Aspen Vision City In Penang

Ever since the second Penang Bridge was opened to traffic in 2014, the development scene has changed dramatically with trends shifting from the island to the mainland side of the state.

With IKEA announced its first store in Penang, Batu Kawan suddenly becomes a much talked about town in the region. The area around the proposed IKEA will be developed into a self-sustaining township in its own right. Aspen Vision City will transform the once lacklustre image of Seberang Perai into development hotspots in years to come.

Nadayu 290 Penang

Strategically located along Jalan Bukit Gambier, Penang, Nadayu 290 is a distinctive high-rise residential development that offers luxurious serviced suites with resort-style facilities. The vision of the project is to be an eco-sanctuary with a private forest park. It is worth to take note that Nadayu 290 is also Green Building Index (GBI) certified. 

Enjoy panoramic views of Penang’s city skyline while being surrounded by natural landscape, Nadayu 290 will definitely be a much sought after property on this land scarce island.

Artist impression of Nadayu 290.

Units facing pool deck will enjoys stunning view of George Town city.

Bedroom with a view towards the surrounding landscape.

Grand lobby with chic modern design.

Infinity pool that is designed to be part of the architectural facade.

Pool deck with 5-star resort style facilities.

Vona Parkcity

Vona Properties Group in currently developing a mixed development project named Vona Parkcity in Bukit Gambier, Penang. One of the key features of the project is definitely the iconic Vona Sky Condominium with two skyscrapers containing 599 condo units ranging from the size of 1,100 sq.ft. to 1,800 sq.ft. The towers reminds me of another project in the area called Arte S. The first thought that came to my mind when I saw this project was that have they changed their design already which is a very common thing for developers to do in Malaysia. The towers look like a much watered down version of Arte S with its more conventional form. The overall dynamic forms are based solely on the protrusion of balconies and fins at different directions. In terms of form, it is still relied on stacking two dimensional planes to form a dynamic 3D object. This is unlike Arte S which is essentially a very fluid form throughout. Anyway, Vona Sky Condo is still a very interesting project that doesn't look like other typical boxy type apartments that have been mushrooming on the island in recent years.

China's Futuristic Farmscrapers

Architects are often turned to when people search for a potential answer to our future cities and lifestyle. People like Leonardo da Vinci, Buckminster Fuller, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright had all attempted to paint a picture of what our future might look like on their canvases.

Usually grand scheme are conceptualized whenever there is an undeerlying social problems that are waiting to be resolved. Shenzhen in China is one such city that is currently plagued by over crowded population, increasing pollution and chaotic uncontrolled development.

Asian Cairns, a masterplan featuring sustainable ‘farmscrapers’ or horticultural towers is the solution from Belgian-born, Paris-based architect Vincent Callebaut which he believes would solve all these issues. His concept is nothing new which is basically to incorporate sustainable design strategy into a highly sophisticated high tech building. 

Callebaut and his team are famous for their fancy building design such as their scheme for 1000 passive houses in Haiti and a twisting tower block for Taipei, Agora Garden.

Their proposed towers for Shenzhen has drawn inspiration for its design from cairns, those small piles of stones hikers like to make to mark their mountain trails. Each ‘pebble’ like module is constructed of steel rings and represents an ‘eco quarter’ with hanging gardens. These quarters are held in place by the building’s central spinal column. A conventional-looking block peaks out of each tower’s summit to house the planned apartments and offices. Wind turbines perched on the pebbles’ ledges to generate power for the building to be self sustainable.

Perhaps the architect's idealistic intention is best described through his words: “The Asian Cairns project synthesises our architectural philosophy that transforms cities into ecosystems, quarters into forests and buildings into mature trees, changing thus each constraint into opportunity and each waste into renewable natural resources!”

As I mentioned before, the concept is nothing new but its form is mind boggling and thought provoking if even just one of these towers is managed to be constructed in the near future.

800m Tower by MAD Architects

Another fluid building by MAD Architects which would be great if it is built eventually.

Solaris Singapore

Solaris designed by Dr. Ken Yeang has won multiple accolades for its integrated eco design such as top honours at the Skyrise Greenery Awards held by the Singapore Institute of Architects and National Parks Singapore and its top achievement of being awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award. It also managed to clinch a Green Good Design Award for Architecture in 2010.

We could easily understand why Solaris managed to clinch so many awards once we study the green design features within the building. Solaris is a vast business space complex that is fully sustainable with a continuous spiral landscaped terrace that winds its way up to lush roof gardens, a green corridor with central courtyards, and a unique solar shaft that helps create a daylit and naturally ventilated atrium. The 15-storey building is also fitted with sun shading devices to reduce solar heat gain 

However, the greatest green feature of this building has got to be its rainwater harvesting strategy to minimise water consumption. On rainy days, water will take 3 days before it completely travel from the top of the building down to the water bank at basement. As the water flowing downwards like a waterfall from the hill, the plants along the spiral landscape areas are irrigated naturally. When there isn’t any rain, stored rainwater would then be pumped from the water tank to the irrigation copper pipes installed all over the landscaped area to water the plants. This is indeed a brilliant idea of recycling rainwater instead of letting it flowed away into the ocean.

This state-of-the-art facility is an integral part of the renowned Fusionopolis cluster which is designed to house MNCs from the info-communications, media, science and engineering R&D industries.

Conceptual Perspective

Spiral landscape

India Tower

FXFowle Architects’ India Tower, to be built in South Mumbai to house a new Park Hyatt Hotel will be India's answer towards green architecture. Its designers claim that India Tower will be the greenest skyscraper in the entire country with rainwater harvesting, green materials, and a possible US LEED Gold rating.

Coincidentally reminisces Tianjin’s ‘Pile of Boxes’, the 60 story, 301 meter tower is divided into different modules, each slightly rotated to the next. Each module manifests a change in function of the tower namely a hotel, high rise residential units, a retail component and so on. Among its green features include shaded windows, natural ventilation, ideal site orientation, rainwater harvesting and eco-friendly building materials.