transportation

a journal of the architects

april / may / june 2011

regional council asia
(ARCASIA)
issue 2

Kengo Kuma Hoshakuji Station

HINTAN Associates Sdn Bhd
Senai Airport Landside Expansion
WOHA Stadium MRT Station
ISSN 1675-6886

Aedas Limited Sunny Bay Station

Morphogenesis Marble Arch
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Sunny Bay Station
by Aedas Limited
a journal of the architects regional council asia (ARCASIA)
which is an international council of presidents of
17 national institutes of architects in the asian region

Front Cover
HOSHAKUJI STATION
BY KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES

ARCASIA OFFICE BEARERS 2011 THE ARCHITECTURE ASIA TEAM

President Editorial Board

George Kunihiro Lee Chor Wah
Boon Che Wee
Zone A Deputy President Saifuddin Ahmad
Abu Zarim Abu Bakar
Kalim Siddiqui
Adele Chong
Zone B Deputy President
Advisers
Sathirut Nui
Kun-Chang Yi
Dr Tan Loke Mun
Zone C Deputy President
Anna Kwong Editor-in-Chief
Lee Chor Wah
Honorary Secretary
Marco Corbella Projects Editor
Adele Chong
Honorary Treasurer
adele@pam.org.my
Junichi Ito
Designers
Immediate Past President
Imaya Wong
Mubashar Hussain Lin Hsueh Yin
Lim Siew Fong
Advisers www.grainstudio.asia
Kun-Chang Yi
Corresponding Editors
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Zakia Rahman – Bangladesh (IAB)
Wang Xiaojing – China (ASC)
Chairman of Media Resource & Publica-
CHAIRMEN OF ARCASIA COMMITTEES
tion Committee – Hong Kong (HKIA)
Vijay Garg – India (IIA)
Chairman ACPP (professional practice)
Andra Matin – Indonesia (IAI)
Balbir Verma Takayuki Matsuura – Japan (JIA)
Chun G Shin – Korea (KIRA)
Chairman ACGSA Rui Leao – Macau (MAA)
Lee Chor Wah – Malaysia (PAM)
(green and sustainable architecture)
E Purev Erdene E Tuya – Mongolia (UMA)
Ashvinkumar Kantilal Bishnu Panthee – Nepal (SONA)
Arshad Faruqui – Pakistan (IAP)
Chairman, ACAE (architectural education) Michael T Ang – Philippines (UAP)
Ow Chin Cheow – Singapore (SIA)
Abu Sayeed
Prasanna Silva – Sri Lanka (SLIA)
Veerachat (Jop) – Thailand (ASA)
Chairman Fellowship Committee
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Nela De Zoysa

PUBLISHER

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CONTENTS
16
ISSUE 2
April / May / June 2011

Editorial Projects 74

6 JAPAN
8
Hoshakuji Station
Kengo Kuma & Associates
Article
40
22
The Breathing Factory
Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates

KOREA / JAPAN
Profiles
26
20
Hongdae Project
54
Jun Mitsui & Associates Architects +
Unsangdong Architects

BANGLADESH
Books
16
78
South Water Caress Housing
Rafiq Azam

HONG KONG
30
Wong Shek Public Pier
Ivanho Architect Limited 8

74
Sunny Bay Station
Aedas Limited

78 INDIA
32
Marble Arch Housing
Morphogenesis

MALAYSIA
36
Senai Airport Landside Commercial
Expansion
HINTAN Associates Sdn Bhd
70
Ipoh Train Station Rehabilitation
VERITAS Architects Sdn Bhd 26

THAILAND
48
Shophouse Transformation
all (zone)

SINGAPORE
56
Stadium MRT Station
WOHA

SRI LANKA
64
Canteen Recreation
Chinthaka Wickramage Associates

4 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 contents

64 56

48

40
EDITOR’S NOTE
transportation

The idea of ‘going places’ means something different to everyone – and indeed, to
architects who have tried their hand at interpreting the idea of embarking on a journey
through their own built forms. In the past few decades our means of travel has been
obliged to evolve, reinforced by a number of crucial factors, including a heightened
emphasis on international security measures, the Internet and not to mention the
proliferation of globalisation. Studies have shown that well-designed transport infra-
structures, public spaces and buildings contribute significantly to the development of
better, more livable environment. Bearing this in mind, in what ways can architecture,
a medium so conventionally personifying solidity and permanence, be accurately
reflective of the fluctuating forces of travel that consistently govern our everyday
activities?

The Transportation issue of Architecture Asia delves into how major modes of travel
– be it air, sea, road or rail – have been edified and re-imagined by Asian architects
in the past little while. Architecture may be a journey onto itself, but how can it assist
global inhabitants when it comes to our own respective voyages through the
landscape of daily living? How can design help us explore uncharted terrain while
simultaneously getting us from Point A to Point B in the most effective, safe,
comfortable, and enjoyable way possible? The projects featured in the upcoming
pages reveal themselves as particularly eloquent answers to such questions.

Adele Chong
Projects Editor

6 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 editor’s note

a common link

Despite tight budget constraints, Kengo Kuma’s dramatic reworking of

a railway station in the north of Toyko offers commuters a refreshing take
on a perceivably ordinary terminal.
 PROJECTS

Architect Kengo Kuma & Associates

Japan

Hoshakuji Station
PROJECTS
HOSHAKUJI STATION KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES

For Kengo Kuma, the starting point of the Hoshakuji Station project was in opening up
the east exit of the station, perpetuated by the objective to connect the west and east
sides of the station, which remained divided by the railway tracks; it was important to
establish a clear link between the west and the east of the town of Takanezawa, and
between the station, Chokkura Plaza and nearby shelters, which Kuma also designed in
the east exit area. According to the Japanese architect, the finished structure should not
be thought of a design of a station as a box, but rather as an aperture - which begins at
the neighbouring Chokkura Plaza.

To start, the design team first settled on a decision to preserve the old warehouse of oya
stone that had existed in the area. They later took advantage of pores in oya stone, and
used them in the new structural system, culminating in the sturdy but unlikely diagonal
combination of steel frame and oya stone. Emulating the design of Chokkura Plaza, the
diagonal skin was extended to the other ‘pore’ or ‘aperture’, namely, the station itself.
Via a meticulous process of extending and connecting, the team attempted to link not
only the station’s west exit with the east exit, but also the station with its given location.

In order to reduce the weight, lauan-made plywood was later introduced as the main
material for the structure instead of oya stone. By using wood, the idea was to revive a
humane and warm atmosphere that was once common to conventional station build-
ings in Japan. The predominant diamond motif, a significant feature of the design,
reportedly drew inspiration from the diagrid engineering of the bridge that spanned
above and over the tracks. The atmosphere of this station building also has a direct
association with the landscape of paddy fields and the wooden houses found in the
town of Takanezawa.

In essence, the concept behind Kuma’s design symbolically revolved around the notion
of creating ‘pores’ or more specifically, disparate elements becoming interlinked with
the intention of restoring a community that had been fragmented for far too long.

The predominant diamond

motif, a significant feature
of the design, reportedly
drew inspiration from the
diagrid engineering of the
bridge that spanned above
and over the tracks.
PROJECTS
HOSHAKUJI STATION KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES

12 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 13
 1

2
3
7

SITE PLAN
0 10 50m

14 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
HOSHAKUJI STATION KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES

1
HOSHAKUJI STATION
2
PROJECTED STATION
3
CHOKKURA HALL
(WAREHOUSE IN EXISTENCE)
2 13 4
5 CHOKKURA PLAZA
1 10 10 5
9 5 9 5 9 9 5 9 MULTIPURPOSE EXHIBITION HALL
6 6
4 BUS TERMINAL
7
13 7 GREEN SHELTER
8
3
PARK IN FRONT OF
3 12 HOSHAKUJI STATION
1110 8 9
13 ANTEROOM
10
BATHROOM
11
STORAGE
12
LAVATORY FOR PHYSICALLY
HANDICAPPED PEOPLE
13
CHOKKURA PLAZA PLAN GREEN SHELTER PLAN BAMBOO GROVE
0 10 50m 0 10 50m
14
MACHINE ROOM

MULTIPURPOSE EXHIBITION HALL NORTH ELEVATION

CHOKKURA HALL EAST ELEVATION CHOKKURA HALL NORTH ELEVATION

MULTIPURPOSE EXHIBITION HALL SOUTH ELEVATION

MULTIPURPOSE EXHIBITION HALL MULTIPURPOSE EXHIBITION HALL

EAST ELEVATION WEST ELEVATION
CHOKKURA HALL WEST ELEVATION

9 5 9 5 9 5 9 5

MULTIPURPOSE EXHIBITION HALL

LONGITUDINAL SECTION
14

11
3 10

MULTIPURPOSE EXHIBITION HALL CROSS SECTION CHOKKURA HALL SECTION CHOKKURA HALL LONGITUDINAL SECTION
0 5 10m 0 5 10m

BORDER BORDER
LINE LINE

Architect Stories
Kengo Kuma & Associates 2 stories above the ground
Location Design
Takanazawa Tochigi KKAA and JR East
Prefecture Japan Design Corporation
Planning and Designing Period Structural Engineers
August 2005 to March 2006 JR East and Oak
RAILWAY
TRACK PAVEMENT Construction Period Structural Engineering
September 2006 to March 2008 Construction
Principal Use Totetsu Kogyo Co Ltd
Station building and passage- Structure
way Main structure / steel-frame
Site Area Stake and foundation / concrete
5529 sqm
Total Floor Area
GREEN SHELTER SECTION
0 1 5m 862 sqm
 a touch
of nature
Conceived as a kind of vertical garden, Rafiq Azam’s concept for a residential
development was largely inspired by a public need for greener areas within the
bustling city of Dhaka.

Architect Rafiq Azam

Bangladesh

South Water Caress Residential Development

16 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
SOUTH WATER CARESS RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT RAFIQ AZAM

Spanning over 500 square miles, Dhaka has, over time, become an area fraught with
complete urban mayhem. In a city where not more than five percent of the city is green,
it was considered a luxury to implement a lake and a narrow patch of green on the
rear (west-side) of the plot. With the ‘South Water Caress’, a residential development,
located at United Nations Road, a deal was struck between the landowner and the
developer to divide the 7,500 square feet plot into two even parts with the objective of
constructing two six-storey buildings consisting of 2,800 square feet area on each floor.

Utilising 75 percent of the plot area, as per rule, was a strong requirement from the
clients; however, this need to maximise the built area became a challenge in light of
designing an open green space. The design solution was, thus, to procure a combined
area of 40 square feet from the two divided parts, place an eight-foot gap between
the two buildings and a five-foot road set back, as per rule, in order to give rise to 200
square feet of green space and a body of water in front of the building on the east road.
This arrangement was also accompanied by a no-boundary wall notion as well as small
benches installed as a token of respect for passersby and the community at large.

The two developed buildings are almost identical with respect to ground floor plans,
parking area and in accordance to the basic plan of four houses per building. The
simple interior has been thoughtfully devised, allowing residents to enjoy the tranquil
connection between the lake and large trees to the west, facilitating ventilation via the
southeast summer breeze and ample sunlight during the day.

The use of exposed concrete as cast structural beam and column exterior with
terracotta brick infill was also a simple response to the subtropical climate of Dhaka.
The scheme also meant developing the two rooftops of the buildings into a communal
green area complete with lawns, rain-court (for the collection of rain water) and bushes
around a small pavilion – in essence, a transformed subtropical architectural vocabulary
aptly addressing concerns surrounding the shortage of green and open space within
Dhaka.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 17

The simple interior has
been thoughtfully devised,
allowing residents to
enjoy the tranquil connec-
tion between the lake and
large trees to the west,
facilitating ventilation via
the southeast summer
breeze and ample sunlight
during the day.

1 14 15
1

4 4 4
5 4 5 5 2 5 4 5
4 5

3
5 6 6 6
3 3 5 1
8
UP
7 7 8 5
1
1
5 5 7
9 9 9 8

5
5 10 10 10
12 12 5 12
14 15

11 13 UP
UP 13 11 13
UP

11

1 1 14
1

1ST TO 3RD FLOOR PLAN 1ST TO 3RD FLOOR PLAN 4TH FLOOR PLAN
NORTH BLOCK SOUTH BLOCK NORTH BLOCK

18 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
SOUTH WATER CARESS RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT RAFIQ AZAM

17 18
18
18 18

19 17 17

20 UP 20
19 19

1 12
VER LIFT
2 13 21 21
F.LIVING LOBBY 14
18
3 14
DINING GARDEN
4 15 UP
DRESS WATER BODY
15 DN 19
5 16
TOILET TERRACE
6 17
KITCHEN GREEN 17
7 18
UTILITY LAWN
8 19
STORE PAVED AREA
9 20
PANTRY PAVILION
10 21
FOYER MACHINE ROOM ROOF LEVEL PLAN ROOF LEVEL PLAN
11 NORTH BLOCK SOUTH BLOCK 0 2 5 10’

LIVING

15 14 15
15

1 1 1

4
5 5 4
4 5 4 5
2

6 3 DN 4 5 5

5 8 UP
6 6
4
7 9
5
5
5
12 12 12
15 14

13 UP 11 13 13 UP
15 UP
15
14
14
16
16
14
14 1 14

4TH FLOOR PLAN 5TH FLOOR PLAN 5TH FLOOR PLAN

SOUTH BLOCK NORTH BLOCK SOUTH BLOCK
v
interview with
Rafiq Azam
Background
Rafiq Azam, Founder and principal architect of Shattoto for
green architecture is collaborating with ArchiCentre on some
projects in Malaysia. Lee Chor Wah had a chat with him during
one of his recent trips to Kuala Lumpur.
Since we last met in Dhaka then at Datum:KL, I have
learned from your fellow Bangladeshi colleagues that
you are now very active in the international lecture
circuit. Perhaps you could update us on your recent
lectures?
My most recent lecture was in Kerala, India while not too
long ago, in PAM’s Design Lecture Series to share my recent
works.
After speaking at Datum:KL, I understand you were
invited to do a project in Malaysia, what is the progress
of that project?
Yes, I was invited to design a low-cost housing of 500 sq ft
per unit in Kuching. Perhaps due to economic downturn at
that time, the project was stopped. It’s a pity. I would have
loved to see them built.
As a foreign architect, what did you find special or
unique in Malaysia.
In Malaysia, your land is resourceful and nature is abundant.
You have a much smaller population compared with Bang-
ladesh. Here when I look out of the window, I see beautiful
undulating landscape, whereas in Dhaka, I see other buildings.
It is amazing to see round-the-year rain and sunshine. It’s so
fresh. In Dhaka, we create our own oasis within the building.
But here, nature from outside could intertwine with the inside.
What are the projects you are working in Malaysia
with ArchiCentre.
I am working on a 10-storey corporate headquarters and
some villas with Dr Tan Loke Mun. The corporate tower is
tropical with a huge parasol roof yet it is very formal. It is
symmetrical – harking back to the Greek and Roman
colonnaded architecture. The sense of citadel reminds me of
20 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 profile
the corporation taking care of the entire development. I am
also designing some very large villas of 20,000 to 30,000 sq ft.
You shared with me earlier that you were doing afford-
I am an
able housing for the poor, and now you have become
a brand promoted by developer and well sought after
by the purchasers; how do you feel about your stature
in the Bangladeshi architectural scene now?
Every year, I still set aside some time to do at least one
housing project for the poor for free or at a minimal cost. I
never thought of branding architecture. Whatever I do, I do
it honestly. I do it passionately. So, fame and branding is not
important to me. The important thing is to create architecture
and environment that people could enjoy.
You are now also designing bigger and more luxurious
private houses. Do you now have to compromise your
architectural ideals to suit this new breed of clientele
or are the clients coming to you because they genu-
inely appreciate the simplicity of your architecture,
and are changing their lifestyle to live in your buildings?
Sometimes it’s not possible to get 100% my ways with the
wealthy clients. What I try is to fill in a missing link; bridge
the gap in the society. I take it as a challenge to make
architecture communal and egalitarian. I think architecture
needs co-operation not compromise.
Going back to your roots a little, looking back, who
were the major influences in your work when you first
started out? And have you discovered any new heroes
in the past few years.
Many people, through their works, writings, philosophy, have
influenced me. For example, Mazharul Islam, Louis I. Kahn
and Glenn Murcutt. I like the works of Calatrava, Chipperfield,
WOHA, Seksan, and Kevin Low.
architect PROFILE

When you last spoke at Datum:KL, you opened your

lecture by saying that you were first an artist, and an
architect second. Are you still active in your painting?
And what kind of painting do you do? More impor-
tantly, are there direct relationships between your
architecture and your paintings?
I am active as and when I can manage some time to painting.
I mean, I do water colour paintings whenever I have the time.
It took me awhile to understand the relationships between
paintings and architecture. I think water color and painting
has great influence on my thoughts and works to bring out
architecture. The transparency of water colour connects
layers of understanding while the accident in it reminds me
of the spontaneity of architecture. It’s all about discovery,
exploration, understanding psychology, and sociology of
human living.

Arcasia is very proud to see you gaining increasing

recognition internationally as an Asian architect. What
do you think is/are the secret/s of your success? And
what advice do you have for other young Asian archi-
tects in getting international recognition?
I never awaited success. For me, success is not something to
wait for, it’s something I work for. First and foremost I believe
I am citizen of this world and sky is the limit. Believing in
oneself is important. You just have to continue to work on
what you believe in. I am still working, sharing my works with
other people, and learning from other people. I am an architect.
ARTICLE

22 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 article

 ARTICLE

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 article 23

ARTICLE

24 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 article

 ARTICLE

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 article 25

diamond in
the rough

A collaborative project between Japan’s Jun Mitsui & Associates Architects and
Korean firm Unsangdong Architects, the aptly dubbed ‘Yellow Diamond’ building
radiates with the creative energy of the thriving Seoul district it inhabits.

Architect Jun Mitsui & Associates Architects + Unsangdong Architects

Japan / Korea

Hongdae Project
 PROJECTS
HONGDAE PROJECT JUN MITSUI & ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS + UNSANGDONG ARCHITECTS

Situated in the heart of one of the most dynamic and creative districts in Seoul, the
triangular site of the Hongdae Project or ‘The Yellow Diamond’ shares a locale with
several universities. Inspired by the youthful energy and impending sense of possibility
that presently defines the area, Japanese architect Jun Mitsui, principal of Jun Mitsui
& Associates Architects, envisioned a large-scale structure that would promote artistic
expression while celebrating the creativity of the tenants who would occupy it in the
future.

In collaboration with Korean firm Unsangdong Architects, Mitsui devised a multipur-

pose centre which would accommodate emerging artists with the impetus of helping
them develop their respective practices. To convey positivity and a sense of playful-
ness, the design team opted to incorporate a dynamic combination of bright colours
and play up spatial rhythms with respect to the building’s exterior. For maximum impact,
angled planes of gold-yellow, frit–pattern glass were fitted to give off the impression of a
sparkling gem embedded within the raw urban landscape of the district. The effect sees
the building changing dramatically depending on the position of the onlooker. A public
passageway through the building draws pedestrians inside, heightening the curiosity to
interact with the interior spaces.
PROJECTS
HONGDAE PROJECT JUN MITSUI & ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS + UNSANGDONG ARCHITECTS

ROOF TOP
RF 1
ROOF TOP
5F 3 2
RFL
4F 4 2 5

5FL 2 5
3F

6
4FL 2F

7 8 9
3FL 1F

B1F 2 5

2FL 10 10 10 10

11 11 5
B2F

1FL 12
5
B3F

ELEVATION 1
15
13 14 14
B4F
ROOF TOP

RFL

SECTION 1
5FL

ROOF TOP
4FL
RF

3FL 5F 9 3 2

4F 4 2

2FL 2 4
3F

2F 2 2

1FL
ELEVATION 2 2 7 2 9
1F 16

15 2 15
B1F 17
ROOF TOP 1 10 10 10 10 10
ROOF
2
RFL B2F 18 15 19 15
RETAIL
3
DECK 12 20
5FL 4 B3F 17 15 15
BALCONY
21 13
5
HALL 23 24
4FL
6 B4F 22
LOBBY
7
3FL
STREET
8
ELEVATOR SECTION 2
9
2FL
GREEN
10
PIT ROOF TOP
11
1FL WAITING ROOM RF
12
EVENT SPACE 5F 2517
ELEVATION 3 13
PARKING 2517 17
4F
14
STORAGE
3F 2517 17
15
ROOF TOP PASS
16 2517 17
2F
RFL MDF
17
TOILET 2517 17
1F
18
5FL
SHOWER ROOM
19 25 26
B1F
ADJUSTMENT ROOM
4FL 20
STAGE
21 25 11
B2F
3FL WATER PURIFYING TANK
CONTROL ROOM 5
22 25 11
B3F
WATER PURIFYING TANK
2FL 23
WATER TANK 14 24 24
24 B4F
MACHINE ROOM
25
1FL PS
26
DISASTER PREVENTION
ELEVATION 4 ROOM SECTION 3
 Location Structure
357-4-5 Seogyo-dong Mapo-gu RC structure
Seoul South Korea Mechanical Engineer
Building Use Yo Woon Dong
Shop/ Office/ Hall Mechanical Engineers
Design Architects Structural Engineer
Jun Mitsui & Associates Harmony Structure Engineering
Architects + Contractor
Unsangdong Architects Sangji Construction
Project Team Total Floor Area
JMA: 4 317 sqm
Jun Mitsui Site Area
Nicolai Kruger 972 sqm
Ray Wu Duration of Project
Minsu Kim August 2007 to June 2010
Yoshie Shinbo Photographs
Unsangdong: E-Jae-seong
Jang Yoon Gyoo
Shin Chang Hoon
Lee Joon Phyo
Moon Sang Ho
Kim Se Jin
Kim Bong Gyun
Kang Soon Hyung

5 FLOOR PLAN

2 2
2

5
5

8
8

2 FLOOR PLAN 4 FLOOR PLAN

2
2

5
8
8

1 FLOOR PLAN 3 FLOOR PLAN

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 29

 ample
coverage

Architect Ivanho Architect Limited

Hong Kong

Wong Shek Public Pier

Hong Kong firm Ivanho Architect Limited ventured beyond the

traditional functions of shelter, creating a roof design which
exemplifies both functionality and aesthetics.

30 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
WONG SHEK PUBLIC PIER IVANHO ARCHITECT LIMITED

Surrounded by the tranquility of a natural setting, Wong Shek Public Pier is a landmark
architectural feature for promoting ecotourism. Shunning conventional continuous
shelter design, Ivanho Architect Limited devised a series of shelters varying in height,
shape and angle. The overlapping roofs provide shelter from rain, simultaneously
enabling a free flow of hot air. The resulting design illustrates contemporary urban chic
while achieving a harmonious link with nature. The three-dimensional ‘roofs’ of the pier
5
1 are supported by slim, tilting columns, posing a significant challenge to the engineers.
2 The final design succeeded in meeting the high standards required for Environmental
3 Impact Assessment and Ports Work Design Standards. The roof design by Ivanho is the
first of its kind in the Northeast New Territories Region.

Prefabricated steel structure was selected for the roof due to its light weight and
5
4
minimal environmental impact during construction. The latter in particular was a prime
consideration because of the need to preserve the surrounding natural environment and
6
4 protect the eco-system under the sea. The four roofs were prefabricated in a workshop
1
PAK TAM ROAD in Mainland China and delivered to the pier one by one via ship. The roofs have been
2
WONG SHEK PIER fitted with skylights to allow for the presence of natural daylight on the pier deck. Photo
3
SITE BOUNDARY sensors were also installed to correspond with the pier lighting. Lastly, colour-modes
4 4
PARKING were implemented into the lighting system to give the pier a kind of ‘fourth’ dimension
6 5
SAI KUNG EAST COUNTRY PARK by referencing its relationship with time.
6
BARBEQUE AREA

In 2006, the New Wong Shek Public Pier was awarded the President’s Prize at the HKIA
Annual Awards in the ‘innovative design with limited budget’ category.
SITE PLAN 0 10 20 30 50m

Location
Hong Kong
Client
Civil Engineering &
Development Department,
The Government of HKSAR
Project Team
Ivan M Y Ho (Project Director)
Donna Y M Hsiung
(Project Chief Architect)
SOUTHWEST ELEVATION NORTHWEST ELEVATION
Structural Engineer
Victor Li & Associates Ltd
M&E Engineer
Twin Way Consulting
Engineering Ltd
Photographer
Ivanho Architect Limited

NORTHEAST ELEVATION SOUTHEAST ELEVATION 0 2.5 5 7.5 12.5m

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 31

where landscape and
community meet
A recently built housing development by young Indian architects Morphogenesis
sets a bold new benchmark for contemporary housing in the city of Chandigarh.

Architect Morphogenesis
India

Marble Arch Housing

 PROJECTS
MARBLE ARCH MORPHOGENESIS

Marble Arch is a housing development located in Chandigarh on a 5.4 acre site along
the periphery of the city. The objective of the project was to develop a new prototype
for housing in Chandigarh as an entity to address issues of liveability, spatial con-
figuration, environmental and social issues, while shifting away from the archetypal
morphology of high specification residential modules and equipment crammed into
an undersized apartment.

The client’s brief called for the generation of maximum built-up area for residential
accommodation. Working with imposed constraints, Morphogenesis was tasked with
constructing a communal environment which would be versatile enough to accom-
modate the needs of each inhabitant. The spatial planning was generated by creating
a pedestrian field for the apartments at the centre of the site whereby all vehicular
movement was isolated to the periphery. The pedestrian field is then laid out with
strips of defined functions in relation to residential facilities, services, and recreation
areas flowing from the east to the west, enabling each apartment to be developed
in alignment with optimum north-south orientation. This layout also allows for ample
natural daylight and ventilation.

The built volumes of the residential strips are sculpted with a play of volumes, giving
way to terraces and open areas at each level. The service areas of all apartments are
kept along the service strip, an area which has been segmented to give way to service
courtyards. As per the development control norms, basement parking is contained
within the building periphery, dictating the configuration of the development in the
form of linear strips.

The development has been configured as a set of nine blocks of five stories each,
including four apartments with attached service courtyards. With 168 units in total,
the development comprises a combination of three- to four-bedroom apartments and
penthouses on the top floors. Along with these dwelling units, ancillary facilities such
as a health club, gymnasium, amphitheatre, swimming pool, tot lots, basketball court,
and social areas are provided.

Each block within the development boasts an atrium lobby devised to exude a sense
of community. A low-rise development, terraces have been allocated on each level
to establish a relationship with the ground level. The project is an achievement with
respect to the uniqueness of its scale which retains a crucial relationship between
vertical and horizontal distances, thus generating a viable form of interaction with the
landscape.

The outward expression of Marble Arch relies on a varied use of materials which have
been carefully chosen to enhance the individuality of the spaces within the develop-
ment. The design employs the use of grids in terms of the overall scheme, both in
the case of the buildings, where subdivision occurs to generate spaces within apart-
ments, as well as the landscape via pedestrian linkages and green areas.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 33

The project is an achievement
with respect to the uniqueness
of its scale which retains a crucial
relationship between vertical
and horizontal distances, thus
generating a viable form of
interaction with the landscape.
 PROJECTS
MARBLE ARCH MORPHOGENESIS

SITE PLAN

Architect
Morphogenesis
Location
Chandigarh India
Site Area
5.4 Acre
Blocks
9
Stories 0 10 20 50m

5 per block
Client
Uppal Group Housing
Year of Completion
2010

SECTION
architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 35
 PROJECTS

After several years in the making, the Senai international Airport reopens with
a refreshed perspective on the passenger experience thanks to Malaysian
architect Hin Tan.

Architect HINTAN Associates Sdn Bhd

Malaysia

Senai Airport Landside

Commercial Expansion

taking flight
36 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects
Situated in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Senai Airport began its life in the seventies in the
form of a humble rectangular concrete framed building. In the mid-eighties, it was
remodeled into a terminal with a calculated capacity of three million passengers per
year. A massive curved roof covered the two-storey building, draping over its frontage
to create a covered drop off point.

Privatised in 2004, plans were soon under way to modernise the airport’s facilities.
The arrival of AirAsia, a budget regional airline, provided the impetus to embark on
growth. By 2007, the airport was running out of commercial areas, initiating plans to
enlarge the terminal. The current plan reflects the response to the architectural and
planning challenges posed by the site.

The old building consisted of an arrivals exit and a departures entrance at opposite
ends of the building which shared the same traffic lanes outside. The unique shape
of the expansion was derived from combining the two entrances into one, so that all
passengers moving in either direction had to pass through this newly formed market
hall and out through one exit.

By bringing the typically long terminal frontage to a point, two outdoor areas were
created on either side of the curved walls. Adjoining the terminal, these areas have
been molded into outdoor piazzas designed to evoke the atmosphere typical of a
dynamic evening lifestyle. As extensions of the internal commercial areas, the façade
is now broken down into openings and alcoves and removed from the hermetic
façades of typical airports, introducing an essence of ‘street life’ into the airport.

Passengers enter the terminal through a 25m wide, fully glazed front fitted with three
doorways via a network of covered walkways. The space inside immediately sweeps
open with shops on both sides, taking one through the massive roof-lit hall and onto
another frontage of shops near the old terminal. There is a strong delineation between
the old and new and this is deliberately done for structural reasons.

This new addition has the hallmarks of a commercial mall. Designed for small-sized
units, an anchor tenant, food and beverage units and the display-promotional court,
the passenger experience is the reverse of the airport diagram whereby the market
hall is placed after passport control.

The client’s aim is to not only serve passengers but also the surrounding community in
dire need of a shopping facility. All that remains is to craft the form that Hin Tan is apt
to do, in steelwork consisting of beautifully detailed connections, shapes and forms.
Computer technology played a major role in connecting the parts together – from the
main commercial wing with its delta shaped roof to the curved roof of the west wing
which joins onto the angular section of the air-conditioned link. Concrete to steel,
and vice versa was explored and detailed in three dimensions before being finalised
as tender drawings. The globalisation of technology does not, however, mean the
same solutions globally; context is still an important consideration. With respect to
this project, the solution addresses the massive rainfall and the discharge of the volu-
minous water, the shading of glass surfaces with large overhangs, and the facilitating
of ample daylight with low E coated double glazing to nullify the onset of heat. This
low-energy approach is marked by the elimination of artificial lighting during daylight
hours, a service-free ceiling, well-insulated walls and minimised air-conditioning.

The notable incorporation of light wood-coloured cladding both internally and

externally anoints Aeromall with a truly local ambiance that is aptly reminiscent of
traditional Malaysian wooden architecture.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 37

38 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects
 PROJECTS
SENAI AIRPORT LANDSIDE COMMERCIAL EXPANSION HINTAN ASSOCIATES SDN BHD

EXISTING
TERMINAL

LOADING/ SERVICE BAY

CENTRAL
UTILITY
BUILDING

SITE PLAN ROOF PLAN

0 5 10 25 50m

The unique shape of the expansion

was derived from combining the
two entrances into one, so that
all passengers moving in either
direction had to pass through this
newly formed market hall and out
through one exit.
Architect
HINTAN Associates Sdn Bhd
Location
Johor Malaysia
Contractor
IJM Construction Sdn Bhd
C&S Engineers
Perunding GSTC (M) Sdn Bhd
M&E Engineers
BK Associates Sdn Bhd
SECTION 1
Quantity Surveyor
ARH Jurukur Bahan Sdn Bhd
Landscape Architect
Landarc Sdn Bhd
Year of Completion
2010
Period of Design Inception
2007 to 2010
Client
Senai Airport Terminal Service
Sdn Bhd

SECTION 2 0 5 10 25 50m
infusion of
the new
Poetically called ‘The Breathing Factory’, Takashi Yamaguchi’s thoughtful
redesign of an uncharacteristic factory in Osaka gives new life to a previously
unremarkable structure.
 PROJECTS

Architect Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates

Japan

The Breathing Factory

 PROJECTS
THE BREATHING FACTORY TAKASHI YAMAGUCHI & ASSOCIATES

The client is a company owner whose business revolves around the safety of
medicine and the development of medical tools and equipment. Following the brief,
Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates set about reconstructing the client’s factory by
beginning work on the existing part of the building before delving into the intricacies
of the overall programme and design. The site consists of an eclectic gathering of
small to medium-sized structures, including factories, warehouses, trade facilities and
housing.

The first floor is divided into conference room, reception, management office and
warehouse. The second and the third floor comprises a gathering of functional
spaces, such as production spaces, the fabrication department and development
department which are vertically joined as a ‘rift’ system that breaks up the frontier
between the two floors. Meanwhile, the fourth floor is largely devoted to a large
meeting space utilised for design research, development as well as various seminars
and meetings.

The building body is covered with a delicate membrane constituted of aluminum

louvres in order to shield internal pipes from sight. For easy maintenance, the louvres
aperture ratio and the excess of space behind the louvres offer ample access to the
system of pipes. For the design team, the reconstruction was also an experimental
attempt to reduce the impact of the intimidating volume of the structure on the neigh-
bourhood itself. To attain to this, the angle and direction of the louvres are skewed in
accordance to randomised mathematical calculations.

Some of the horizontally directed louvres reflect the moving clouds above or the lights
emanating from the street at night. In obscuring the point of view by way of the ver-
tically directed louvres, the perception of the neighborhood becomes increasingly
segmented. Meanwhile, a feeling of human presence is preserved. The same principle
applies for the ‘light court’ void linking the relaxation spaces on the third and fourth
floors. By way of the glass screen inserted into the vertical and horizontal openings,
an essence of nature is ‘breathed’ into the building, bringing a sort of virtual image of
everyday life from the outside into the monotonous inner space of the factory.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 43

 PROJECTS
THE BREATHING FACTORY TAKASHI YAMAGUCHI & ASSOCIATES

In obscuring the point of view

by way of the vertically directed
louvres, the perception of
the neighborhood becomes
increasingly segmented.
Meanwhile, a feeling of human
presence is preserved.
 Function
Office/ Showroom/ Warehouse
Location
Osaka Japan
Architect
Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates
Structure
Steel Frame
Site Area
1819 sqm
Architectural Area
658 sqm
Total Floor Area
2288 sqm
Date of Completion
September 2009
Structure
Soutaro Hayashi
Client
Nagano Science Co LTD
Contractor
Makoto Construction Co
Photography
Takashi Yamaguchi & Associates

1
ENTRANCE HALL
2
FOYER
3
OFFICE
4
CONFERENCE ROOM
5
UTILITY
6
WORKPLACE
7
TERRACE
8
STORAGE
9
MULTIPURPOSE HALL

R 79

OLD BUILDING
ELEVATED
ROAD
NEW BUILDING
PLANT AREA

ENTRY
TO KYOTO

JR RAILWAY

TO OSAKA R 79

LOCATION PLAN SITE PLAN

0 30m 0 5 10 20m

46 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
THE BREATHING FACTORY TAKASHI YAMAGUCHI & ASSOCIATES

WEST ELEVATION SOUTH ELEVATION

EAST ELEVATION NORTH ELEVATION

0 5 10 20m

7 3 4 7 7 2

7 6 6 6 7 7 6

6 6 6

4 1 5 3 6 6 6

SECTION 1 SECTION 2

7
9 8
5 5
2
6

8 2 3
4

7 7

2F FLOOR PLAN 4F FLOOR PLAN

5
6
3 6 6
2

7
7
5 8 8
4
1

1F FLOOR PLAN 3F FLOOR PLAN 0 5 10 20m

urban revival

Bangkok-based firm (all) zone’s stunning refurbishment of an unused shop-

house gives the structure a whole new lease on life.

48 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS

Architect (all) zone with Stefano Mirti

Thailand

Shophouse Transformation

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 49

PROJECTS
SHOPHOUSE TRANSFORMATION (ALL) ZONE WITH STEFANO MIRTI
 PROJECTS
SHOPHOUSE TRANSFORMATION (ALL) ZONE WITH STEFANO MIRTI

Acknowledged as the most common building typology of Bangkok when a period of

rapid urbanisation engulfed Thailand’s capital city in the past century, the conven-
tional shophouse is fast becoming obsolete due to the influx of new building styles
that have came about as byproducts of the city’s transformation. A new project by
local design firm all (zone) sought to experiment with an atypical approach to the
shophouse’s typology by reworking the layout of two unutilised units situated in a
crowded area of Bangkok.

In the shophouse transformation, every floor has been converted into a live/ work unit,
a new typology for a small business or a live-in studio – spatial scenarios that are quite
rare in Bangkok. The ground level, meanwhile, is completely open for parking and
plant-life. The architects themselves have moved into the fourth and fifth floors. The
most distinguishing features of the newly revamped structure are the addition of new
facades, made from prefabricated concrete blocks, on both the front and the back
of the building. As the most common and inexpensive construction materials found
in the market, the blocks also make way for a kind of sunshade, a curtain for privacy
as well as a deterring component of the building for potential thieves. With respect
to ventilation, the facades also create ‘breathing space’; the space between the big
windows and concrete blocks prove to be an ideal multipurpose area for smoking,
basking in the outdoors and nurturing plants.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 51

In the shophouse
transformation, every
floor has been converted
into a live/ work unit,
a new typology for a small
business or a live-in studio
– spatial scenarios that are
quite rare in Bangkok.

52 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
SHOPHOUSE TRANSFORMATION (ALL) ZONE WITH STEFANO MIRTI

4000
15

4000
5

Location
1125 3880 4000 3880 1400 Bangkok
Total Area
ROOF PLAN
650 sqm
0 1 3 6m
Project Team
Rachaporn Choochuey
Sorawit Klaimak
Sara Chanpoldee
Namkhang Anomarisi
Tharit Tossanaitada
1 Engineer
PARKING
2
cm one co ltd
ENTRANCE HALL Contractor
3 Terdsak Tassayarn
MECHANICAL
4
Photographs
GARDEN Piyawut Srisakul
5
STORAGE
4000 4000
6
WORKING
7 ELEVATION
MODEL ROOM
8
MEETING
9
SECRETARY
10
PANTRY
11 W. R.
DINING 15
12

4000
LIVING
13 11 12
LIBRARY – LIVING
14
BEDROOM
15
ROOF TERRACE

4000
13 4

14
625

2125 3880 4000 3880 1400 1125 3880 4000 3880 1400

SECTION 5TH FLOOR PLAN

4000

4000

3 1 7 6

1
3 5
1400

9 8
4000

4000

1
4 2
10

2350 3880 4000 3880 5300 1125 3880 4000 3880 1400

1ST FLOOR PLAN 4TH FLOOR PLAN 0 1 3 6m

People
around the
world are all
unique

Interview with
Prof Dr Goh Chong Chia
Treasurer, UIA
Background
Lee Chor Wah recently caught up with Prof Dr Goh Chong
Chia, the current Treasurer of UIA (International Union of
Architects) who is also a past president of the Singapore
Institute of Architects.
You are now the Treasurer of UIA. Are you the first
Asian elected as an office bearer in the UIA Council?
No. There was Mr Jai Bhalla from the Indian Institute of Archi-
tects who was the President before.
What spurred you into the international architectural
arena in the first place?
When I completed my 3 terms as the President of SIA, I felt
the need to broaden my contribution. I was appointed by
the President of the Republic as a Nominated Member of
Parliament in 1999 and 2001. After which I thought I should
contribute beyond my national boundary. First, I was elected
to the Royal Institute of British Architects Council in 2005, and
then in 2008 I was elected as Treasurer in UIA.
How do you feel being the Treasurer of UIA?
I had been on the UIA Council for 6 years before my election
as its Treasurer. I feel proud to be able to provide an Asian
input into the UIA which is the only International Architectural
Organization. People around the world are all unique, we
need to understand each other’s cultural diversity, social
aspirations and national dreams. An opportunity to experi-
encing these through interactions with Architects from around
the world through UIA is very exciting.
With the current UIA President, Louise Cox from Aus-
tralasia, has there been a visible emphasis by the UIA
on Asia?
The President of UIA must represent the Architects of the
world. She cannot just focus on a single region.
PROFILE
What did you set out to do?
As an Asian architect practicing in the region, I hope to bring
a developing economy’s approach to architecture, To diversify
the views within UIA which had often been predominantly
Eurocentric. To work with Member Sections and support their
desires to move up the value chain.
How was UIA’s financial position when you first took
over the portfolio?
The finance of the UIA had been almost hand to mouth.The
aspiration of the UIA is to be able to diversify its finance away
from membership subscriptions. It is not wrong but its admin-
istrative construct does not have the structure nor personel
to explore the entrepreneur potentials of an organisation like
UIA.
What are the frustrations?
The UIA Secretariat have their hands full on purely
administrative duties and the UIA does not have either the
funds nor extra personnel to develop an entrepreneurial
department. Members tend to have a national instead of
global outlook.
What are your hopes for UIA?
I hope to see UIA lending more support to Members
Section’s National and Regional Programmes. The hardship
of our Members Section due to the world economic crisis had
required UIA to prudently cut the expenses at the Secretariat.
The reduced budget had curtailed many of our programmes.
The quick decision not to increase our members’ dues
coupled by cut in expenses should return the UIA accounts to
the black by the end of this triennial.
architecture asia april / may / june 2011 profile 55
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK BINGHAM-HALL

PROJECTS

Architect WOHA
Singapore

Stadium MRT Station

56 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 a departure
from the
everyday
Inspired by the monumental art of Richard Serra, Singapore’s award-winning
Stadium MRT Station by local firm WOHA brings a touch of style and
old-school grandeur to humdrum inner-city travel.

The building in context

with the stadium

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 57

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK BINGHAM-HALL

58 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
STADIUM MRT STATION WOHA

Commissioned through the Marina Line Architectural Design Competition and jointly
organised by the Singapore Land Transport Authority and the Singapore Institute of
Architects, the Stadium MRT Station emerged from an open, anonymous competition
that has long been acknowledged by the industry as one of the best run competitions
in Singapore to date.

The brief revolved around two main objectives: to enhance the urban quality of the
surrounding areas and provide world-class transport facilities. Located at Stadium
Boulevard, Stadium MRT Station will serve the surrounding entertainment and leisure
facilities as well as the nearby East Coast condominiums by way of the pedestrian
bridge across the Kallang River. The design has been shaped by the need to accom-
modate surge crowds from the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Kallang Theatre and the
National Stadium. The introduction of the MRT system into the area will change the
nature of the precinct from a primarily vehicular area to a pedestrian place, forming
a strong armature in the area, which future developments can be plugged into and
organised around.

An open-air concourse and plaza has been incorporated into the design to accommo-
date large ground-level crowds, simultaneously creating opportunities for surrounding,
inward-facing developments in generating external, ground-level activities. The open-
air concourse, crucially, prevents crushing and panic situations from occurring within
the confined, below-ground areas. The recreational and residential aspects of the area
is further enhanced by the inclusion of trees, benches and meeting places around the
MRT plaza. To further establish a connection with future ground-level developments,
the station has been purposely kept open-ended.

The design of the station takes its cue from landscape forms; the overall form is
derived from the flow of crowds into the station and accentuated by the massive,
curved forms of the stadium, dramatically juxtaposing a linear element against a
curved one. Meanwhile, geological forms are abstracted within the station’s interior,
giving off the semblance of a shimmering, glassy grotto when glimpsed from the
massive opaque elements above. Perception of the space is played up by visitor
movement, facilitated by escalators below the curve which transport commuters from
the concourse at grade to the platform at basement 2.

The vast expanse of space introduced via the station’s design adds an element of
splendor to the monotonous routine of daily commutes. A central skylight gives way
to an attractive, day-lit platform, further heightening the experience of traveling on
public transport. Openings in the above-ground forms allow views of the platform
below from the ground-level plaza. The ribbed aluminium cladding system was
custom designed by the architects to create an ambiguous material; sometimes soft
like fabric, sometimes hard like stone, sometimes metallic, the material changes in
Sculptural volume accordance with the quality of light and the time of day. A single extrusion can be
between rectilinear and orientated four ways to create endless variation in the relationship of the panels.
curved forms
The grey, stepped, curved forms preserve a memory of the soon-to-be demolished
Singapore’s National Stadium.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 59

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK BINGHAM-HALL

PROJECTS
STADIUM MRT STATION WOHA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK BINGHAM-HALL

from left
The day-lit platform at
basement 2; Ground
floor level enhanced
with natural and artificial
lighting

The design of the station

takes its cue from landscape
forms; the overall form is
derived from the flow of
crowds into the station and
accentuated by the massive,
curved forms of the stadium,
dramatically juxtaposing a
rectilinear element against
a curved one.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK BINGHAM-HALL

The west entrance, in

context with the National
Stadium

1
8

2 3

6
5
5

SITE PLAN 0 10 20 30 50m

62 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
STADIUM MRT STATION WOHA

Size Gross Floor Area Mechanical & Electrical

9204 sqm Engineer
Size Plot Area Meinhardt (Singapore)
10431 sqm Pte Ltd
Client/ Project Manager/ Landscape Architect
Quantity Surveyor Cicada Private Limited
Land Transport Authority Acoustic Consultants
Project Architectural Team Acviron Acoustic
WOHA: Consultants Pte Ltd
Richard Hassell Architectural Works
Wong Mun Summ Sub-contractors
Dharmaraj Subramaniam Lum Chang Building
Esther Soh Cladding and Façade
Gerry Richardson Works Sub-contractors
Jose Nixon Sicat Kao Lee Aluminium
Pearl Chee Construction Pte Ltd
Main Contractor Project Cost
Nishimatsu Construction/ S$ 40 million
Lum Chang J V Design Inception
Consultant Team 2000
Structural Engineer Start of Construction
Maunsell Consultants 2001
ELEVATION (Singapore) Pte Ltd

9 9 9 9

9 10 9

ELEVATION
0 5 10 20 30m

10 13 9 9 11 14 12 12 14 11 9

16 16 16 15 16

CROSS & LONGITUDINAL SECTION

0 5 10 20 30m

9 9

14
14
9 11 13 11 9
15
12 12
17
19 19 19 19
18 18 10 19 18 18
1 11
NATIONAL STADIUM CONCOURSE (UNPAID)
2 12 GROUND/ CONCOURSE LEVEL PLAN
STADIUM ROAD CONCOURSE (PAID)
3 13
STADIUM STATION PAID LINK TO LIFT
4 14
INDOOR STADIUM PASSENGER SERVICE
5 CENTRE
STADIUM WALK 15
6 LIFT
KALLANG THEATRE 16 15
7 PLATFORM AREA
LEISURE PARK 17 16
8 VOID (PLATFORM BELOW)
STADIUM BOULEVARD 18
9 PUBLIC TOILET
ENTRANCE 19
10 COMMERCIAL SPACE
UNPAID LINK BASEMENT 2/ PLATFORM LEVEL PLAN 0 5 10 20 30m
lorem
of ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque sit amet metus
nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nasceus mus.

Architect Chinthaka Wickramage Associates

Sri Lanka

Canteen Recreation

Text Nileeka Senarath

64 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

PROJECTS
 PROJECTS
CANTEEN RECREATION CHINTHAKA WICKRAMAGE ASSOCIATES

In designing a place for tea in a factory, Architect Chinthaka Wickramage blends

industrial sophistication with simple finishes ...

The project was to Design a Canteen, Recreation and Changing Room Building for
Royal Ceramics Lanka Ltd, within the premises of their tile manufacturing facility, in
Horana. A canteen in a factory is a place for workers to relax, be themselves, laugh
and be human…away from the production lines, machines and programmed actions.
The Brief called for a sympathetic approach to address the feelings of the ‘factory
worker’, apart from being functional.

The shape of the site with two medium high walls on either side along its length, with
a cluster of trees at front, determined the laying out of the building. Space constraints
to fit the functional requirements necessitated the building to be two storied, to which
the designer responded by capturing the architectural idiom of the factory itself.

The steel prefabricated canteen building has an industrial minimalist aesthetic feel,
merging seamlessly with the rest of the buildings in the factory complex and sitting
comfortably on site. The four-column grids are designed in line with the row of trees
on site. The corridor wraps the dining areas amidst it thus mediating the relationship
of outside and inside.

The layout is open and transparent from the front through to the rear, allowing breeze
to blow right across. A few walls in the building create essential personal spaces.
While not being permanent barriers, these are built as soft screens with semi perme-
able cement louvre blocks or low walls up to a minimum required height of 8’-0”.
The ‘tent’ like form of the building, its mezzanine floor, the double-height space and
monitor roof, all contribute to effective cross ventilation, making the spaces cool
despite the use of exposed steel for the structure and roof. Simple and down-to-earth
finishes have not only added beauty in contrast to its steel framed structure, but also
captured the mind frame of its end users within a familiar atmosphere to relax.

A few minutes sitting in this building, under a roof, next to mature trees, away from
the heat, noise and dust of the machines, sipping a cup of tea or reading a paper
would surely make any work-weary man relaxed and ready for another round at the
production lines.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 67

 PROJECTS
CANTEEN RECREATION CHINTHAKA WICKRAMAGE ASSOCIATES

The four-column grids are

designed in line with the row
of trees on site. The corridor
wraps the dining areas
amidst it thus mediating
the relationship of outside
and inside.
Architect
Chinthaka Wickramage AIA (SL)
Client
Royal Ceramics Lanka Ltd.
Civil Contractor
Pasalka Builders & Decorators
Steel Contractor
Amalgamated Building Systems
Project Period
2006 September- 2007 April
Area
4350 Sqft
Photography
Waruna Gomis

SECTION
architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 69
colonial revival
Architect VERITAS Architects Sdn Bhd
Malaysia

Ipoh Train Station Rehabilitation

Built during the 1930’s, a historic train station in Ipoh, Malaysia gets a fresh,
modern update thanks to Kuala Lumpur-based firm VERITAS Architects.
70 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects
 PROJECTS
IPOH TRAIN STATION REHABILITATION VERITAS ARCHITECTS SDN BHD

Originally a three-storey historical structure fraught with Neo-Classical and Moorish

influences, the Ipoh Train Station, one of the earliest train stations in the country,
was built in 1935 during the British colonisation of Malaya. The upper levels of the
original structure house a hotel, whereas the station facilities were confined to the
floors below.

The design intent was to rehabilitate the existing structure with minimal intervention
whilst upgrading the main station platform. An extension of the station platform is
inserted adjacent to the old structure.

Employing the language of modular lattice masts and skeletal frames, the new
structure by VERITAS conveys a language of velocity and lightness, a counterpoint
to the weight and gravitas of the old structure. The roof form is a soaring hyperbole
punctuated by steel masts at every wave-crest. The roof embraces the structure but
barely touches it, linking the present to the past in one single, elegant gesture.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 71

 PROJECTS
IPOH TRAIN STATION REHABILITATION VERITAS ARCHITECTS SDN BHD

The design intent was to

rehabilitate the existing
structure with minimal
intervention whilst upgrading
the main station platform.
An extension of the station
platform is inserted adjacent
to the old structure.

SOUTH ELEVATION

SITE PLAN 0 5 10 15 20m

NORTH ELEVATION

Location
Ipoh Malaysia
Architect
VERITAS Architects Sdn Bhd
Main Contractor
UEM Construction Sdn Bhd
Sub-Contractors
IJM Corporation Berhad
Eversendai Engineering Group
Project Manager
Konsortium Kinta Samudra – OPUS
C&S Engineer
Minconsult Sdn Bhd &
Ranhill Bersekutu Sdn Bhd
M&E Engineer
Minconsult Sdn Bhd & WEST ELEVATION
Ranhill Bersekutu Sdn Bhd
Town Planner
Atira Rancang Runding Sdn Bhd
Ground Floor Area
6120 sqm (new platform area)
Total Combined Floor Area
6120 sqm [including basement(s),
ground floor(s) and all upper floors]
Commission
January 2001
Design Period
January 2001 to June 2002
Construction Period
July 2002 to June 2004
Date of Completion
June 2004 EAST ELEVATION
architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 73
journey to
dreamland

Uniquely positioned as an interchange Station with the existing MTR Tung

Chung Line, the new MTR Sunny Bay Station by award-winning firm Aedas
is also the starting point of a unique railway journey to the Hong Kong
Disneyland theme park.

Architect Aedas Limited

Hong Kong

Sunny Bay Station

Text Max Connop

74 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
SUNNY BAY STATION AEDAS LIMITED

Although the initial project brief from MTRC called for an ‘open-air’ project, the Sunny
Bay station in Hong Kong boasts the potential of becoming a sealed off, air-condi-
tioned space, should the need ever arise at a future date. Rigorous investigations into
air-flow and passenger movement during the feasibility study set the stage for the
distinctive form which simultaneously capitalises on the effects of natural air circula-
tion. There was a need to address issues of passenger protection with regards to
typhoon rain and winds.

Sunny Bay Station is also the world’s first metro line designed to service a Disneyland
theme park, as well as the world’s first driverless heavy transit line. It is also the first
MTR station to have automatic platform gates installed on the edge of the platform,
taking into consideration that many users of this station would be families and young
children making their way to the theme park. The station differentiates itself from
previous transport projects, not just in its ability to handle large passenger flows, but
by providing a sense of drama, excitement and expectation for incoming Disneyland
visitors.

The design team referenced to the sense of adventure often associated in with 19th
century railway stations, to re-create a renaissance in rail travel through the use of
modern design, forms and materials. This resulted in a futuristic steel station design
which stands in contrast to the Victorian-style design of the Disneyland Resort
Station. The intention was to create a feeling of time travel for passengers riding along
this line.

The most notable feature of Sunny Bay Station is its 20-metre high, gently curving,
Teflon-coated (PolyTetraFlouroEthylene) fabric roof. The roof is propped on a light-
weight, steel bow string truss roof structure manufactured from circular section steels.
In line with ground level and above-ground MTR stations, Sunny Bay and Disneyland
Resort Station are not air-conditioned, largely relying on the openness of their archi-
tecture for ventilation.

Giving off the look and feel of a taut yacht sail, the main fabric was chosen for its self-
spanning and self-cleaning properties as well as its ability to facilitate diffused natural
light. During hot days, the open platform is ventilated by cool air from the landward
side being drawn under the canvas canopy to create a breeze. As the fabric roof
negates the need for a suspended ceiling below, all lighting and necessary services
have been carefully and thoroughly considered to compliment the design. Directly
underneath the fabric roof, a clear and direct cross platform interchange has been
designed to transit incoming passengers from Hong Kong onto the Disneyland train.
The platform interchange has also been planned to cater for an international ferry
terminal within the bay in the future.

architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 75

 The organisation of the plan is deceptively simple. The large interchange hall has two
electrical, mechanical and back of house facility buildings, clad in stone, at either end
forming ‘bookends’ to the grand hall. Escalators at the ends of the Hall lead passen-
gers returning from Disneyland Station over the rail tracks to the platform for trains
going back to Hong Kong. The design of the opposite platform takes the metal, low
blade canopies as its reference and provides a harmonious counterpoint to the Grand
Interchange Hall.

The impact of the large curved fabric roof, supported with sculptured, arched bow
string trusses, is complemented by the dynamic curve of the partially louvred, inclined
glazed ‘windscreen’. An overall feeling of lightness and spaciousness floods the
Interchange Hall. It is clearly an outdoor space that benefits from the effects of the
roof form and the natural breeze. However, careful consideration has been given
to rain shelter protection at areas which are open to the hall. A clean language of
machined materials has been used throughout the station. The electrical, mechanical
and back of house ‘bookends’, and the stone clad air-intakes on which the roof
support steels sit, provide a solid anchor and complement the lightness and delicacy
of both the fabric roof and the curved windscreen.

In the evening, architectural lighting further enhances the unique experience of

traveling to the theme park by rail, illuminating the fabric roof from within. Reinforced
by the prominent presence of steel and glass, the station becomes a crystalline
beacon for both users and spectators alike.

The station differentiates itself

from previous transport projects,
not just in its ability to handle
large passenger flows, but by
providing a sense of drama,
excitement and expectation
for incoming Disneyland visitors.

76 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects

 PROJECTS
SUNNY BAY STATION AEDAS LIMITED

Location Structural Engineer

Hong Kong Ove Arup & Partners
Site Area Hong Kong Limited
17500 sqm Mechanical & Electrical
Project Team Engineer
Team Leader: Ove Arup & Partners
Keith Griffiths Hong Kong Limited
Architectural Team Quantity Surveyor
Members: Widnell Limited
David Roberts Landscape Architect
Max Connop Urbis Limited
Martin Haskins Main Contractor
John Fitzgerald Maeda Corporation
Peter Wilkinson Client
Tim Narey MTR Corporation Limited
Matt Holder Photographer
Julia McKenzie Marcus Oleniuk
Tim Yu

SOUTH ELEVATION

CROSS SECTION

ROOF PLAN
architecture asia april / may / june 2011 projects 77
 BOOKS

Anjalendran:
Architect of
Sri Lanka Author David Robson
Photograhy Waruna Gomis
Publisher Tuttle Publishing

A one-time protégé and later Authored by notable Bawa expert

friend and companion of the late,
great Geoffrey Bawa, Anjalendran
has successfully made his own
mark as one of the most signifi-
cant Sri Lankan architects of his
time. Born into a family of Jaffna
Tamils, Anjalendran, like Bawa
before him, exhibits a talent
for eking pure magic out of the
simplest materials and crafting
extraordinary structures that play
on the beauty of his native coun-
try’s natural landscape. His work
detail an ongoing obsession with
space and an intrinsic desire to
create forms based on understat-
ed spatial dynamics, culminating
in finished projects that speak
more about the sparsely sublime
atmosphere of Buddhist monas-
teries than about the ornamental
intricacies of South Indian Temple
architecture.
78 architecture asia april / may / june 2011 books
David Robson and photographed
by Waruna Gomis, this intriguing
volume on Anjalendran’s practice
allows the reader a clear insight
into the intimate processes that
govern the architect’s signature
aesthetic. Whether he is engag-
ing in elegant private homes
of some of Sri Lanka’s most
prominent inhabitants or SOS
children’s orphanages, each of
Anjalendran’s works is always
thoughtfully shaped by its own
individual sense of context and
personal story.
Available in all leading bookstores
for USD49.95.
 Edited by Kuala Lumpur-based
architect and academic Lim Teng
Ngiom and recently launched by
the Malaysian Institute of Archi-
tects (PAM), Shapers of Modern
Malaysia admirably honours the
work of the PAM Gold Medalists,
collectively acknowledged as
the most important pioneers of
Malaysian architecture. As per
its evocative title, the book gives
one an overview of how the
modern urban landscape of
Malaysia ultimately took shape
while taking readers on an
unforgettable journey through
the country’s rich historical past.
The book also traces the begin-
nings of the PAM Gold Medal
Award, an accolade which was
Shapers of Modern Malaysia:
The Lives and Works of the
PAM Gold Medalists
Editor Lim Teng Ngiom
Publisher Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM)
architecture asia april / may / june 2011 books 79
initially instituted in 1988 by
then PAM President David Teh,
motivated by a desire collectively
expressed by the local archi-
tectural community to honour
Kingston Loo, a prominent
personality who – until his passing
in 2003 – had long been thought
of as the true ‘voice’ of Malaysian
architecture. The volume also
pays homage to architectural
heavyweights such as Lim Chong
Keat and Hijjas Kasturi, notable
practitioners in their own right
who respectively strove to
emphasise the pertinence and
impact of Malaysian architecture
on the international scene as
well as within the country’s own
borders.
‘datum’,
–noun plural data. See also data.
1 a piece of information. an assumption or premise from
which inferences may be drawn.
2 a fixed starting point of a scale or operation.

JULY 2011
Its been quite a ride…

DATUM:KL, which started in 2003, will now be the name of an exciting and ambitious new PAM
initiative, the 2011 Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival. Having grown over the years and now in
its ninth year, Datum:KL is restructured and up-cycled as a month long multi-programme
platform to be held throughout July 2011.

The Festival aims to bring forth wider cultural aspects of the discipline onto the public domain and
to invigorate the city of Kuala Lumpur into new and purposeful dialogues. For the month of July,
Datum:KL will frame a moment of architectural intensity, propositions and conversations. A
comprehensive series of conferences, exhibitions, workshops, forums, events, etc., has been
planned with your participation in mind. Watch this space...

Ang Chee Cheong

Datum:KL Curator

www.datumkl.my

DATUM:KL & NOW IS ORGANISED BY KUALA LUMPUR

ARCHITECTURE
FESTIVAL IS
SUPPORTED BY
www.facebook.com/datumkl2011 www.twitter.com/datumkl2011

Dewan Bandaraya
Kuala Lumpur
The annual conference, previously known as DATUM:KL, remains the confirmed speakers (in alphabetical order)
principal anchor event for the Festival, but shall from this year onwards ALFREDO BRILLEMBOURG www.u-tt.com
URBAN THINK TANK
be re-conceptualised as the NOW CONFERENCE. NOW implies an imme- PITUPONG CHAOWAKUL supermachine.wordpress.com
diacy, a moment in the present to define new positions and potentials, SUPERMACHINE STUDIO
an architectural status update! At a time when architecture seeks new FLORIAN IDENBURG/JING LIU www.so–il.org
directions and new beginnings, the debut conference will seek to examine SOLID OBJECTIVES – IDENBURG LIU (SO–IL)

and describe key trajectories of thinking and practice, and to underline ZHANG LI www.teamminus.com
ATELIER TEAM MINUS
the essential transformative aspects of architecture as a critical
JÜRGEN MAYER H. www.jmayerh.de
instrumentality to engage a continually changing world. J. MAYER. H. ARCHITEKTEN
HIROSHI NAKAMURA www.nakam.info
NOW CONFERENCE – SEASON 1 will feature a series of lectures by a HIROSHI NAKAMURA & NAP

selection of both established and emergent architects and designers with OLE SCHEEREN www.buro-os.com
BÜRO OLE SCHEEREN
divergent range of approaches and interests from the region and interna-
MARC SIMMONS www.frontinc.com
tionally. In addition to introducing a new set of exceptional talent to the FRONT INC.
Datum community, this year we welcome back some of our original ALAN TAY/SEETOH KUM LOON www.formwerkz.com
speakers who over the years has also risen in stature and profile alongside FORMWERKZ ARCHITECTS
Datum. The new conference will also have a refreshed and updated format *more speakers to be confirmed
All details are correct at time of printing. However PAM reserves the right
but will leave intact the things that have worked well. to make amendments to adjust to circumstances.

Book NOW to avoid disappointment...

a moment in the present...

CONFERENCE – SEASON 1
1 & 2 JULY 2011
KUALA LUMPUR CONVENTION CENTRE
Please call 03-2693 2843 or email NOW@datumkl.my for registration or enquiries
To download the registration form or for further information, please visit our website

FESTIVAL PARTNER OFFICIAL MAGAZINES OF DATUM:KL ACCREDITED BY DATUM:KL 2011 IS HELD CONCURRENTLY WITH

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