Celcom HQ by Hijjas Kasturi Architects

Hijjas Kasturi Architects has designed some of the most iconic buildings throughout Malaysia. The Celcom HQ is no exception. Located in Petaling Jaya, the building's futuristic appearance makes it almost impossible to be missed when you are around the area.

The meticulously crafted folding facade is not only beautiful but environmentally friendly as well. It is designed to reduce heat absorption and therefore reduce the energy load of the building significantly.

Petalz Residences

A Malaysian Green Building Index certified apartment building, Petalz Residences on Old Klang Road is not only a meticulously designed architecture but an energy efficient one at that.

The common theme is to marry up high rise living with nature in creating a harmonious eco system.

The building stands out in this otherwise typical Malaysian suburb.

Two towers surround a communal rooftop facilities.

A flower inspired canopy connects the buildings.

Beautifully designed facade treatment breaks up the otherwise bulky buiding.

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

Skyscraper-mania In Asia

• Written by Sarah Edwards
• August 26, 2011

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 Dubai, Al 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 Khalifa, Kingdom 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

Bukit Bintang City Centre

Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC) is a visionary, state-of-the-art integrated development designed to complement and enhance the city’s cosmopolitan vibe. Strategically situated on a 19.4-acre site within the Golden Triangle, BBCC offers a complete cosmopolitan lifestyle that encompasses modern residential suites, hotels, retail, an entertainment hub and a transit hub. Green lungs are threaded through the development to create a series of parks, gardens and green pockets.

BBCC is a cosmopolitan hub that is open to the world. It is designed to welcome visitors from all corners of the globe. At the same time, BBCC connects the city to the world via a transit hub that will house the existing Hang Tuah monorail and LRT as well as providing linkage to the Merdeka MRT station. The proposed High Speed Rail Station will be just two stops away via the LRT. 

KL118

KUALA LUMPUR: The KL118 skyscraper project, also known as Menara Wawasan, is ongoing, according to UEM Group Bhd chairman Tan Sri Ahmad Tajuddin Ali.

“We have started it and now it’s in the finalisation of design stage. The original plan is to complete by 2020, but to me it’s too early to say whether we are going to be able to be on schedule because there are some detailings going on,” he said here yesterday.

“But I am sure the team would do its best to meet the deadline,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of UEM Group’s Hari Raya open house here yesterday. 

The major construction contract worth about RM3.4bil was awarded by Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) to the joint venture between UEM Group and South Korea’s Samsung C and T last year.

Samsung C and T was reported to have had experience participating in the building of skyscrapers, which include the Petronas Twin Towers and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is currently the tallest building in the world at 828 m.

PNB, via its wholly-owned subsidiary, PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd, is the owner of the tower located within the enclave of Merdeka Stadium and Stadium Negara.

The KL118 Tower, which would be the tallest building in the country, is among the remaining major construction projects managed by UEM Group, placed under UEM Builders Bhd.

The tower is planned to be over 500 ms tall and will surpass the 452-m Petronas Twin Towers, and is slated to become a new landmark in Kuala Lumpur city centre. It was reportedly said to generate a gross development value of more than RM6bil over five years.

Ahmad Tajuddin said UEM Group is at the moment on a reorientation mode of moving away from undertaking construction to become a project developer and it was also considering to be involved in concession business. – Bernama

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

Modern Day Cathedrals Of Economics

Malaysian seems to obsess with heights. When the Petronas Twin Towers were overtaken by Taipei 101 as the world's tallest building, the then Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir cleverly reinterpret and reiterate to the world that Malaysia still have the world's tallest twin towers. In fact he is right even up until now and the twin towers have never stop inspire architects, planners and developers to build higher and better building. So far none has managed to surpass the twins...YET. 

KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) where the Petronas Twin Towers are located, is indeed the heartbeat of Malaysia. It seems like a construction site that never stop. There are more exciting projects coming up around the area. It is an area with high density of skyscrapers cladded in metal and glass. A sea of green, blue, silver and grey is the main color scheme of the area. It is the central business district, the commercial heart of the city and the entire country. It is an area dedicated to the modern day cathedrals of economics. 

KL Sentral - Malaysia's Transportation Hub

KL Four Season Place

KL Eco City

Long commuting to work has become a common phenomenon in major big cities around the world as the residential areas are being pushed outward to the fringe of the urban centers due to rising land prices. KL Eco city is conceived to address this problem directly by choosing a site that will be a hub for the 3 major rail links of the city namely the KTM Commuter, LRT and the future MRT. It is basically a self-contained town with residential and commercial components. You can basically live and work in this hub but if your work place is elsewhere, then the major public transport systems are right at your doorste.

 

The entire master plan consists of several components which are designed by some of the big boys of architecture in town and overseas namely
Jerde, GDP Architects, BEP Architects and GRA Architects.

The Sublime Twin Towers

History was made when the Petronas Twin Towers were completed in 1998. For the first time in architectural history that the tallest building in the world was located outside America in a small tropical country. It marked the rise of Asia during the transition into the 21st century, the Asian Century. Designed by American architect Cesar Pelli, the buildings have become the major attraction to the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

From then on, super tall skyscrapers mushroomed all across Asia and the Middle East. It will be sometime before the Western world, US in particular is able to reclaim back their long held record of having the tallest structure in the world.

Landmark Tower

Standing side by side with the magnificent Petronas Twin Towers by Ceasar Pelli.

Section shows the deliberate attempt to connect the upper levels with the street.

Landmark Tower, standing at 268 meters was designed by Ole Scheeren, the former architect of OMA who was behind the iconic CCTV headquarters building in Beijing.

To design a building right next to the Petronas Twin Towers is no easy feat; it is like trying to outrun Usain Bolt in 100m dash. However, Ole Scheeren managed to do it in a very subtle way where he challenges the extrusion of the rectangular in vertical axis, sliding the extrusion horizontally, interesting spaces are created for sky gardens and communal parks that links the different part of the tower together. The pure rectilinear form makes it in stark contrast to the intricate detailing of the Twin Towers' cylindrical form. It is indeed a very creative and subtle way to stand out from the rest.