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.

Futuristic Hotel for Ancient Cambodia

Whenever we think of Cambodia, Angkor Wat automatically come to our minds. The ancient towers of this great temple complex has attracted tourists from around the globe. But a nation cannot be frozen in time without any progress. Finally, what might be the greatest project Cambodia has ever seen since the Angkor Wat could actually be realized. A $93 million project by Amarapura sited on the present Cambodiana Hotel at the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. The 3.5ha site offers absolute riverfront views  and is in the prime cultural and civic centre of Phnom Penh.

Imperial Tower

The Imperial Tower designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture will be Mumbai’s tallest building, a slender 116-story, 400-meter residential skyscraper. Sky gardens of the tower are designed to "dampen" wind force around the tower helping the structure to stand strong against any lateral movements. 

The skyscraper is designed to incorporate environmentally friendly features such as rainwater harvesting, gray water recycling and exterior cladding that can limit solar heat gain. The design also includes the possibility of the apartments’ kitchens and bathrooms to be prefabricated by a local factory.

Urban Forest Skyscraper

Today's advance technology has given rise to mind-boggling architecture that is unthinkable just 20 years ago. One of the most dramatic proposal in recent years comes from MAD Architects of Beijing with their design for the ‘Urban Forest‘. The proposal is for a commercial high-rise building in Chongqing city centre, China. The off-centred stacked floor design was inspired by the mountainous landscapes of China. The 70 floor building rises above the urban clutter surrounding it with vertical landscaping all around its fluid facade.

The fascination of this building does not stop in its unprecedented facade but is evident in its interior spatial design as well. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows cover each floor to allow maximum light exposure into the internal spaces. Each Levels are distinctly unique with multilayer sky gardens, floating patios and well-lit nesting spaces, providing various experiences for all who use it. Perhaps MAD's design statement summarizes the uniqueness of this building  succinctly, “The Urban Forest will not be a piece of mediocre urban machinery, but an artificial organ that lives and breathes new life in the steel-and-concrete-filled city center.” 

Urban Forest was inspired by the Chinese landscape.

Sky courts and gardens scattered throughout the skyscraper.

Urban Forest engages with activities on the street.

Maritime Square Penang

It is not the tallest building in the world nor is it cladded with expensive materials. However, its unique form makes it a building to watch out for whenever you are in Penang next time. It is the Maritime Square by IJM, located along the island’s east coast highway.

Penang has never been a favourite place for innovative skyscrapers due to its secondary place in terms of importance in the context of the entire country. It is not the commercial hub of Malaysia and hence there is not much tall office towers being located here. And that is a shame because you would normally find interesting architecture in office buildings thanks to the deep pocket and tall ego of corporate firms. Most high rise buildings in Penang are dominated by residential apartments and there is always a limit of how an architect could push so far in terms of design.

There are currently only two notable tall office buildings that come to mind when I think of Penang. The first one is obviously the 65 storey KOMTAR, the tallest building and the first skyscraper of Penang. It was designed in the modernist language with a pure cylindrical tower. It is still standing tall today and has become the beacon for George Town from as far as Kepala Batas in the mainland. The second building is the UMNO Tower designed by Ken Yeang which antenna collapsed recently and killed one person who was driving below. UMNO Tower is the first Penang’s skyscraper that got the international attention with its innovative wind channeling technology.

Now I could safely say that Penang will soon has its third architecturally unique skyscraper when the Maritime Square is completed. It consists of twin towers service suite housing 240 duplex units with a commercial podium below. Residential buildings are normally designed in a very rigid layout due to the functions that are required in its internal layout. The design of the twin towers of Maritime Square however managed to have an undulating façade with curving lines rising upwards and terminating at the top with vertical elements. The podium façade is also interesting with its dynamic form of mullions and glass panels of different sizes. The design is trendy and sculptural without having a blown out budget.

Penang island’s east coast has managed to rake in an unprecedented investment in recent years thanks to the completion of the highway and reclamation works stretching from the two Penang bridges all the way to the fringe of George Town at Weld Quay. Two of the major projects are the Penang World City (joint venture between Ivory Properties Group and Tropicana Corporation) and The Light by IJM. The Maritime Square is located between The Light and George Town, a strategic location overlooking Penang channel and Butterworth. The twin towers will no doubt add on to the ever changing skyline of Penang and become two prominent structures from the mainland.      

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.