Architecture 48 489 9
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak
40
Menara Mesiniaga Ke n Ye Ye a ng
Th e M e n a r a M e si n ia ia g a i s t h e hea dq uarters for IB IBM in Suba Suba ng Jaya ne ar Kuala Lumpur. It wa s fir firs st co nc eived of in 1989 19 89 an d finally com plete d in 1992. 1992. IBM asked ask ed the o ffice o f T.R .R.. Ham Ham zah & Yea ng fo r a building which was a high-tech corporate showc a se fo r their highly visible visible site site a nd high-te c hno log y industr industry. y. Als Also, o, Ken Yea Yea ng designed this building as an example of his bioclimatic skyscraper practices and principles.
The b uil uilding ding is an environmen tal filter, an analogy for synthesis and analysis. The M ena ra Mesiniag Mesiniag a is a b uil uiltt wo rk tha t utiliz utili zes a b asi asis s of t rad itional Ma lays laysian ian b uilding models and their transition or evolution into mo de rn princ princ iples iples.. It is Yea ng ’ s vis vision ion of the trop trop ica l garden c it ity y and it unco ver vers s “ the relationship of buildings, landscape and climate . . .” transforming transforming the impa ct of highris ise e d evelop ment in the ec os osys ystem tem of a city.
Function and Use The b uil uilding ding is eq uippe d with 6classrooms, a demo center, a 130-seat auditorium, lounge, cafeteria, and prayer rooms. The b uil uilding ding b oa sts an e xcellent a u d i o v i su su a l s ys yst e m , c o m p l e t e l ig ig h t i n g equipme nt, ad mini minis str trative ative a nd ca teri tering ng services and a large entry foyer for produc t displa displa y an d d em onstr onstrat at ion. It is is wired for communications within itself and with its tec hnology pa rtner rtners s. Th e y b o a st a “ c o m m i t m e n t t o creating a facility that would be sensitive to and in harmony with the local environment, as well as one that reflected the co mp any’ s as aspir pirations ations to be an indus industry try leader. Tec hnica l Data Height - 63 meters Floors (ove r ground ) - 14 Floors (und er ground ) - 1 Year started - 1989 Year completed - 1992 Gro ss Floo r Are a - 6503 6503 m sq sq
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak
41
Site an d C lima te
View of Interior Lobby
Sub an g Jaya is nea r Kua la Lump ur in Malaysia. The c lima te is c onside red trop ica l. The year round tem pe rature, hea t and humidity are fairly similar throughout the year. The da y and night tempe rature vary little.
Artifical landscape was created to shelter and insulate the lowest three levels from the m orning sun. Parking is loc a ted below the building and berm.
Menara Mesiniaga is located on a m ajor highw ay from the a irpo rt to Kuala Lump ur. It is in a highly visible loc a tion with few buildings within the surrounding context.
View of Entry (from ground level)
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak
42
Main Ideas and Concepts for the Menara Mesiniaga: - Sky gardens that serve as villages - Spiraling vertica l lan dscap e - Recessed and shaded windows on the East and West - Curtain wall glazing on the North and South - Single c ore servic e on hot side - Ea st - Naturally ventilated and sunlit toilets, stair ways and lift lobbies - Spiral balconies on the exterior walls with full heig ht slid ing d oo rs to inte rior offic es The b uilding is 15 sto ries ta ll and circular in plan. Yea ng d esigned this building to include three items: 1- a sloping land scape base to connect the land with the verticality of the building; 2- a circular spiraling bo dy w ith land sca pe d sky co urts that allow visua l relief for offic e w orkers as well as providing co ntinuity of spa ce s co nnecting the land throug h the building; and 3- the upper floor provides a swimming pool and gym. Sun Sha d ers (yellow ) / G a rden Sp ac es (gree n)
mezzanine level
fourth floo r
first floo r
second floor
eighth floor
ninth floor
seventh floor
tenth floor
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak
43
Shad ing Devices
The fac ad e is a “ sieve-like” filter (instea d o f a “ sea led skin”). The louve rs an d shad es relate to the orienta tion of the b uilding. They allow or redu c e sola r ga in. The de ep ga rden insets allow full height c urtain walls on the north and south sides- as a respo nse to the trop ica l overhead sun pa th. The c ore functions are loca ted o n the “ hot” side, the east.
Sun Sha d e rs
In Rethinking the Skyscraper , b y Rob ert Powe ll, c ritic Cha rles Jencks discusses “a new synthesis for contemporary architecture that is responsive to the climate of a particular place and finds inspiration for a new architec ture lang uag e from forces that are ultimately cosmic.” (48)
G a rd e n Inse ts
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak
44
Ga rde n Terrac es Near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Latitude 3 10 N Longitude 101 42 E
Aug ust 27 11 a m
Aug ust 27 No on
Aug ust 27 3:30p m
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak
45
Janua ry 21 11am
January 21 Noon
January 21 3:30pm
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak
46
Ga rden Spiral Sun Shaders Sun Sc ree ns
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak
Axon o f Typic al Floo r Leve l
47
Sec tion Show ing Core and Slope d Lan dsca pe
Yeang: An ecological building should not be a wea po n in a retreating ba ttle. On the contary, it can contribute postively to the environmn et. A green area is a produc tive area. So the building ca n geerate energy instea d of c onsume it. Tall building s are e xposed t o the full extent of heat, weather and temperatures. The ove rall building orienta tion has an important bea ring on e nergy conservation. In the tropics, North and South fac ed opening reduce the need for insulation. Deep recesses may provide shade on the b uilding ’ s ho t side s. La rge multistory tran sitional spaces serve as in-between zones an d a llow a ir flow. External wa lls should b e permeable with adjustable openings, “filt e r - li ke . ” W a l l s c a n p r o v i d e so l a r a n d weather protection, as well as provide for cross ventilation. Yea ng e xplains tha t the plan should reflect the patterns of life an culture of the plac e. Plantings should travel vertica lly to generate o xygen a nd help c ool the b uilding. Pa ssive sola r sha ding is ge nerally located on the east and west sides in the t ropic s. Cross vent ilat ion shou ld let fresh air into the buildings even in air co nditioned spaces.
Yea ng Co nc ep t Sketc h - Ga rden Spiral
Architectu re 471 Brad Burns
Structural Tec hnolog y in Architec ure: Send ai Med iathq ue 48
Construction / Details
“ The m ost p ow erful effec ts on the form of the building are from the sky-courts and the sun-shaded roof and its facilities, together with the separated cores that in their edge co ndition b oh shield the to wer and are naturally ventilated.” (30) Th e m a i n st r u c t u r e o f M e n a r a Mesiniag a is expo sed stee l tube s. The floo r pla tes a re co nc rete o ver stee l trusses. The core functions are located on the “hot” or ea st side. The elevator lobb ies and lava tories which are not air conditioned and are on the east side to buffer the climateco ntrolled o ffices from the sun. The ma in office spaces are naturally ventilated and air c ond itione d. The building is eq uipp ed with a Building Auto ma ted System whic h controls energy features including air conditioning and is utilized to reduce energy co nsump tion in equipm ent. Other pa ssive low energy features include: all window s on the east and west have aluminium louvers to reduce solar gain; and the north and south windows have the deep insets ac ting a s a the rmal buffe r. The sha ft is alternately indented by garden terraces and fitted with brise-soleil on the east and west - that saves $13590 in air conditioning per year.
The roo f is inhab itab le. As pa rt of Yeang’s fundamental idea of connecting the building ba ck to land - the roo f holds a p ool and a gym. The roof acts as the capping social space of the building as well as an additional buffer between interior and exterior spaces. The sun scree n struc ture is ma de of steel and holds aluminium pa nels. The structu re is c ap a ble of ho lding sola r p a ne ls (if ever insta lled ). The sc reen shades the pool as well as the roof of the building. The rain wate r co llec tion system is also on the roof. The roo f is not prob lem free. Because of the high-humidity, the insulation ha s deteriorated and there ha s be en som e leakag e. Elsew here in the b u i l d i n g so m e r u st i n g h a s o c c u r re d . Yea ng ha s since stressed a n impo rtanc e on material life-cycle costing.
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak Yea ng ’ s Archite c tural Theo ry Yea ng w as born in Ma laysia and e d u c a t e d i n En g l a n d . He re c e i v e d h is PHDs in Psyc ho log y an d Biolog y. His the sis research centered on environmental biology and ecology as well as their interaction with bu ilt forms. Ad ditiona lly, his wo rk centered o n energy use a nd p erformance within the trop ical c lima te. His go al wa s to achieve the sustainable standard of human well-being/ co mfort which ec hoes the native Ma laysian trad ition of building . In his 1985 e ssa y, “ The Tropic a l City - Id ea s and Visions, ” ideas of bioclimatic design of the city and its systems emerged.
49
New Taic hhung Civic C ente r (1995) cont inuous pub lic landscap e, the buildings are raised a bove t he ground, allowing circulation beneath them, designed for the sun, wind a nd light in Taiwa n.
IBM Plaza - Kuala Lumpur, escalating planter-boxes, diag onally ac ross the fa ce of the b uilding, traverse across the floor in the mid-level and then ascend the other face to the uppermost floor.
Ide as include : - An urban environment integrated with and by its landscape - An ae sthetic m od el - the imag e o f luxuriant tropical urban garden - An open way of life - community - all made possible by the tropical climate Yeang wanted to overcome the typical high-rise heat-island effect by creating positive design responses to wind and shade as well as introducing vertical landsca ping, the use of hea t-sink clad ding and the reduction of air conditioning use. Yeang considers passive low-energy efficiency, an improved social environment, and the use of abundant ambient energy essential to design. Yeang’s design principles involve “holistic considersation, of the sustainable use of energy and materials over the lifecyc le of a b uilding “ system” , from sourc e of materials to their inevitable disposal and/ or subsequent recycling.” ( Rethinking 72) Additionally, Yeang incorporates transitional spaces from exteriors to interiors, the principles of ide ntity and regionalism (building in c onte xt of its plac e-reflecting the cultural and climatic influences) and extensions of the land and garden. Yea ng’ s principles of d esign include : - Responding in plan and form to the climate - Respo nding to the land sc ap ing by introducing planting upwards and diagonally ac ross the fa ce of the built forms - Breaking surfac es from the straight pla ne to planes in context for the site - Linkages to the ground and surrounding base - Responding to the Modern Movement
Signa ture Tow er, Business and Ad va nc ed Tec hnolog y Centre (1998), vertical building program (a bo ve) hierarchy of p arking (right).
Sunscreen/ Shad ing dev ice fit like ‘ loose-clothing’ on the structure of the tower.
‘The e mergen t regiona list a rchitecture’, he writes, ‘ seeks its architectural significance through relating its built configuration, aesthetics, organization and technical assembly and materials to a ce rtain plac e a nd time.’ This is a vital connection that links technology with culture. Inde ed , there are several connections: Firstly, a direct connection which involves the creative adaptation for contemporary uses of an existing range of built forms; secondly, an i n d i r e c t ( a b s t r a c t ) c o n n e c t i o n , through the interpretation into form, by design, of the general principle derived from an analysis of architectural heritage and cultural traditions; thirdly, an inclusive contemporary connection in design through the selective use of current technology, forms and ideas; fourthly, a landscape connection that integrates the building with the physical context and natural history, and, fifthly, and perhaps most importantly, a forward connection in which design considerations include an anticipation of the likely consequenc es of the b uilding ( Rethinking 35).
Architecture 489
Structure Innova tions
Erica Leigh Walczak Works Cited
Arcid i, Philip. “ Me na ra Me sinia ga Tow er.” Progressive Archt itec ture. v. 74, Ma rch 1993: 108-110. Pow ell, Rob ert. Reth inking t he Skysc rap er: The C om plet e Arc hitec ture of Ken Yea ng . New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1999. Rich a rds, Ivor. “ Trop ic Tow er.” Arc hite c tura l Rev iew . v. 192, Feb ruary 1993: 26-31. Yea ng, Ken. The Skysc rap er: Bioc lima tica lly Conside red. Ma laysia: Aca de my Group Ltd . 1996.
Websites: ww w.skysc rap ers.co m (Mena ra Mesiniag a) www.mesiniaga.com www.smartarch.nl (Ken Yeang / Menara Mesiniaga) www.ellipsis.com (projects-Menara Mesiniaga) www.archnet.org
50
