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TELEKOM TOWER ARCHITECTURE CULTURE AND HISTORY 2 [ARC60203] MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN KLANG VALLEY NG YI YANG 0319688 LYNETTE LAW YONG YI 0317761 NATALIE KI XIAO XUAN 0318918 NISHAANTHINY A/P SHANMUGGAM 0323320

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Page 1: Telekom tower

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

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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)

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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.

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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

1. Abel, C. (1997). Architecture and identity: Towards a global eco-culture. Oxford

England: Architectural Press.

2. ArchNet. (n.d.). Telekom Malaysia Berhad New Headquaters. [online] Available at:

<http://archnet.org/sites/5134/media_contents/48367> [Accessed 14 November

2015].

3. Behance. (n.d.). Menara Telekom Tower. [online] Available at:

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9. Oswald, A., & Eickhoff, H. (2013). Offices construction and design manual. Berlin:

DOM.

10. Skyscrapers. (2001). New York: Black Dog & Leventhal

11. The Skyscraper Center. (n.d.). Menara Telekom. [online] Available at:

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12. Uffelen, C. (2007). Chapter 7. In Offices. Berlin: Braun.

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