2C2 Green Office Building, Putrajaya

Presentation Boards for 2C2 Green Office Building prepared for Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd and Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd for an upcoming exhibition.

Latest Putrajaya 5G2 Building photos

Except for the aerial view taken on Wednesday 14th July, these progress photographs were taken today during my site inspection.Architectural works at 84% completed. Delays at external works and interior design fit out.

Sketches for Green Building Parcel F8 Putrajaya

Sketches for a multipurpose hall, auditorium and common facilities building of the Parcel F development in Putrajaya.

Perpat Resort, Kapar, Malaysia

This is a project which my associate Saiful Bahri Sulaiman and I worked on to a conceptual planning stage.I found it nice to work on projects like these, being given the opportunity to explore rustic materials and to take into account basic human scale in design and detailing. In this scheme, the use of timber and clay tiles with deep overhangs provided those involved with a valuable design exercise in equatorial/tropical architectural expression.

Travels: Circle on Cavill Towers. Gold Coast, Australia.

One of the most impressive buildings I observed during my Gold Coast trip. This architectural design of dynamic verticality explores the possibilities of construction technology today utilizing bold cantilevered slab design that allows for floor plinths at each different level to project to varying dimensions, creating slopes, inclinations and angular lines in the building form and facade expression.

Travels: Residential Architecture in Gold Coast, Australia.

Residential buildings in Gold Coast follow a certain identifiable trend: Expressions of white, distinctly horizontal linear expression of projecting floor slabs and cantilevered balconies; and rectangular composition of fins that frame a low rise building facade. These photos were taken during my trip to Gold Coast Australia in December 2009.

Travels: Steel structure in a pre-war building in Taiping

This white timber building in the Taiping Club is supported by a steel structure.

A very curious structure indeed.

The building is really beautiful in its simplicity.

A close look at the structure tells you that this building is not of the 60s or 70s.

Sometime during mid 2006, whilst doing research for Kelab Sultan Sulaiman project in Kampung Baru, KL, I went to several old towns one of which was Taiping, an obvious choice because of the significant number of pre war buildings that's still around. During a visit to the Taiping Club, recently restored by Lawrence Loh, to my great pleasure I discovered this unique structure, a small timber building supported on steel pillars. I haven't seen anything quite like this before and found this discovery to be truly enlightening as application of structural steel in a timber building such as this is not the norm during colonial times. The building to me is truly a beautiful piece of work.

4G9 Tower: Finalised Fibonacci facade drawings

Fibonacci 8 facade (8 floors high)

Fibonacci 2, Fibonacci 3 and Fibonacci 5 facade segments

Roof, Fibonacci 1, 1, 2 and 3 downward

The Fibonacci series is a mathematical progression of numbers in which the following number is the sum of two previous ones: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21......This series is incorporated into the design concept of 4G9 Tower, Putrajaya, based on the number of floors for each segment from the top; i.e 1 floor, 1 floor, 2 floors, 3 floors, 5 floors downwards.

4G9 Tower: Sketches

Early sketch overlay with 3d massing model

Early facade concept sketch based on the Fibonacci series

Design development sketch to calculate number of precast fin walls against diamond shaped Fibonacci facade.

Sketch drawing to study the relationship between facade and section/inclination of facade. Note that this early scheme had skygardens which had later been deleted in the final scheme.

Travels: Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 2

Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour+ Partners, this airport is the 3rd busiest in China. On the 7th of June 2010, the day of my return flight to Malaysia, I had the opportunity to take some photographs of the roof structure from inside the departure hall. The structure and ceiling finishes were integrated to form regular curvilinear patterns and the Y shaped column, which is an economical structural device that enables extended coverage of more than 15 metres per bay allows for column free spans. The Y structure itself lends architectural character to the interior spaces.

This building, the Terminal 2, located behind Terminal 1, opened on March 26, 2008 (same day as the official opening of Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport), provides an additional capacity of 40 million passengers a year giving the Shanghai Pudong International Airport a total capacity of 60 million passengers and 4.2 million tonnes of cargo annually.

A view of the departure gates. Note the Y shaped structure outside.
The check in counters. Each column supports 2 bays.

Duty free shops can be seen at the right of this photo.

Another view of the check in area.

4G9 Tower: Progress as at 8th July 2010

Latest photos from Putrajaya lakeside promenade, Dataran Gemilang and Precinct 19 showing progress of Fibonacci curtainwall, spray painting and installation of gondola machinery.

Lot 5G2, Putrajaya

Progress of Lot 5G2 Putrajaya as at 8th July 2010

Government offices on Lot 5G2 (abbreviation for Precinct 5, Government Building, Parcel 2) located adjacent to the Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya, consists of 2 office blocks designed by SeniBahri Arkitek for Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd to fulfill their contract with the end users; The Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia; and The Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.

In December 2007, Jafri Merican Architect was appointed by Bina Goodyear Berhad (BGB) as the design and build architect to interpret design intentions of SeniBahri Arkitek and develop design drawings contained in the contract documents into construction drawings, in collaboration with engineering, interior design and landscape consultants appointed by BGB.

The architectural concept is based on a symbolic theme of traditional Malay culture, its heritage and artifacts. Symbolic elements such as ‘Tombak’, ‘Pendeng’, ‘Nenaga’ and ‘Pintu Pong’ among others were developed into buildable details and the intricate design of the building enclosure refined in collaboration with a façade engineering consultant. Drawings were prepared and submitted for approval to Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd project management team and their consultants in 3 stages; concept submission, design development submission and construction drawings submission. Upon obtaining the necessary approvals, these drawings are issued to BGB site personnel for construction implementation.

4G9 Tower: Fibonacci curtainwall facade performance testing

Posted here are photographs of the 'Fibonacci 2' curtainwall facade installed at a testing facility in Balakong for performance testing on the 24th of November 2009. The specimen here passed the test with flying colours, well above the performance criteria imposed, enabling fabrication and site installation to proceed. Kudos to the facade subcontractor Avos Sdn Bhd, and the main contractor WCT Berhad.