Project 1 : Case Study: Identifying innovative passive design strategies

Duration : 7 Weeks

Marks : 40% of final Marks (30% + 10% Peer Evaluation)

Location : Subang Jaya, Malaysia

Buildings : Menara Mesiniaga

Architect : Ken Yeang

INTRODUCTION

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 Mesiniaga

Berhad, 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".

Diagram 1 : Menara Mesiniaga

DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE BUILDING

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 medium-to-tall buildings. These concepts can be applied to many-storied

structures in tropical climates (The Aga Khan Development Network, 2007).

Diagram 2 : Logo for Aga Khan Award in Architecture

SITE LOCATION

Diagram 3 : Site Plan of 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.

ORTHOGRAPHICS DRAWING

Diagram 4 : Ground Floor Plan

Diagram 5 : East Elevation

Diagram 6 : South West Elevation

Diagram 7 : Section

How is the thermal environment of Menara Mesiniaga affected by natural and man-

made factors?

1. Built form

Diagram 8 : Part of Elevation on Menara Mesiniaga

Mesiniaga’sverticality allows exposure to the full extent of heat, weather and

temperatures. Mesiniaga’s exoskeleton which are the exposed steel and reinforced

concrete structure helps to reflect the sun, and the entirely exposed columns and

beams are open to cross ventilated cooling. This single core services are built on the

hot side which is on the east.

2. Planting and sky garden

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.

Diagram 9 : Elevation of Menara Mesiniaga

3. Solar orientation and shading devices

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.

Diagram 10 : Top Axono of Menara Mesiniaga

4. 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.

Diagram 11 : The sloped berm on half ofthe building

while the other half is open for the entrance to the building.

PICTURES OF THE SITE

Diagram 12 : Workspace in Menara Mesiniaga

Diagram 13 : Planter Box

Diagram 14 : South Elevation

Diagram 15 : East Elevation

Diagram 16 : West Elevation

Diagram 17 : North Elevation

Diagram 18 : Site Context of Menara Mesiniaga

Diagram 19 : Lobby of Menara Mesiniaga

CLIMATE ANALYSIS

Diagram 20 : Relative Humidity for Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur has a tropical wet climate with no dry or cold season as it is

constantly moist due to year-round rainfall. Relative humidity is in the range of 80% -

85%.

Diagram 21 : Average Temperature for Kuala Lumpur

The annual average temperature is 26.6 degrees Celsius. On average, the

warmest month is April while the coolest is September. April would be the wettest

month and June is the driest month.

WIND STUDIES

http://myweb.wit.edu/ oakess/Catalog/

MM_ventilation.html

Diagram 22 : The air flows(green arrows) and air conditioning

air flows(yellow ellipse) throughout the building.

Due to the various wind

directions, the winds are nearly

transferred equally. Menara Mesiniaga

main ventilation is by air conditioning,

as well as the natural ventilation.

The escape stairs are unenclosed

and pushed to the edge of the building. The elevator lobby and washroom spaces

have shaded window openings that give in view and natural ventilation (Architectural

review.V. 192 1993 Jan-June).The sliding doors on the terraces opened up for

natural ventilation to flow throughout the office areas. Office areas uses air

conditioning, as shown by the yellow ellipse. Besides that, part of highest floor which

is an opened space swimming pool area allows for natural ventilation. Moreover, tiny

gap to allow the wind to ventilate the gymnasium under the overhang-curved roofing

is provided. Lastly,the basement parking area is also ventilated.

Diagram 23 : Sketch of wind movement in Menara Mesiniaga

Diagram 30 : Ventilation across Nanyang Technological Universtity

School of Art, Design and Media

Diagram 31 : The basement parking area.

http://www.solaripedia.com/images/large/3414.jpg

Diagram 32 : Terraces found at each levels.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kQ-gxCpYnV8/SyH11Ig7UBI/AAAAAAAABm4/N9Gu2iOeD80/s1600-h/Capturehh.JPG

Diagram 33 : Our photograph of the air conditioning

Diagram 34 : Our Photograph of the window.

THERMAL ANALYSIS

Thermal Comfort

A large part of the building, from stairways and lift lobbies to the toilet areas,

was regarded as a penetrable membrane to enable natural aeration. The building is

fitted out with an Energy Saving System which controls energy features including air-

cooling system, elevators and other mechanical systems and it is used to monitor

and reduce energy consumption in equipment. So, the main office areas are air-

conditioned but the use of this system and the natural ventilation throughout the

buildinghelps reduce its use to negligible levels, thus, saving energy.

Diagram 42 : Elevation of Menara Mesiniaga

The evident building features of the IBM tower not only visually express the

high-tech style of the company and its conceptual organic character, but also define

it as a bioclimatic high-rise. Firstly, the building’s overall form, structural

methodology, module cores, glazed surfaces, is oriented for maximum

environmental efficiency shading against direct heat but allowing for natural daylight.

Second, where the main components of the building and its orientation cannot shade

the building, inventively calculated shading devices are fitted on the building face for

passive cooling. Lastly, the extension of the land that starts at the sloped berm

spirals up the height of the building with planted terraces that finishes at the

inhabited rooftop. These terraces not only provide for vertical gardens and

transitional spaces, but also shades and ventilates the building.

Diagram 43 : Photograph of Menara Mesiniaga's Elevation

Diagram 44 : Sun shaders and garden insets

The simple extension of the tower’s base produces several positive environmental

effects. The sloped berm circles around half the circumference of the building, the

other half opens the mezzanine floors to the surrounding land. This allows for a

functional connection with the site, avoiding how typical confined lobbies separate

the building from its landscape. As well, it inspires air movement beneath the

building, producing a lobby entrance that is shaded as well as ventilated without

mechanical effort (Balfour A. &Yeang K. 1994). The program that is in the entresol

requires slight daylight; therefore, by building the hollow berm up to these levels, it

increases the surface area for planting and provides a chance for the building to

involve the nearby vegetation.

The visible steel and reinforced concrete structure can be regarded as an

exoskeleton that is suspending the differently shaped office floors with each floor’s

main girders connecting to the concrete core for shear resistance. Where the general

rule of thumb for buildings in colder regions is ‘skin outside, structure inside’, the

tropical climate may have an exposed structure without contrary temperature effects.

In fact, the structure that wraps around the curtain wall shields the sun off the

building face and act as a heat sink. (Balfour A. &Yeang K. 1994)Of course, in a

tropical climate where winter temperatures range between the twenties to low

thirties, it is useful to minimalize heat absorption. Therefore, the steel columns are

clad with stainless steel to reflect the sun, and the completely exposed columns and

beams are open to cross ventilated cooling.

The majority of the building’s double-glazed, operable curtain walls lie flush to the

facade only on the north and south side. Most of the west half of the building,

external solar shades are installed. The southwest and northwest are protected by

aluminium fins offset approximately 40cm away from the building face (Powell R.

1999). These devices are utilized where high-angled rays may hit the curtain walls.

But for more far reaching direct light, deeper, single panel aluminium louvers offset

from the building twice as far as the fins is fixed.(Powell R. 1999)

Where extensive west-side shading is concerned, the alternately shaped floor plates

partners with terraces to create indentations in the building form that help it shade

itself. The landscaped terraces that appear on every office level also allows for full

height sliding glass doors that let in fresh air and greened intermediate spaces for a

break from computer screens. The stepped terraces can be traced spiralling back

down to the berm and the surrounding landscape, generating a hall where

employees may feel part of a progressive organization that has strong environmental

awareness. Inside, enclosed rooms are placed as a central core rather than being

situated at the edge. This ensures good natural lighting and views out for the

peripherally located workspaces. Because the building is circular in plan, there are

no dark corners. (Balfour A. &Yeang K. 1994)

Diagram 45 : Basic Air Flow in Cross Section of Menara Mesiniaga

CONCEPT ANALYSIS

PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN

Menara Mesiniaga maximizes the passive solar design into their building. It

plays with the sunlight that penetrates through the building and controlling it by using

appropriate shading devices to reduce overheating and providing comfort.

Diagram 46 : Menara Mesiniaga's Elevation

The circular exterior shape of the building and orientation affects the amount of

sunlight passing through as it accepts sunlight from all angles. Glazing and shading

of glass windows are incorporated into the design to minimize the solar gain and

heat load in the morning.

Diagram 47 : Cross Section of Menara Mesiniaga

Glazed curtain walling is applied throughout the building to enhance natural

lighting and also reduce temperature of the building and avoid overheating. Shading

devices are also strategically placed at locations with high sunlight intensity. This is

to give thermal comfort for users inside the building and reduce glaring as well.

Diagram 48 : Shading that can be found on Menara Mesiniaga during our site visit

Natural lighting is also found in the basement of the building which

illuminates the parking lot, toilets and air-conditioning generator. Window

openings are placed on the ground directly above these spaces in order to

provide sufficient lighting. This helps reduce cost of electricity.

Diagram 49 : Sun roof on the Basement Parking

Diagram 50 : Basement Parking of Menara Mesiniaga

THERMAL COMFORT

Open spaces and well planned ventilated areas can be found throughout

the MenaraMesiniaga building. Spaces like garden terraces, rooftops, service

core and stairs located in the building helps enhances thermal comfort for the

users of the area by providing natural sunlight and ventilation.

Diagram 51 : Balcony of the workplace in Menara Mesiniaga

The core uses extensive passive heating and cooling strategies and has no

mechanical support because it’s programmed functions of circulation and

washrooms involve low use period. Instead of an internal service core, the concrete

core of the building faces the outside and is located on the east side of the tower.

This orientation allows the core to shade the building from direct sun rays and its

material construction allows it to become a heat sink that will reradiate absorbed

heat into the insides at night. The escape stairs are unenclosed and the elevator

lobby and washroom spaces have shaded window openings that give in view and

natural ventilation.

Diagram 52 : Elevation of Menara Mesiniaga

Thermal comfort in this building is more than effectively achieved by these

specific features, where mechanical cooling system is put to optimum use, not

overuse. Furthermore, studies have shown greater occupancy happiness and

employee output where the building can offer a connection with external spaces

whether it is natural daylight or sky gardens that let workers relax and feel as if they

belong to a whole.

The major visible architectural elements topping off the office levels include a

cantilevering rooftop pool and a gym with a curvilinear roof; these facilities are open

to employees. The pool ‘greens’ the rooftop by insulating and reflecting the overhead

sun. The overhang of the curvilinear roof is enough to shade most of the entire south

facade from the high angled afternoon sun. Crowning the building is a tubular steel

trellis that shades the top floor amenities and is designed to accommodate solar

panels in the future that will further increase the building’s ecological efficiency.

Diagram 53 : Part of the Highest floor in Menara Mesiniaga

Diagram 54 : Elevation of Menara Mesiniaga

REFERENCES

Bill Chan, M. F. ARCH 366: Environmental Design Case Study.

Safamanesh, K. (1995). Technical Reviw Summary.

The Aga Khan Development Network. (2007). Menara Mesiniaga. Retrieved from Aga Khan Award for

Architecture: http://www.akdn.org/architecture/project.asp?id=1356

Balfour A. &Yeang K.Bioclimatic Skyscrapers – Ken Yeang, 1994 retrieved from

http://www.worldcat.org/title/bioclimatic-skyscrapers/oclc/154770772

Law J.H.Y. The Bioclimatic Approach to High-rise Building Design: An Evaluation of Ken Yeang’s

Bioclimatic Principles and Responses in Practice to Energy Saving and Human Well-being, December

2001.

Powell R.Rethinking the Skyscraper: The Complete Architecture of Ken Yeang, 1999retrieved from

http://www.worldcat.org/title/rethinking-the-skyscraper-the-complete-architecture-of-ken-yeang/oclc/

43097372

Architectural review. V. 192 1993 Jan-June

Space Design. 9401-9403 1994 Jan-Mar

Yeang K. & Hamzah T. R. Menara Mesiniaga Features Bioclimatic, 2010 retrieved from

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/302/3419/menara_mesiniaga_sun_roof.html

Ching, D.K. (2014) Green Building Illustrated, pg 32. Canada: John Wiley & Sons Inc.