MENARA MESINIAGA,

MALAYSIA 
 Location : Subang Jaya, Malaysia.

Architect : Ken Yeang 

  The futuristic bio-climatic tower, Menara Mesiniaga,

also known as IBM tower was built in Subang Jaya,
Malaysia in 1992. The tower which belongs to
MesiniagaBerhad, was designed and built by the architect
Kenneth Yeang using his 10 years research into bio-
climatic design principle. According to the case study
done by Bill Chan “ The bioclimatic high-rise is a tall
building with passive low energy benefits, achieved
through design responses to the climate of the place and
through optimizing the use of the locality’s ambient
energies, to enhance the quality of life and comfort for its
occupants”
 Climate
Climatically both Singapore and Malaysia are
a hot and humid country;The city of Kuala
Lumpur is situated 3° North of the
equator.According to the report by
Safamanesh (1995), rainfall in Malaysia is
heavier along the East coast than the West
coast. Most urban and agricultural land is on
the West coast and, consequently, so is most
of the population. Due to its position
relative to the equator, the country has no
distinct winter or summer and temperatures
are consistently somewhere between 20c
and 40c with humidity level between 60 and
70 percent.
Green
Certification
Menara Mesiniaga received the Aga
Khan Award for Architecture. This is
possible due to Kenneth Yeang’s ten-
year research into bio-climatic
principles for the design of medum-
to- tall buildings. These concepts can
be applied to many-storied
structures in tropical climates (The
Aga Khan Development Network,
2007).
SITE
LOCATION
MENARA MESINIAGA

The building sits beside a highway towering above a mixture of unplanned structure and environment; a
lake which can be seen from every level of the building, some residential complexes and townhouses,
office buildings, and a mosque. There is also a medical centre which is within view of the building.
Overall, many of the surrounding buildings are low budget adaptations of older houses. The natural
landscaping catches the eye’s attention with a substantial amount of growth within the area, in respect to
community development. The traffic ranges from moderate to congested at certain hours of the day, due
to the existence of the federal highway nearby.
Built Form
Mesiniaga’s verticality allows
exposure to the full extent of heat,
weather and temperatures.
Mesiniaga’s exoskeleton which are
the exposed steel and rein- forced
concrete structure helps to reflect
the sun, and the entirely exposed
col- umns and beams are open to
cross ventilated cooling. This
single core services are built on
the hot side which is on the east.
Planting and Sky a
GardenTop 
In order to shelter and insulate
the lowest three levels from the
morning sun, artificial sloping
landscape was created to
connect the land to the
verticality of the building.
Moreover, its circular spiralling
body with landscaped sky
courts that helps cools,
ventilates and provide a space
for occupants to relief.
Solar orientation
and shading
Curtain wall glazing which are the
garden insets provided on the north and
south side helps reduce solar gain and
provide thermal comfort for the
occupants while the recessed and
shaded windows are on the east and
west side as a response to the tropical
sun path. Moreover, cantilevering
rooftop pool and a gym with curvilinear
roof on the south facade helps provide
thermal comfort for users of the
facilities especially during the high-
angled afternoon sun. Furthermore, the
pool insulates and reflects the overhead
sun.
Ventilation

•Large multi-storey transitional

spaces provides airflow in between
the zones and provide better
circulation of hot and cool air in and
out of the building. Moreover, the
permeable external walls of the
building provides cross ventilation
even in air conditioned spaces. Air
movement is encouraged
underneath the building, specifically
at the lobby entrance as it is half
open to the surrounding land while
the other half is circled by the sloped
berm.