boulevarde, which will be one of Melbourne’s tallest once complete.

Fragrance had originally intended to build a 90-storey tower on the Savoy site, with an end value of $700m, before reducing the size of the project to its present level.

 

Source: The Australian

Elenberg Fraser’s admission that their curvaceous new building design Premier Tower was inspired by the video for popstar Beyoncé’s song Ghost has elicited strong reactions across the globe.

The building, developed by Fragrance Group, boasts an undulating form made up of a series of cantlivers. News of its link to the prominent popstar was reported on Dezeen, The Guardian, The Chicago Sun-Times and The Huffington Post.

The Huffington Post described the building’s resemblance to the singer as “uncanny”.

“The grandness of the building is striking enough, but there’s something else — this building’s got curves,” the article reads. ”But these aren’t just any curves, of course. They are Beyoncé curves.”

The response from The Guardian‘s Oliver Wainwright, though, was much harsher, noting that that the Fragrance Group is, “by no means the first developer to deploy the crass metaphor of a writhing female form to sell a pile of expensive flats.”

He compared the project to the Chinese practice MAD’s Marilyn Monroe-inspired project and Frank Gehry’s 1992 Fred and Ginger building in Prague, which was modelled on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing.

“Still, for creatively challenged architects and their attendant marketing consultants, the world of celebrity-shaped buildings offers endless possibilities,” he wrote.

Source: ArchitectureAU
 

Shibuya Skyscraper

Tokyu Corporation has unveiled a new skyscraper planned will rise adjacent to Tokyo's Shibuya Station. A collaborative design by Japanese firms Kengo Kuma, SANAA and Nikken, the 230-meter mixed use tower will feature an unprecedented, 3,000-square-meter public sky deck that promises "views of Mt. Fuji" (on a clear day).  

The Shibuya tower is planned to open in 2019, a year before the Tokyo Olympics.

Source: Archdaily

Southbay City

MAH Sing Group’s iconic development, Southbay City in Batu Maung, Penang, combines the best of living, working, entertainment and leisure in one vibrant township of the future.

The RM2.09bil mega project sits on a prime location easily accessible via the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway and Penang Bridge.

The integrated undertaking, which is currently being completed in phases, was earlier voted winner at the Cityscape Asia Real Estate Awards 2010 under the Best Waterfront Development (Future) category.

Among the components in its overall masterplan is Southbay City itself, which will have retail outlets, shorefront restaurants, luxurious residential suites, offices, hotel and resort, along with other tourist and recreational attractions.

Within it is Southbay Plaza, a mixed development of 206 residential suites housed in a pair of majestic 31 and 32-storey towers, and 47 retail outlets.

The commercial floors will have an ideal mixture of brands in one to three-storey units. Limited units are still available in a variety of layouts with key features like column-free interiors, 26ft (7.9m)-wide frontages and 12ft (3.6m) walkways.

Meanwhile, the waterfront residences boast high ceilings and have layouts ranging from two to 3+1 bedrooms.

To maximise privacy, each floor will have only five or six units.

Resort-inspired facilities and green features include an infinity pool, viewing deck, gymnasium, library and lush gardens.

Legenda@Southbay offers luxurious three and four-storey resort bungalows in a nearby gated and guarded precinct close to the sea and cushioned by greens.

There are 76 residences with built-ups between 6,460sq ft and 7,300sq ft, built on land sized from 7,500sq ft.

They are arranged in two distinct rows ending in cul-de-sacs.

Each home comes with six en suite bedrooms, private lift, home automation system, solar hot water, water filtration and rainwater harvesting systems, personal pool with spacious deck, multiple-decked balconies and outdoor terrace.

A Residents Clubhouse with infinity and wading pools, gymnasium, community hall and relaxation lounge will be a popular gathering spot.

Legenda was awarded the coveted Asia Pacific Residential Property Awards (in association with Bloomberg TV) for ‘Malaysia’s Best Architecture’.

Phase 2 has been completed with limited units available.

The Loft@Southbay is touted as a private gateway to an enchanting sea. There will be 156 luxurious serviced suites split evenly between two 30-storey tower blocks, or three units per floor. Only limited numbers are still available.

There are three options with built-ups ranging from 1,378sq ft to 1,680sq ft, with open plan layouts and high ceilings for an airy interior. Large windows will open to panoramic views of the waterfront.

Approximately 2.5 acres (1.01ha) is dedicated to leisure and recreational decks, with unique features being the multi-layered swimming pool of The Cascade, and a sky bridge connecting a lounge and gym on Level 15.

Another top-notch development by Mah Sing Group is the ultra luxurious resort-themed Ferringhi Residence, spanning 61.03 acres (24ha) in Batu Ferringhi.

Phase 1, consisting of 20 blocks of five-storey Condo Villas with 200 units, has been completed with OC expected soon, while Phase 2 (Ferringhi Residence 2) offers 632 freehold resort condo units.

Of the total, 602 units are in two blocks 10 and 32 storeys high and have built-ups of 1,197sq ft to 1,534sq ft, with 2+1 or 3+1 bedrooms (two en suite bathrooms).

The remaining 30 are in a four-storey block, and have living spaces of 1,438sq ft to 2,875sq ft.

Source: The Star

Angkasa Raya by Ole Scheeren

Ole Scheeren designed a skyscraper Angkasa Raya for Kuala Lumpur. The special feature: A four-story high tropical garden in the middle of the tower.

The Dutch Architect Ole Scheeren, formerly a partner at OMA, designed as a 268 m high skyscraper called Angkasa Raya for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that will be situated next to the Petronas Twin Towers – the tallest buildings in the world between 1998 and 2004.

The Angkasa Raya is made up of three cubic volumes that are meant to appear floating above open, horizontal layers. The office of Ole Scheeren planned the ground levels to form an “interconnected spiral of both pedestrian and vehicular circulation and draw the diversity of the streetscape into the building.”

The program of the tower includes shops, cafes, car parks and prayer rooms all to be placed in the lower levels of the building will house. A restaurant, bar and an infinity swimming pool will be located amongst the garden floors. 280 apartments will occupied the stories above the garden floors, while a luxury hotel will be located inside a smaller adjoining block.

 

As the Buro Ole Scheeren explains, the quality of the Angkasa Raya lies in the garden floors and the environmentally responsible design: “Lush green gardens and terraces offer intimacies within the extreme urban density of the surrounding metropolis, while carefully shaded facades and a naturally ventilated atrium underline the environmental responsibility of the design.”

Source: Detail

Sunrise Tower In Kuala Lumpur

Zaha Hadid’s design for Sunrise Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, engages with the city in multiple ways. By exploring potential synergies at different levels and anchoring itself to the existing urban fabric, it creates a platform of services that engage with neighbouring developments, sustaining critical mass and a sense of community. The scheme merges all programmes into one building, distancing itself from the traditional tower and podium typology. Through a detailed landscape strategy the design interweaves tower and ground, extending and connecting the different parts of the site, integrating the new pedestrian routes and internal road system, structuring the fabric of the new development.

The building is designed through a series of independent flows that map the tower and organize different routes for different programmes. Along these routes the lobby and shared facilities floors work as communication hubs, like intersections that enable flexible itineraries and changes between uses. Similarly to the skin, the circulation materializes as a multi dimensional spatial grid, inclusive of the program, treating interior and exterior in a seamless way, thus maximizing the clarity of the scheme and the perception of the different levels. The design of a clear navigation system for lobbies, atria and common areas, enables visual communication as well as access through the cores, ensuring fully accessible environment for all users. The building’s complex programme is distributed through 66 floors in total, 4 bellow ground and 62 above ground, with an absolute height of 280m. The ground lobby is the primary hub of the tower, defining 4 different dedicated lobbies for residential, hotel, offices and general public.

 

 

Source: evolo

Ping-Pong Paddle Hotel Planned In China

China is set to build a hotel shaped like an upside-down ping-pong paddle as part of a new $45.8 million sports complex.
The China Daily newspaper reports rounded guestroom windows will resemble the surface texture of a table tennis racket, while the "handle" of the 500-foot hotel will be an observation deck, allowing tourists to take in a view of the city of Huainan, where the hotel will be built.
"An erected ping-pong racket has a perfect architectural shape for a hotel," Jin Chang, director with Huainan Municipal Bureau of Sports, tells the news outlet.
But the ping-pong racket hotel isn't the only oddly shaped building in the works for the 165-acre sporting complex: there will also be a main stadium shaped like an American football, plus smaller stadiums and gym facilities shaped like a volleyball, soccer ball, and basketball.
The sports bureau has signed an agreement with China Sports Industry Group that guarantees various sports games will be held in the stadiums over the next 20 years.
This is not the first time hotel designers have turned to sports for inspiration. The Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai is designed as a wave to compliment the sail-shaped Burj al Arab, one of Dubai's most iconic images.
In France, the Rugby World Cup was celebrated with the construction of a giant rugby ball hotel in 2007. During the event, rooms cost nearly $10,000 per night.

Source: Aol Travel

Super-futuristic Hong Kong Skyscraper

Towering edifices that incorporate agriculture — farmscrapers, if you will — make for solid gold in the eye-popping conceptual design imagery department. Wild and wonderful in concept, these plant-studded structures present a somewhat sobering glimpse into a land-starved future where there’s nowhere for commercial food production to go but up. 

When it comes to multitasking, an aggressively idiosyncratic conceptual skyscraper from Mexico City-based Studio Cachoua Torres Camilletti (CTC) blows other visionary vertical farming proposals out of the water and then some. The World Architecture Festival-shortlisted proposal, simply titled “Hong Kong Skyscraper,” incorporates housing, commerce, cultural programming, public transit, rainwater harvesting, renewable energy production, and fish farming into a giant, plant-clad package that looms precariously above the Hong Kong skyline. 

Front and center, however, is Hong Kong Skyscraper’s futuristic presentation of the terraced paddy field, a staple of rice cultivation that's been a familiar sight in mountainous areas of China and Southeast Asia for thousands of years. 

Rice terraces have an important semiotic and symbolic significance in the culture of countries such as China and the Philippines, and they are cultivated by the need to sow seeds vertically. Throughout history, they have been carved by hand into mountains high above the sea as emphasized contours with built-in irrigation systems. In addition to the formal beauty of these spaces, they are a living example of the respectful change of nature by humans, who do not pose any environmental aggression, and are ultimately both respectful of nature and of man. Studio CTC finds such richness of the meanings and interactions that it was decided that rice should be the crop of choice for the skyscraper.

A grain-centric “urban agriculture system” modeled after the traditional rice paddy can be found atop the larger of the bisected building’s dual rooftops (the other is home to a helipad). As you can see, the volume — designed as an attempt to “envision what a tower should be in the future era” while “letting go of many ingrained preconceptions about the way buildings should be designed” — is not-so-neatly split down the middle; the two halves are connected/supported by a network of angled struts along with several transparent bridges that will accommodate rail and bus traffic.

 

Writing for CityLab, John Metcalfe notes that it would appear the two halves of the "extremely mixed-use" skyscraper, each dripping with vegetation, are posed to “attack each other” in the renderings. It’s a fantastic observation — the larger tower with the rice paddy up top truly appears to be hunched over and ready to lunge at its less top-heavy counterpart — and if this was Tokyo, not Hong Kong, one could easily surmise that Studio CTC has birthed sustainable architecture’s very own dueling daikaiju.  Just don't forget to eat up before running for your life .... 

 

Source: mnn

No More Weird Buildings In China Please

The President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, has reportedly called for an end to the "weird buildings" being built in China, and particularly in the nation's capital, Beijing. In a two hour speech at a literary symposium in Beijing last week, Mr Xi expressed his views that art should serve the people and be morally inspiring, identifying architectural projects such as OMA's CCTV Headquarters as the kind of building that should no longer be constructed in Beijing.

With China's construction boom being one of the most talked about features of today's architecture scene - and many a Western practice relying on their extravagant projects to prop up their studios - the Chinese leader's comments have the potential to affect the landscape of architectural practice worldwide. But what is behind these sentiments?

The impressive CCTV building by OMA has been nicknamed 'Big Pants' by Beijing's residents. This shows exactly how the Chinese do not appreciate the innovative design of this building which is conceptualized to revolutionize the typology of skyscraper worldwide.

Perhaps the most simple reading of Mr Xi's pronouncement on architecture is that it is an extension of his mission to crack down on corruption and extravagance within the Chinese Government, having removed 51 officials from government as of August. Though high-profile and popular with the international press, CCTV Headquarters has been criticized for being a number of years late to complete (it was originally intended to be open for the 2008 Olympics), and has been nicknamed "Big Pants," by locals thanks to its unusual shape. 

In particular his statement that art should "inspire minds, warm hearts, cultivate taste and clean up undesirable work styles" seems to link art with moral purity, and it is this kind of attention-grabbing extravagance that Mr Xi perhaps wants to avoid, particularly in state-owned buildings such as CCTV.

Zaha Hadid's Galaxy Soho also come under fire for its impact on Beijing.

Another interpretation, offered by Wolfgang Georg Arlt in Forbes Magazine, links Xi Jinping's comments to architectural tourism, saying: "Chinese outbound tourists used to be impressed by futuristic buildings they encountered in places like Dubai and recently also London, but with more and more of such projects realised in Beijing... the pull factor of contemporary architecture for them is diminishing."

Arlt also notes that the number of foreign tourists visiting Beijing has steadily declined in recent years, but while he concludes that "maybe this argument will help to sustain future projects by world-class architects," it could also have the opposite effect: perhaps Mr Xi realizes that the draw of "weird architecture" is not strong enough to sustain China's tourism industry, and therefore not worth the financial and reputation risks it poses.

However, maybe the strongest interpretation is that Mr Xi's comments on art reflect his tendency towards Chinese nationalism (part of what some people last year rather hastily referred to as Xi Jinping's 'Maoist turn'). The New York Times quotes one section of his speech where he says that Chinese art should "disseminate contemporary Chinese values, embody traditional Chinese culture and reflect Chinese people's aesthetic pursuit." It is not such a stretch to equate his criticisms of "weird buildings" with either Western architects or even simply a Western style of design, and his speech has reportedly been met by support on Chinese social media with people saying that "China is not foreigners' test field."

Wang Shu's architecture has been praised for his intelligent combination of Chinese and Modernist elements in his buildings.

Previously it had been thought that Chinese culture was simply not strong enough to support its building boom without the help of foreign architects: in early 2012, Mr Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao wrote that "the international culture of the West is strong while we are weak." However, mere months later, the Pritzker Prize was awarded to Wang Shu, the first time it had been awarded to an architect both born and working in China. Furthermore, Wang Shu has been noted for his Critical-Regionalist approach, combining Western modernism with traditional Chinese influences.

Wang Shu is currently being joined by a new generation of Chinese architects such as Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, whose Shanshui City concept is explicitly inspired by traditional Chinese painting. With this renewed interest in traditional inspirations for Chinese architecture, perhaps Mr Xi sees now as the time to take action on Hu Jintao's call to "take forceful measures to be on guard and respond" to the "ideological struggle" between Chinese and Western culture.

MAD Architects' Shanshui City inspired by Chinese landscape paintings.

Source: Archdaily

Summit 191 Penang

Summit 191 is an upcoming high-rise development by M Summit Group in the heart of the historic George Town, Penang. It is strategically located along Jalan Magazine, immediately opposite Komtar and adjacent to St. Giles Wembley Hotel.

Summit 191 comprises a 23-storey executive suites and the restoration of 5 units of 2-storey heritage shoplots. The key feature of this development is its automated robotic parking system that allows you to park your car with a peace of mind. This comes as a desperate move to find parking spaces in the fully established zones of George Town. It is obvious that the architect of thee project is forced to look for innovative ways in fulfilling the car park requirement imposed by the city council.

In this state-of-the-art automated parking system, you just drive into the central loading area and park your car. There is no need to drive up and down ramps, no parking skill is needed and you don’t even have to remember your car parking lots! You just leave your car there and go on with your day's activities in a peace of mind.

DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang

Penang will soon have its first Hilton branded resort following an official announcement of the initiation of DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang. The hotel’s grand opening is targeted to be in early 2016. 

Located in the tourist belt of Batu Feringghi, DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang will house 318 rooms, mostly with prominent sea-views. Among the hotel’s unique features include a kid’s zone and water-park, a sand lounge with an artificial beach, as well as family-friendly dual key rooms with a common foyer for the perfect family getaway. The hotel is also equipped with function rooms, meeting spaces, all day dining as well as a spa to relax and unwind for the discerning business travelers. 

The primary attractions of the hotel will have to be the introduction of Malaysia’s first teddy bear themed museum and gallery called TeddyVille, which will be located within the hotel itself and is set to be a new crowd puller for Penang. The museum will feature the rich history of Malaysia told in a fun way through the adorable teddy bears.

Will The Next Tallest Building In The World Be Built In China?

Billionaire Zhang Yue grabbed international headlines with his ambitious plan to build the world’s tallest building from pre-fabricated units.

But when his 9-billion yuan (HK$11.5 billion) vision for the 838-metre tall Sky City in Changsha in Hunan province stalled in 2013 amid concerns from regulators, Zhang began to fade from view.

Now he is back in the spotlight following the recent construction of a building dubbed Small Sky City, more than 200 metres tall, in an eyebrow-raising 19 days.

Questioned by reporters at the Boao Forum for Asia last month, Zhang, 55, insisted the ‘big’ Sky City was not a lost cause, despite the local government’s suspension of the project amid controversy over its safety, environmental impact and source of funding.

“[Construction] shouldn’t be far away. We’ll start soon and complete soon,” said Zhang, who is estimated by the Hurun Global Rich List to share a personal fortune of 7.9 billion yuan (HK$11.5 billion) with his wife.

As the president of Broad Group, a company that began life building air conditioners, Zhang was once considered one of the leading entrepreneurs in mainland China. And even now, despite the problems surrounding the would-be world’s tallest building, the keen environmentalist has a style of talking big.

He said the high-profile, energy-saving project had received “too much attention, which scared the officials”, as he explained why at present the project was little more than a big hole in a village in suburban Changsha, where his company is based.

Plans for the building are nothing if not eye-catching.

Not only would it be 10 metres higher than the world’s current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, it would host everything from apartments, offices and restaurants, to supermarket stores and even schools so that its residents could live, work and play in its confines without the need to battle – or add to – the pollution outside.

At the Boao Forum Zhang demonstrated an air-quality reading machine and passed out business cards that were an environmentally-friendly half-size, as he urged businesspeople and officials to change to greener lifestyles.

Sky City dwarfs the surrounding tall buildings.

Zhang claims to have embraced such change himself.

While in 1997 he became the mainland’s first private business owner to have a private jet, Zhang ditched both his personal planes in 2008 and now drives only Smart and electric cars.

He says he made the decision after finding that a flight from Changsha to Beijing emitted eight tonnes of carbon dioxide. It would take eight trees 60 years to absorb such an amount, he said.

“When the plane took off, I would look out of the window and think [about] the trees,” he said.

However, media reports covering the ground-breaking ceremony of Sky City in July 2013 showed Zhang arriving at the site in a US-made Bell Helicopter.

He co-founded Broad in 1992 with his brother Zhang Jian. The company specialises in four areas: air conditioners, air purifiers, sustainable buildings, and combined cooling, heating and power units. Air conditioners are the company’s biggest source of profit so far.

An article posted on Broad’s website in 2011 was ridiculed for boasting that Beijing’s Zhongnanhai, the central government compound in the centre of the city, had started using its air purifiers and ventilation systems.

This was mocked by internet users who commented that even the air in China’s centre of power was now specially supplied.

Zhang now takes a low-key approach, telling the South China Morning Post: “We have millions of customers and Zhongnanhai is one of the smallest ones.”

Zhang places his greatest hopes for his future business on prefab buildings, which can be constructed speedily block by block using steel modules built off site.

So far, the market appears unconvinced. Broad has six franchises and most of the more than 30 buildings it has constructed were for its own use. Only five or six were built for commercial orders, Zhang said.

“I don’t like making things showy. I’m not willing to build houses according to others’ will. I like them to be upright and foursquare,” he explained. “So there’s often disagreement [with potential clients].”

Modular construction is popular in China and the rest of the world, but Broad was different because of its unusually high-level of factory production, he said.

“About 90 per cent of our payroll goes to workers in factories. Usually it’s 20 to 30 per cent, like in the US and Japan.”

Zhang was reported to have proposed co-operation with Feng Lun, chairman of the leading real estate developer Vantone, who had been promoting a similar venture named GREAT (Green, Relational, Economical, All-Encompassing, Technology) City, but no deal could be made.

“Zhang Yue hails from Hunan. Hunan people won’t stop until they make things extreme,” Feng was quoted as saying by the China Economic Weekly.

“I believe [Sky City] can be handled in terms of technology, but I don’t think the conditions are mature enough regarding economic and social management,” said Feng.

Zhang graduated from a teaching school in Chenzhou in Hunan, before starting work as an art teacher in his hometown more than three decades ago.

He quit the job in 1984 and dabbled in various businesses including selling camera films and motorbikes, decorating, and even ran a café.

In 1992, he and his brother Zhang Jian started making non-electric air conditioners in Changsha. At a time when electricity was in acute shortage the business boomed.

However, the brothers split in the late 1990s as Zhang Jian proposed to diversify the company’s business by merging with Japan’s Mitsubishi, something that crossed Zhang Yue’s principle of “no diversification, no debt and no public listing”.

This prompted Zhang Jian to start his own company, Broad Homes, which has grown into a leading player in precast concrete construction. Years later, Zhang Yue broke his own principle by introducing franchising for his company, Broad Group.

Broad Group’s earnings are unclear. Its spokeswoman Zhu Linfang said that as it was not a public-listed company it was not obliged to disclose the information.

But Zhang has been quoted as saying that the company made about 6 billion yuan in 2012, of which more than 2 billion yuan came from air conditioners.

Most might be happy with such an amount, but it is small change when compared to a city in the sky and a 9-billion yuan dream.

Source: South China Morning Post

Bangkok's Super Tower

Higher than a bird, almost as high as some planes. It's Super Tower. And it's coming to Bangkok.

A Thai property developer has announced plans to build a skyscraper in the Thai capital that will be among the 10 tallest buildings in the world when it is completed in 2019.

The 125-storey tower will rise 615 metres and include a luxury six-star hotel with 260 rooms, offices and an observation deck with panoramic views of the Thai capital and rooftop garden, developer Grand Canal Land Public Company said.

According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which maintains a database of the tallest skyscrapers, the Bangkok "Super Tower" will be the world's ninth tallest if it is built on schedule. It would be the second tallest if built today.

The tower will dwarf the tallest building currently in Thailand, the Baiyoke II tower, which tops out at 328 metres on its 85th storeys.

The tallest building in the world is currently Dubai's Burj Khalifa, which has 163 floors and is 828 metres high. The Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur, the tallest building in Southeast Asia, stand at 452 metres. The tallest building in Hong Kong, the International Commerce Centre, is 484 metres tall.

The Thai developer intends the tower as the centre of a new business, shopping and residential district in Bangkok costing 100 billion baht (HK$24 billion). It will be built on almost 12 hectares of land in the city. A competition will be held to decide the name.

"This skyscraper is going to be the new landmark of Thailand, a world-class attraction that everyone must visit at least once in his or her lifetime," Grand Canal Land chairman Yotin Boondicharern said.

The ambitious plans are a vote of confidence in the Thai economy, which has struggled to grow during several years of political strife.

The military seized power from the elected government on May 22, the 12th coup in Thailand since the end of its absolute monarchy in 1932. Martial law remains in place but business and daily life continues as normal.

Source: South China Morning Post

The Rise Of Asia

A record-breaking 53 skyscrapers over 200 metres high were completed in Asia in 2013, accounting for three-quarters of the year's tallest new buildings, according to the latest industry report.

The annual review from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reveals that 74 percent of worldwide skyscraper completions in 2013 were in Asian countries - a 19 percent increase on 2012 - and that the region now contains 45 percent of the tallest buildings in the world.

China accounts for the majority of this total, with 37 skyscrapers of over 200 metres spread across 22 different cities, including the lesser-known locations of Hefei and Xiamen that before this year had never contained buildings of this scale.

South Korea also plays a large role in the statistics with nine 200-metre-plus buildings completed in the last year, eight of which are located within a single complex in the growing city of Goyang.

The overall findings of the report were that worldwide skyscraper construction is back on the rise, in spite of a stall in 2012 that saw the total number of tall buildings fail to increase for the first time in six years, and that 2013 was the second-most successful year ever for skyscraper construction with a total of 73 buildings over 200 metres.

"By all appearances, the small increase in the total number of tall-building completions from 2012 into 2013 is indicative of a return to the prevalent trend of increasing completions each year over the past decade," it reads.

"From 2000 to 2013, the total number of 200-metre-plus buildings in existence increased from 261 to 830 - an astounding 318 percent. From this point of view, we can more confidently estimate that the slight slowdown of 2012 - which recorded 69 completions after 2011's record 81 - was a 'blip', and that 2013 was more representative of the general upward trend."

The tallest building of the year was the 355-metre JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai Tower 2 completed in Dubai, the city that now also houses the world's tallest twisted skyscraper, the 307-metre Cayan Tower.

Only one of the 73 buildings over 200 metres was located in north America, while four were in Europe, including Renzo Piano's The Shard in London and the Mercury City tower in Moscow. None were recorded in Australia, Canada or Saudi Arabia, although construction did begin on the proposed 1000-metre Kingdom Tower in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.

Source: Dezeen

Titijaya's RM2.6 Billion Project In Penang

SHAH ALAM (May 27): Titijaya Land Bhd obtained shareholders’ approval to acquire about 23 acres of leasehold land in Batu Maung, Penang to build a mixed-use development after its extraordinary general meeting (EGM) here today. The land is located within 1.5km from the Sultan Abdul Halim Mua’dzam Shah Bridge (the Second Penang Bridge). 

The mixed-use development will be built by Titijaya Land’s wholly-owned subsidiary, City Meridian Development Sdn Bhd and is the group’s first development outside of the Klang Valley.

“The property market in Penang is highly competitive, but we believe that the demand for residential and commercial properties in Penang is expected to remain favourable among local and foreign buyers,” deputy group managing director Lim Poh Yit (pictured, right) told reporters after the EGM. 

The land acquisition will be satisfied via a cash consideration of RM126 million in bank borrowings and internal funds.

The newly acquired landbank will be used to develop a proposed mixed-use development with a gross development value (GDV) of about RM2.6 billion. The proposed development, which is yet to be named, will offer about 1,700 small office, home office units across four blocks, retail components and four office towers.

According to GDP Architects Sdn Bhd's associated partner Hairul Afzahizan Osmayati (pictured, below), the development will be built in three phases.

“We phased out the developments into three [phases]. The first phase will have two residential blocks with retail and shops; Phase 2 will be the remaining retail and two residential blocks. The last phase will be [all four] office [towers],” said Hairul. GDP Architects is the appointed master architect for the whole project.

Lim said: “We plan to launch Phase 1 this year. It will be either year-end or early next year, which is our launching schedule.” He added that the first phase will have an estimated GDV of RM600 million.

Lim is aiming to obtain approval from the authorities to develop the project by early next year.

After the land acquisition, Titijaya Land has 432.47 acres of landbank throughout Malaysia.

“We believe that this acquisition will expand our development activities in the future, which will contribute positively to the group’s future financial performance,” Lim added.

Source: The Edge Property

Komtar 59th Floor Opened

Shenzhen's Slender Tower By Morphosis

Morphosis Architects latest works in Shenzhen is currently under construction. Through the folding of its steel structure, “Hanking Center Tower” merges commercial retail with private office space. It is a skyscraper designed with the notion of breaking away from conventional modern office buildings.

With innovative approach to circulation, social, and work spaces, Hanking Center Tower rethinks the traditional commercial office building typology. The project offers flexible tower office space anchored by high-end retail and dining in the podium. The tower brings density to the suburb of Nanshan and acts as a response to Shenzhen’s growing body of global professionals.

Located on a prominent piece of land along Shennan Boulevard, Hanking Tower’s slender profile redefines the local skyline. Conventional towers often have separate and disjointed volumes defining their various programs while Morphosis’s tower utilizes folded angles to elegantly merge public components in the podium with private commercial space in the tower. A grand plaza surrounds the tower’s podium enhancing public activity at the street level.

The interior is the result of an aspiration to create strong and humane communities with glazed lobbies and skygardens every five floors act as a communal hubs for use by all tenants. Space planning flexibility with natural light and ventilation offers healthier working environments. The masterpiece of the interior has got to be the sun-lit atrium that brings in nature into the building.

Shenzhen

Shenzhen is often overshadowed by its more popular cousin namely Hong Kong thanks to the close proximity between the two cities. But Shenzhen itself is an impressive city not inferior to Hong Kong.

Shenzhen's impressive skyline.

 

Religious Tower vs. Modern Skyscraper

One thing that never fails to fascinate me is the beauty of chaos that is so common in most Asian cities that make them unique and distinct from Western cities. 

Western town planning carve out the city into different parts according to functions and roles of each part. You have the CBD in the centre, entertainment precinct in a separate zone while the bulk of the city's population live in suburb away from this centre. This method of planning no doubt will give you a very organised city but it lacks vibrancy especially after working hours when everyone rushes home to the suburbs.

Such thing never happens in Asian cities thanks to the seemingly poorer town planning strategy. Penang is one such city that makes it so interesting and continues to attract tourist from all over the world. There is no clear CBD zone in Penang. There is also no clear suburbs to speak of. Residential towers mushroom in every corners of the island while office buildings scattered in various areas. There is no clear distinction between work and living in its traditional commercial buildings namely the heritage shophouses where people operate their business on the ground floor and live on the first floor.

Asian cities grow 'naturally' much like trees in the forest without too much human intervention in the planning stage. Therefore it is not surprising to witness a scene where the tower of a Buddhist temple would stand gracefully against the backdrop of modern skyscrapers.

The 'let it happen' attitude in Asian town planning seems to be more appealing to me personally as it helps to create cities that are full of energy, life and vibrancy.