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.

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. 

Najib's Tower To Rival Mahathir's Twin Towers

KUALA LUMPUR - The political rivalry between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Najib Razak is about to reach new heights.

When Dr Mahathir was premier, he built two 88-storey towers, making them the world's tallest buildings when they were ready in 1998.

Now Datuk Seri Najib is raising the ante with an 118-storey giant just some 4km away, which is set to be South-east Asia's tallest tower when completed in 2020.

The RM5 billion (S$1.7 billion) project is being built by state equity fund Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) with a height of 630m, compared to Dr Mahathir's 452m-tall Petronas Twin Towers.

The new project is located beside the historic Merdeka Stadium, where Malaysia's independence from Britain was announced on Aug 31, 1957, hence the tower will have "merdeka" (independence) as part of its name.

The Merdeka PNB118 tower was launched last month by Mr Najib, who had denied he was in a one-upmanship with his mentor turned nemesis. The project's launching comes at a time when Dr Mahathir is making a strong push to topple Mr Najib by blaming the prime minister for the financial scandal tied to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Dr Mahathir had said earlier that his brainchild Twin Towers would be eclipsed by the new tower.

"I would like to retain the Twin Towers as the highest buildings in Malaysia. At the moment we don't need any tower higher than that. We should build the 100-storey tower, but maybe a little bit later when I am not around," Dr Mahathir, who retired in October 2003 after 22 years in power, said in 2010.

Mr Najib's response then was: "No, no, it's not a question of dismantling his (legacy). That's a totally frivolous statement."

He added: "What Tun Mahathir has done is admirable, what we need to do is to build on his success and move on."

Like the Petronas Twin Towers when it was announced, the new tower has been panned by critics. Some are worried about a glut in office and commercial space in coming years, while others questioned its location in a historic and congested part of Kuala Lumpur.

The Petronas Twin Towers were built on former race course land surrounded by narrow traffic-clogged roads.

The new tower is being built just beside Chinatown or Petaling Street, where three old stadiums are located - Stadium Merdeka, Stadium Negara and Chin Woo Stadium. Stadium Negara was Malaysia's first indoor stadium.

There are also several schools around the upcoming tower.

The complex will add about 1.7 million sq ft of office space when completed, in addition to 4.8 million sq ft that will be on offer in 2019 from several other projects.

Property expert Y. Y. Lau told reporters that Malaysia had faced an oversupply situation in 2012 which is expected to resolve by 2018 when occupancy rates should rise faster than new completions.

But with major property projects coming up from 2019, she said there will be an oversupply situation. "Whether the situation will pick up will depend on the demand," said Ms Lau, country head of JLL Property Services Malaysia.

Malaysia's central bank echoed similar worries recently, saying significant incoming supply of office space could worsen the oversupply situation. The report noted that in the next three years, an average of 4.9 million sq feet of office space will be added to the market each year, far more compared with the historical annual average of 2.8 million sq feet.

"In other countries, this (an oversupply situation) actually precipitated an economic downturn," deputy governor Dr Sukhdave Singh said at a conference organised by the Malaysian Economic Association.

Still, economist Jalilah Baba was more optimistic, saying that the global economic situation could improve and demand may revive when Merdeka PNB118 is finished.

"This tower is being built for the future, to attract investors. There is nothing wrong with having more than one tower, as other cities like Chicago are full of high-rise buildings," Datuk Jalilah told The Straits Times.

At the project's launching, Mr Najib said the tower will be an iconic landmark that defines Kuala Lumpur as a capital city, attracting both tourists and investors.

Instead of being in competition with each other, Ms Jalilah said both the Twin Towers and Merdeka PNB118 should be complementary in promoting Malaysia.

"We must have a few buildings that we are proud of instead of just promoting the same building all the time," she said.

The tower has faced protests from activists since being mooted, as some had insisted that the project land be turned into a national park.

Defend Our Heritage Association coalition president Ishak Surin believed that the futuristic tower would erode history and should be built in more suitable location.

"This area has rich history, with this new building, the history of the place will be lost," he said.

Source: The Straits Times 

 

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. 

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.