6.3 Menara Mesiniaga
Menara Mesiniaga, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Ken Yeang
(Recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, 1995.)
This is an IBM headquarters that applies Ken Yeang’s bioclimatic designs with both internal and external features to create a low energy building ideal for the tropical climate. Planting spirals up the façade and into the skycourts from a three-storey-high planted mound. Planting can also be found amongst the triple height recessed terraces in the upper reaches of the building. These atriums allow natural ventilation of cool air and the planting enhances the shade and increases the oxygen supply.
On the north and south facades, curtain wall glazing is used to control solar gain and on the east and west facades, external aluminium fins and louvers provide sun shading. The light-green glass and glazing detailing acts as a ventilation-filter without wholly insulation the interior. On all office floors terraces are provided with sliding doors for workers to control the level of natural ventilation. The lift lobbies, toilets and stairwells have natural ventilation and natural daylighting.
The roof has a sunroof made of trussed steel and aluminium, which shades and filters light on to the swimming pools and gymnasium. This area was also future-proofed for potential solar cells. The building has a circular floor plan, which offers no dark corners. Any enclosed rooms are located near the central core to allow natural lighting and high quality views for the workstations located on the outside edge.
The tower has intelligent building management systems to reduce energy consumption by equipment and air-conditioning plant.
Design Features
The building brings together the principles of the bioclimatic approach to the design of tall buildings developed over the previous decade by the firm. In particular, the building has the following features:
- “Vertical Landscaping” (planting) is introduced into the building facade and at the “skycourts”. In this building the planting starts by mounding up from ground level to as far up as possible at one side of the building. The planting then “spirals” upwards across the face of the building with the use of recessed terraces (as skycourts).
- A number of passive low-energy features are also incorporated: All the window areas facing the hot sides of the building (ie. east and west sides) have external louvres as solar-shading to reduce solar heat gain into the internal spaces. Those sides without direct solar insolation (ie. the north and south sides) have unshielded curtain-walled glazing for good views and to maximise nautral lighting.
- The lift lobbies at all floors are naturally ventilated and are sun-lit with views to the outside. These lobbies do not require fire-protection pressurisation (ie. low-energy lobby). All stairways and toilet areas are also naturally ventilated and have natural lighting.
- The sunroof is the skeletal provision for panel space for the possible future placing of solar-cells to provide back-up energy source. BAS (Building Automation System) is an active Intelligent Building feature used in the building for energy-saving.
Structural System: Reinforced concrete structural frame and brick infill, mild steel truss structure for sunroof, gym roof and mezzanine deck.
External Skin: Laminated float glass, composite aluminium cladding.
Roofing: Tiled r.c. roof slab to roof terraces, metal decking with insulation to gym. roof.
Finishes: Green granite to entrance lobby floor, white marble to lobby walls, composite aluminium cladding to columns and walls, quartz tiles to lobby feature wall, exposed aggregate plaster to forecourt and apron, spray tile to walls, float glass and dry wall to internal partitioning, homogenous tiles to wet areas, carpet to office floors, mineral fibreboard ceiling to offices, white fibrous plaster to lobby ceilings and auditorium.
(Source: http://www.trhamzahyeang.com/project/skyscrapers/mesiniaga01.html & AKTC)
