TELEKOM TOWERARCHITECTURE CULTURE AND HISTORY 2 [ARC60203]
MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN KLANG VALLEY
NG YI YANG 0319688LYNETTE LAW YONG YI 0317761NATALIE KI XIAO XUAN 0318918
NISHAANTHINY A/P SHANMUGGAM 0323320
TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION 2
FAST FACTS OF THE BUILDING 4
HISTORY OF THE BUILDING 6
THE ARCHITECT 8
SITE CONTEXT by Ng Yi Yang & Nishaanthiny 10
ARCHITECTURE LAYOUT by Nishaanthiny 15
ARCHITECTURE STYLE by Natalie Ki 26
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, STRUCTURE & MATERIALS by Lynette Law 34
ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS AND COMPONENTS by Ng Yi Yang 46
CONCLUSION 55
REFERRENCES 57
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INTRODUCTION
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Kuala Lumpur is the city centre and thriving hub of the country of Malaysia, the city
skyline shows the blend of different influences of the country, including British Colonial,
Mughal, Tudor, Neo-Gothic, Grecian-Spanish, Asian, Malay Islamic and Modern architecture,
however, the stylings of each implementation and variation of architectural style has been
adapted to accommodate the specific climatic and geographic characteristics of the country.
Whilst the traditional motifs do still appear occasionally and inspire within the
country’s architecture, many 20th century buildings of today’s time are of Modernistic style.
An excellent example is the topic of ours study, which is Menara Telekom (Telekom Tower).
This report consist of detailed study of the skyscraper, ranging from building
construction and materials, to architectural concept and style, to architecture layout and
analysis. We chose this particular building to study as we find its unmistakable,
distinguishable, dynamic form, to be well rounded in many aspects.
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FAST FACTS OF THE BUILDING
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Official Name : Menara Telekom
Other Names : Bamboo Tower, Telekom Malaysia Headquarters
Building Type : Skyscraper
Building Function : Office
Construction Period : 1998 – 2001
Height : 310 m / 1,017 ft
Floors above Ground : 55
Architect : Hijjas Kasturi Associates
Address :
Jalan Pantai Baharu, Taman Bukit Pantai, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
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HISTORY OF THE BUILDING
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The Telekom Tower, also known as the Bamboo Tower or Telekom Malaysia
Headquarters is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Located along the Federal Highway,
Sprint Expressway and Jalan Pantai Baharu, Telekom Tower is the 3rd tallest skyscraper in
Malaysia, 66th place on the global ranking, largest Telecommunications company in the
country and the second largest in South-East Asia.
Built between 1998 and 2001, Telekom tower with its impressive architecture style is
up to 421 metres, develops and rises along an east-west axis, with a spiral motion that
reduces the figure. It has 55 floors which are interspersed evert by sky gardens that act as a
link to the two sides of the structure. These sky gardens are recreational green space for the
staffs. . The tower is equipped various facilities including a theatre that seats up to 2500
audience, a large mosque, a sports room, clinical centre, and many more.
Designed by the architect Hijjas Kasturi, it was constructed by Daewoo Construction
with the joined efforts by Alimak Hek that provided construction hoists and Dow Corning
Corporation that supplied sealants. The total construction cost was U.S. $ 160 million
Telekom Tower was officially opened by Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohammad in the 11th February 2003.
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THE ARCHITECT
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Hijjas Kasturi Associates (HKAS) was founded in 1977 by Hijjas
bin Kasturi, the father of Malaysian architecture of the second
half of the twentieth century.
Since then, Malaysia’s construction industry has witness
dramatic changes. The city of Kuala Lumpur has transformed
from a low rise cluster of shophouses with a few institutional
buildings, punctuated by Bangkok Bank and the AIA, into a city
with countless buildings of every description and the world's
tallest twin towers.
The early post-colonial period was characterized by strong nationalism and a desire
to express this architecturally. HKAS deliberately developed designs that reconciled
contemporary space and function with a modern aesthetic quality in relation to the forms
and images of the past. This approach became a viable alternative to the popular
International Style.
Over a period of almost 30 years, there have been many constants in the practice of
HKAS. But perhaps the most significant one has been its ability to consistently reinvent
itself. This is perhaps even more difficult for a practice which primarily designs commercial
and institutional buildings for which functionality, conservatism and the bottom line are the
usual priorities.
HKAS, however is distinctive for the freshness and inventiveness it brings to each
successive building. Each of the HKAS buildings has its own character. Each tells a story and
each seems to deal with the materials in an imaginative way, testing structural limits,
playing with functional potential and exploring aesthetic possibilities. And they all unfailingly
and individually address their urban context.
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SITE CONTEXT
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BUILDING ACCESSIBILITY
Situated a few kilometres from the Petronas Towers, is the idealistic location of
Telekom Tower with a site of 3.07 hectares. The south frontage of 338 metres faces onto
the Federal Highway with immediate access to the Kerinchi overpass. The Northern
boundary of the site is the Pantai River which allows a large border north of the site's
building line for a suitable setback and impressive landscaping potential, just like the
southern boundary on the Federal Highway.
The mass rapid transit systems which are to follow the spine of the Federal Highway
has been also taken into consideration during the building planning. The Kerinchi LRT
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Station is linked to the site with a pedestrian bridge which is within the neighboring
development on the eastern side.
Access to the building has been planned to ensure smooth anti clockwise vehicular
traffic to and from the site. Entry and exit to the site are at the north east and north west
from Pantai Baru Road. Traffic is estimated to disperse quickly due to various optional
destinations plus the two levels of drop-off which is covered and has immediate access to a
secure executive lounge. The parking lot in the New Headquarters alone can accommodate
1700 cars which is more than enough for staffs. Besides that an independent service and
loading bay is located at north-eastern edge of site below the Podium. The LRT station also
helps in reducing traffic by providing access to and from KL Central plus numerous other
areas.
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Relationship of Building to Surroundings
The site of the Telekom Tower is with a south facing the Federal Highway and the
Pantai river as the boundary on the north. The north site’s building line is made into a
suitable set back with impressive landscaping, as so does the southern boundary on the
Federal Highway. Surrounding the Telekom Tower are mostly high rise residential
apartments and commercial blocks. There is also the Pantai Police station located right
behind the building, assuring maximum security to the tower.
From a distance, the Telekom Tower stands out in terms of its height and style. The
building seems to be the tallest within the area and in contrast with all the other buildings.
It is also unique in terms of its curving architecture style comparing to the basic blockish
buildings around it.
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Responding to the Climate
The linear shape of the site plan means that there are relatively narrow eastern and
western frontages, an ideal condition for tropical structures in that the orientation
minimizes the building’s direct exposure to sunlight on its facades, thus reducing solar-gain
and minimizing air-conditioning loads while allowing for a high proportion of natural
daylighting.
Extensive landscaping is done around the site to create an inviting and accessible
base for the building mass. Over 20% of the site area is landscape using trees, shrubs and
plants. The overall impression will be of a lush green oasis welcoming the employee and
visitor alike.
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ARCHITECTURE LAYOUT
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PLAN TO SECTION AND ELEVATION
Diagram shows the floor plans of the Telekom Tower
The new headquarters building was inspired by combination of technological needs
and high tech nature of Telekom Malaysia with a functional yet organic workplace. The
shape of the Tower was influenced by a sketch named "Pucuk Rebong" by Latiff Mohidin, a
Malaysian sculptor and painter. It’s a symbolism of a new sprout of bamboo shooting up
from the Earth, with solid roots to anchor it and the beauty of an unfurling leaf.
Offices are the main spaces, located on the southern and northern sides linearly with
central cores linking them in the middle. On the eastern and western sides are the sky
gardens that provide ample supply of fresh air to localized air conditioners. The stale air
from these air conditioners are then expelled through the external facade. The building is
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orientated in such way that the sun rise from the east is viewable from the south eastern
sky garden whereas the sunset can be viewed from the north western sky garden.
Office is the space in which the whole building revolves around. To increase workers
performance and creativity, careful planning of the environment has been done to create a
comfortable space for them. The lower office have the largest floor areas and area column
free spaces with raised access floors. Sophisticated pre-wiring systems allow for maximum
flexibility in the office layout planning. These office spaces are granted with generous
amount of natural daylight and have underfloor air-conditioning plus maximum fresh air
that provides a healthy and airy environment. Recess windows with unobstructive external
louvres carefully positioned to North and South elevations naturally reduce much of the
heat gain while providing maintenance walkway for cleaning the glass and louvres. As the
Tower rises and tapers up, the size of the floor plates decrease offering a variety of floor
planning options, whilst maintaining a high degree of flexible and comfortable space.
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To provide a leisure area for workers, sky gardens have been interspersed through
every 3 floors. These are large open air terraced gardens scaling the heights of the tower.
These gardens also act a living filters of heat, light and noise. These sky garden create a
sense of a series of low rise neighborhood stacked vertically.
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CIRCULATION TO USE-SPACE
Circulation in the Telekom Tower is carefully thought of to accommodate the busy office
environment. Unique circulation solutions have been applied throughout to aid users to
move from space to space while being able to interact with the environment.
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1. When approaching the building, one would be greeted by an automatic sliding door
with two glass doors on each side. This is the mean entrance to the building that lets
user into the interior. Once one steps through the doors, a large brightly lit area is
unearthed. An elliptical entry lobby leads down to a loft lobby and shops.
2. Double escalators going one floor down brings users to the lower ground where the
user can access the double decker lifts that bring them up to odd numbered floors.
3. To go up one floor, a spiral staircase provides easy access for users.
4. The core of the building which is the lift lobby is where the double decker lifts picks
and drops users. The Telekom tower is one of the earliest structures to use the 6 star
double-decker lift vertical transportation systems. This system significantly increases
the passenger capacity and reduces the time taken for traveling up. Also, one has to
take a floor specified lift to reach their destination. The whole building has 18 double
decker lifts divided between three zones each with specified locations.
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The image below shows the circulation path throughout the building.
.
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ORGANIZATION ANALYSIS
Natural Light
The Telekom Tower's façade boasts
reflective glass that not only gives the building a
shiny appearance but also allows natural
daylight in. Every floor in the building receives
plenty of light to illuminate the work space. The
natural lighting plays an important role in
making the structure environmentally friendly
and to provide a healthy work surrounding for
the staff.
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Unit to Whole
The tower is made
up of a few units put
together to form a
dynamic structure which
is comprised of its central
core where the lifts are
located. On the top of this
central core is a helipad.
Enveloping on the
northern and southern
sides are the office units
that are then covered by
its façade. On the eastern
and western sides are the
sky gardens. Together,
these separate units
make a functional
structure that
corresponds to each
other to create the use
spaces meant for the
workers.
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Repetitive to Unique
The tower's façade shows
the repetitive pattern of the
horizontally stacked floors. Even
in repetitive motion, the
structure tapers upwards and the
floor size diminishes.
The sky gardens interspersed through the
scales of the building break the repetitions of the
floors but create their own repetitions.
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Hierarchy
Hierarchy in the design of the building is seen with its diminishing floor size as it goes
upwards. The lower floors are wider and is occupied by more people as it is more open and
public. However, the spatial planning is more complex to accommodate more people. The
upper floors are however, more private, simple and closed to suit an individual group that
are most probably the higher ups in the company.
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ARCHITECTURE STYLE
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The Modernistic style used in Kuala Lumpur only began to appear in the 1990’s and
2000’s. It is also most specifically; Late Modernism and Post Modernism. The sudden growth
of the modernistic elements were brought up as a response to the economic and financial
independence of the country. Skyscrapers, high-rise and looming structures with all glass
exteriors began to emerge throughout the city. Many buildings soon followed in suit of
modernism, some of them still retaining
inspiration and influences from other
aspects of the country as well. An excellent
example is the topic of our study – the
Telekom Tower (otherwise known as
Menara Telekom).
So what exactly makes the Telekom Tower
‘modern’? The term itself is so broadly used
in order to categorise such a wide array of
subjects in the 21st century that it can be
considered vague – especially in
architecture. In order to fully explain the
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Above are examples of Modern Architecture in various locales of Malaysia. ( left to right: Petronas Twin Towers, POD Pavilion, Putra Sains Centre, Telekom Tower)
characteristics and dictate which features this skyscraper has that contributes to its style,
one would first have to understand the properties that are considered ‘modern’ – starting
with its symbolism and form.
Looking back into the start of the modern movement in architecture, one identifiable
certainty is that many building forms started to change from the ‘functional design’ to
‘symbolic design’. The term ‘symbolic architecture was coined during the start of the
modern era, in the late 1980’s, by Charles Jencks in order to describe architecture with a
very strong degree of personification. This meant that architecture started to take
inspiration in terms of its form and design from objects that were very real in the world,
instead of designing spaces that were used purely based on function, with its form being
shaped by its spatial requirements alone. This style of architecture was only made possible
during the modern era, because of all of the advantages that came with the growth of
technology. It is also a style specifically in ‘Modern Architecture’ that is clearly reflected in
Telekom Tower – which personifies the form of a bamboo shoot.
Telekom Tower was one of the first emerging buildings that helped solidify the
architectural movement of modernism in Malaysia. The skyscraper serves as an emblem
with its dynamic, thrusting form in order to convey modernity with a cultural touch. Hijjas
Kasturi sought to represent the change in the community with a statement that is now used
in order to describe the intention behind the architectural style of Telekom Tower. This
statement is: “The [Menara Telekom], with its
highly modern, highly dynamic, intelligent and
sculptural form delivers a single, decisive
image of the corporate values of Telekom
Malaysia. Much has been made of the
building delivering its form from the ‘pucuk
rebung’ or bamboo shoot, inspired by the
Pago-Pago, a series of paintings by Malaysian
artist Latiff Mohidin.”
From the initial statement and it’s
endearing term: “Bamboo Tower”, there is an
obvious relation between the design of the
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skyscraper and the bamboo shoot. The tower itself was modelled in order to convey a young
bamboo shoot, which is an Asian emblem, with strong foundations at its base, sprouting and
unfurling small leaves at the top, as if it were “anxious to reach the light”. This prime
concept, although organic in idea, was intentional in order to merge with its modern aspects
and successfully carry out the goals of the project requirements. Its form was also hinted to
carry the Malaysian identity in building forms, despite it being categorised as ‘modern’, and
the resulting building from this intention was only made possible by the capabilities and
advantages of modernism; with the two curving forms that torsion around a central shaft,
whereby the floor plates would intersect one another with the building tapering towards its
crest at the 77th floor. The floor levels that helix as the building increases in height, is meant
to convey the shaft of the shoot as it grows, whereby the core (services) is the heart of the
bamboo shoot itself.
However, even though the form of the Telekom Tower is clearly ‘modern’, it is not
easy to forget that the design of this structure has been adapted to accommodate for
Malaysian climate. This is better explained in the analytical study of the building layout in
this report, but should be noted that considerations for ventilations, sunlight permeability,
wind, access and other forms of weather affects have been deliberated to the design.
As the skyscraper is also of such a tremendous magnitude, it is also clear that certain
parts of its design were made only possible through the calculation and precision of
computers. The
repetitive elements of
the building had to be
consistently and
accurately generated in
order to produce each
of the parts without
the errors that would
have occurred with a
human mind. This can
be clearly seen in the production of the floor plates and the exterior curtain wall – which
would have to be calculated in correspondence to the dimensions of the floor plates. As
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each level rises in height, the dimensions would have varied albeit slightly. By using a
computer software, the calculations would have been easier to generate compared to doing
so manually.
Implementation of modern technology – both in the technological side and in the
building industry also justify the architectural style of the Telekom Tower as 'Modern'. The
building industry gained many advantages with the sudden influx of modern technology
from matters such as: the discovery of new materials, new construction methods and new
knowledge. Alongside the methods of the past, a combination of both the new and the old
allowed modern architecture to flourish with great success; aided by things such as
(reinforced) concrete, casting and claddings.
The first material that played a major role in the form of the Telekom Tower is one
that is used very commonly in the building industry now. This material is concrete. By then,
concrete was an extremely popular building material as it allowed design forms to be made
and casted without the problem of it being structurally unstable. The floor plates and
structure of the Telekom Tower itself is made out of concrete, shaped to bend at a certain
degree as it wraps around the core of the building. Another material that was relatively new
during its time was the use of curtain walling and glass cladding. Whilst glass was not
considered a new material during its time, the use of glass cladding as an exterior skin
(curtain wall) was uncommon and made new once again, by the advantages of new
construction methods.
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One part of the Telekom Tower that was considered both unusual but modern is the
overhanging sky gardens. These sky gardens are levelled out throughout the tower at 3-
storey intervals, on both ends of the skyscraper, in pockets between the spaces of the
twining floor plates. Overhanging gardens were not uncommon during its time, but with the
spiking population of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, many architects sought to
implement nature back into the massive man-made structures in an otherwise concrete
jungle. According to Hijjas Kasturi, the key idea of including the sky gardens was that by
including the large open-air terraced gardens, the development would be able to embody
‘environmentally sensitive architecture’ and ‘soften the tower’s external façade while
serving as living filters of heat, light and sound for the inhabitants’. These alternating
gardens challenge the social norm, whereby office workers would escape to the Ground
level for reprieve, but by adding the sky garden, it creates the sense of a series of low-rise
neighbourhoods that are stacked vertically.
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Above: the 'Sky Garden' that intersperse every three stories of the Telekom Tower.
Building on top of
the idea of the sky garden is
the material that was used
to structurally support the
green pockets. That
material is the steel
girdles/trusses. Steel is a
material that was
discovered before the
modern era, but is used
commonly because of its strength and structural stability without being overbearingly
heavy. As the sky gardens scale the building every three stories, these elevated green
pockets needed to be supported without the weight disadvantage – otherwise known as
dead weight. If concrete had been used, there would be too much dead weight and the sky
garden would not have been possible, therefore, steel trusses (spanning up to 33 metres)
were used.
Other spaces were also included to accommodate for its large number of
inhabitants, something that was required for such a large, national corporation. Structures
that cater for such large magnitudes of occupants typically have so many facilities, and along
with the advances made by technology, these kinds of spaces were only present in modern
architecture as it is often available to such large corporations to build.
Aside from the materials and spaces that Telekom Tower has, the use of modern
technology plays a big role in considering this building as modern. Many different uses of
mechanics and electronics have been used in the skyscraper. Elevators/lifts are used in the
central core of the building, making it possible to build a structure of 77 stories – something
that would have been considered unfeasible prior to the modern era because of human
disability. A sprinkler system and a fire brigade were also used, along with other safety
considerations. Without such systems, it would have been unsafe to inhabit the tower as
safety precautions would not have been met – as stated in the Uniform Building By Law
(UBBL) Act of 1984.
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Another example of how the Telekom Tower can be considered modern is the
considerations that have been added to cater for human comforts – such as air-
conditioning, proper ventilations, lighting and other electrical circuits. Adding along the
characteristics made possible by technology, the Telekom Tower is considered an
“intelligent building” – a feature that awarded itself with a six star rating from DBKL. Back
when it was first being constructed, the objective of adding these “intelligent features” were
to ‘provide a complex interweaving of systems and facilities that interact with each other
and the user’. By achieving this, the Telekom Tower sought to ‘become more of a mix of
computerized machines, and an exciting environment which functions efficiently,
economically with maximum flexibility’. These smart features include: state of the art
building management systems, Telecommunications systems, advanced automation
systems, high-level security management systems, energy efficient systems, effective
mechanical systems and other amenities designed to enhance productivity.
To summarise, at first glance, the Telekom Tower is a clear example of modern
architecture. Designed to represent the Asian heritage of the nation with the personification
of a bamboo shoot in its form and embody the company of Telekom (TM), this skyscraper is
a distinguishable and important part of the Modern Malaysian Skyline. Contributing
characteristics, such as building material, form, technological and mechanical
implementation, facilities and other features - although not part of the actual design of the
building - all make up the reason as to why the Telekom Tower is a prime example of
‘Modern Malaysian Architecture’.
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BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, STRUCTURE & MATERIALS
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BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND STRUCTURE
The Menara Telekom was designed by Hijjas Kasturi Associates, with the intention of
ensuring minimal environmental impact and equipped with innovative technologies such as
flexible and environmentally-friendly air conditioning system under-floor Hiross Flexible
Space System, that reflects as an “ Intelligent Building “.
As the intention of the designers was to create a concrete example of “intelligent
architecture”, the building is designed to be in harmony with the natural environment,
which links to continution of HKAS’ interest in curved forms as a means of achieving greater
expression. Given the height of the building, this was only made possible with the mix of
materials.
Floors and vertical elements were made of high strength, prestressed concrete,
while steel was used as the skeleton of the antenna tower, helipad and long-spanning
trusses of the sky garden.
As Menara Telekom was a transition point for HKAS, it initiated a new phase of
development which can be viewed either as a more radical exploration of ideas already
inherent with the work of the practice or as the arrival of a completely new approach. It
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signalled an interest in a new diversity of materials which in inself implies new formal
impression as the potential of those materials is explored. The diagram below shows the
different elements of the tower and ther structural relationship.
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Façade and Louvered Windows
The façade of the Menara Telekom is banded by louverd windows that enclosed and protect
maintenance catwalks.
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Sky Garden and Bowstring Truss
The east and west elevation which
receive the most sun are shaded by sky
gardens, which also served as open public
spaces. The gardens give the users of the
building the convenient opportunity to go
outside the building, providing a retreat
that is closer than the busy ground floor
lobby.
By bridging between the floors and the core on every third level, every floor is no
more than one level away from an open space, which varies in size from over 600 square
metres at the lowest garden to just 140 square metres at the highest. Creation of
neighbourhoods within the building that would humanise the working environment within
large structures was the solution during the development of the design.
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Diagram shows the
walkway between the office
wings showing the structure
of the sky gardens outside.
The structure used to support
the sky gardens are bowstring
trusses that can be seen
clearly under the sky garden
itself.
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Bowstring truss is a structral roof truss having a bow-shaped top cord and a straight
or cambered bottom cord
Spider Glass Clamp
With the high amount of tall glass windows used in the building, in order to show a
frameless glass fitting structure in accordance to the aesthetics of the buidling itself, spider
glass clamps are used to secure the fittings together.
As known as the structural fittings-spiders and used in glass wall and canopy
openings, spider point fixings are primarily designed to connect multiple tiers or panels of
glass. Spider fixings are also used in high wind load areas where conventional silicone and
glass fin support are not sufficient to cope with loadings. They are mainly made from quality
stainless steel.
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The diagram shows the type of spider glass clamp used is four way spider fixing.
Canopy Entrance
The canopy marks the entrance among the transparent walls at the ground floor.
The structure of the canopy is unlike other typically shaded canopies. Small spaces are
voided with steel plates and glass panels above it. This allows minimal sunlight to penetrate
throughout the entrance as well as doing its job of keeping users out of rain and danger.
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Intelligent Technology
One of the benefits of “intelligent technology” is that the flexibility and ease of
installation of Hiross Flexible Space System helped to streamline the design phase,
shortening considerably the time and, therefore, the construction costs of the air
conditioning system.
The air conditioning system under-floor has made possible the creation of a custom
microclimate in the different areas of the building and, through the management of the
thermal control zone, it was possible to determine with accuracy the temperature in each
area dedicated to offices, getting a climatic comfort custom also an area of 130,000 square
metres.
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MATERIALS
Essential Elements Materials
Lift Lobbies
Granite floor
Granite and stainless steel wall
Metal and plaster board ceiling
Male and Female toilets
Homogenous floor tiles
Phenolic wall and WC cubicle
Water resistance suspended ceiling tiles
Disable + Executive Toilets
Homogenous floor tiles
Homogenous wall tiles
Water resistant suspended ceiling tiles
Party/ Utility / Tea Room
Homogenous floor tiles
Homogenous wall tiles and plastered walls
Suspended ceiling tiles
Office Space
Carpet tiles on raised floor tiles
Plasterboard on core wall
Cement board below window sill
Sand cement plaster to brick wall
As much as the importance of Menara Telekom’s structural features, the materials that
were explored on the interior finishing were well developed in appliance to its modern
design.
Lift lobbies and walkways in Menara Telekom
COMPARING TELEKOM TOWER AND COMMERZBANK TOWER (FRANKFURT, GERMANY)
Menara Telekom and Commerzbank Tower are quite similar in terms of its vertical
skyscraper structure and also mixture of steel and concrete for its façade and structural
construction. With much of their similarities, Commerzbank Tower is known as the world’s
first “ ecological office tower” due to its large sky gardens with a diverse ecological profile
used to provide informal break out spaces with views of the city, as similar as to the sky
gardens build within each interval office floor of Menara Telekom.
Construction Process
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As shown as the diagrams above, Commerzbank Tower (left) and Menara Telekom
(right) share the same construction materials which are mixture of steel and concrete. The
only difference is the form of Menara Telekom is more angular and from broader to slimmer
at the top whereas the Commerzbank Tower is a consistent and organized triangular form.
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The sky gardens built in the Commerzbank tower are built in between the intervals
of floors and also the core of the building unlike the sky gardens in Menara Telekom are
only built in certain intervals of the office floors as shown below.
ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS AND COMPONENTS
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FORM, WALLS AND FAÇADE
The office is separated into the taller North wing and South wing with a helipad on
top. According to the architect, the form of the building is designed after Pucuk Rebung
(bamboo shoot), a new sprout of bamboo shooting up from the earth, with its leaves
unfurling one by one. From the North and South, a full breath of the building can be seen.
From the East and West, the building is considerably slimmer. This gives an interesting
change in the vistas of the building in terms of slimmer or broader, curved or flat, taller or
lower.
The façade has an interesting repetitive element
of lines. The lines creates squares and rectangle elements
and synchronizes with the window louvers throughout
the whole building. This repetitive element stretches
from the ground floor all the way to the top. The main
material for the façade is metal panels which reflects on
coming light and creates an eye catching form. On the
first few floors, most of the walls are made up of glass
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panels while maintaining some of the repetitive element. This allows excellent fenestration
in the interior.
Since the interior is well lit by the natural sunlight, the internal ceiling uses low
lightings while reiterating the style of the façade. Walkways between the two office wings
are also properly lit with the natural lighting while providing strong visual interest along the
way.
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Windows and Louvers
Glass panels are used for the windows throughout
the entire building. On the North and South elevations,
external louvers are carefully positioned as part of the
façade. The orientation of the louvered windows reduce the
amount of heat gain on the North and South elevation
which are mostly exposed to the sunlight. It also provides
easy maintenance for the cleaning of the glass windows and
louvers. The glass panels are higher than the average height
which creates taller, brighter and lighter interiors. The
louvers creates an exit for the ventilation within by
redirecting the foul air into the exterior.
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Roofing
Metal slat canopies are used to mark the
entrance of the building among the transparent
walls. The metal slat provides some shade and
lighting under it. It is rainproof as it has a glass panel
over it.
Because of the building’s upward spiral body,
water droplets from rain can easily flow down along
the curving façade. On the East and West side, the
sky gardens are exposed to the external
environment. However, each sky garden is used as
the roofing for the sky garden below it. Thus, the sky
garden is shaded during drizzle but might not be during rain storm.
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Office
The office is the essential element of the
space that the whole building revolves around.
With careful planning of the environment,
services and structures, the spaces within the
building maximize the office workers efficiency
and creativity. As the tower rises and taper up,
the size of the floor plan decreases. Thus, the
lower office have large floor areas allowing
maximum flexible planning of the office layouts,
while the higher offices have smaller floor with
sufficient areas. This offer a variety of floor
planning options, whilst maintaining a high
degree of flexible and comfortable space.
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Lifts
The building uses double-storey lifts to
take as many people as possible at one go. To
move to an even number floor, the user will
have to take the lift from the ground floor. To
move to an odd number floor, the user will
have to take the lift from the lower lobby.
There are a total of 18 double decker lifts
which is separated into 3 zones. Staircases and
escalators are provided for the users to move
between each floor.
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Sky Garden
One of the significant components about the Telekom
Tower is the open sky garden. The sky gardens are large open
air terrace gardens on the Eastern and Western façade. The
idea of the sky gardens are responding to the
environmentally sensitive architecture of the building, a
series of low rise neighborhood are stacked vertically, scaling
the heights of the tower. There is a total of 22 sky garden 11
on each side, and can be found on every third level. Thus,
every floor is no more than one level away from an open
space. The size of the sky gardens ranging from 600 metres
square from the lowest to 140 metres square on the highest.
The sky gardens serves a few
purposes. Firstly, the position of the sky
garden is to provide natural shade on the
Eastern and Western façade of the
building. The West elevation sky gardens
protect the building from afternoon heat
gain while the East elevation sky gardens
protect the building from the morning sun. It softens the tower’s external façade and serve
as living filters of heat, light, and noise for the workers within. The sky garden also creates a
neighborhood within the building that would humanize the working environment. It
provides a retreat that is closer and convenient to go outside of the building. These
accessible external spaces are suitable for relaxation, meet up, discussion, as well as to
combat the day to day stress in this highly technological corporation.
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Ventilation
Telekom Tower has proper ventilation with creates a healthy environment within.
The sky garden provides fresh air from the external environment into the localize air
condition unit. The fresh air is then channel into the office through the underfloor air
conditioning system. Foul air then rises to the chamber in the ceiling and is channeled and
expelled through the louvers at the external façade to the external environment. This cycle
of air is environmentally friendly whilst creating a healthy environment for the workers
within.
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CONCLUSION
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To conclude, the Telekom Tower is an important example of modern architecture in
Malaysia. It embodies the heritage of the Asian culture, responding to the climatic behavior,
represents the corporate identity of Telekom, and clearly dictates the start of the modern
era in Malaysia.
From our entire study during this report, one thing that is made clear is that to
categorize the Telekom Tower as a ‘modern structure’ is to look into every aspect of the
structure – from the era of which it built, to the technology used in order to make the form
possible and the material choices that successfully fit with the design.
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REFERENCES
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References
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9. Oswald, A., & Eickhoff, H. (2013). Offices construction and design manual. Berlin:
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