Architectural Design Project [ARC60108]

Project : Final Comprehensive Design Report

Co-Working Community Centre

Design Report

Name : Pau Jin Wei

Student ID : 0323840
Tutor : Ar. Edward Chew
Table of Content
1.0 Project Background & Brief
1.1 Abstract
1.2 Introduction
1.3 Project Aims and Objectives

2.0 Site Investigation & Contextual Studies

2.1 Introduction
2.2 Historical Background
2.3 Site Significant Issues
2.4 Urban Studies
2.5 Macro Site Analysis

3.0 Design Intentions Strategies

3.1 Micro Site Analysis
3.2 Precedent Studies
3.3 Design Intention
3.4 Programme and project brief
3.5 Site response
3.6 Spatial Programming
3.7 Form Studies

4.0 Environmental and Technological Strategies

4.1 Sustainability Concepts
4.2 Energy conservation features
4.3 Material and Resources
4.4 Acoustical Consideration
4.5 Innovations ( rainwater harvesting )
4.6 Structural concept

5.0 Final Boards

1.0 Project Background & Brief
1.2 Introduction
The site is located within 3 different streets which are jalan tuanku abdul rahman, jalan
tun perak and jalan raja laut. meanwhile, on the south side of the site, there is a
landscape designed by seksan which is standing alone gruesomely and looks
abandoned. The aim of the project is to build an Art and Co-working space centre at
the given site. The idea of the building design is to create an informal Co-working
centre which act as a connection that connects the nearby Landscape and cultural
district. It displays local art to the public, to enhance the sense of place and strengthen
its identity, which is an tourist attraction and cultural district with the existing buildings
around the place.
1.1 Abstract
Noticing, the strong competition at the site among textile workers and
artist, the style and design seems stagnant. therefore, this platform would
help to boost their creativity in the field and strengthen the business at
the site. thus, the building not only serves as a co-working space for
textile workers, providing them a platform to meet and expand their social
network, in the other hand, the co-working space provides community
activities to the tourist and the public. the artist can present their work and
also crafting their artwork on the spot to produce interaction with the
community. and since the site is located in the heart of kl, it is a strategic
place to promote malaysia's art and culture.
From the exterior, the building blends in the seksan landscape with
camouflage facade with living plants on it. when reaching raining season,
the building act as a waterfall flushing down the water along the multiple
layer of pitched roof to the rainwater harvesting pool and provides a clean
water to the seksan landscape.this can be achieve to achieve
environmental friendly though the use of rainwater harvest system. it also
act as a cleansing system for the environment, raising awareness of the
local community on environmental issue. the spatial experience produce
an inside-out feeling where vegetation is line together with the seksan
landscape into the building itself. not to mention, there are several
bombastic views and activities to frame while working. Imagine working
under a high rise building and enjoy the activities that is happening in
dataran merdeka anytime.
1.3 Project Aims & objectives
● To engage people to explore the cultural district
● To enhance the sense of place and its identity
● To introduce the local Malaysian art to community and foreign
visitors
● To preserve the making and playing of local art and instrument in
Malaysia
● To promote the inheritance of Traditional art culture in Malaysia
● To preserve the nearby Seksan landscape
● To assist the bad economy for textile workers around the site
● To provide spaces for the public to meet and live while working in
the same building
2.0 Site Investigation & Contextual Studies
2.1 Introduction

The site is located at the major intersection between Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
and Jalan Tun Perak, there is the sight of our site which is currently being used as a
car park for the office workers and also open to the public usage. Strategically located
in the middle of the busy road and heavy traffic flow, the site is also surrounded by
many old heritage buildings and shophouses. It is just merely a walking distance from
the iconic Sultan Abdul Samad Building and Dataran Merdeka. The strategic position
of the site gives an advantage for a clear view and very visible from most angles.

2.2 Historical Background

Jalan Tar is initially named as Batu Road, Batu Road was believed the first stone
road in Kuala Lumpur from its name and began as a track leading to Batu Village,
connecting limestone caves and tin mines. After that, it is renamed as Jalan Tuanku
Abdul Rahman. It was one of the longest roads with retail units set up pre-war era,
consisting mainly of 3-storey Art Deco shophouses that remain until today. Iconic
business such as “colliseum cafe “ contributed to the economic boom of the street . In
1947, Globe Silk Store” became one of the leading textile retail business. To control
heavy traffic, Jalan TAR was made into a one-way road. Distinctively facade have
been preserved and readapt to accommodate modern retailing business.

DISTRICT
2.0 Site Investigation & Contextual Studies
2.3 Site Significant Issues

● Inconsistent setback. The building setback of the hotel & adjacent

building has cause a lost in connectivity of the 5 foot walkway
● Imbalance of greenscape design and discontinuity of vegetation
along the street.
● The street condition is narrow and bumpy, feeling unsafe and
uncomfortable to walk around.
● Dormant buildings destroy the idea of active street edge.
● Repetitive activities. Mostly textile
● Lack of parking and Traffic Jam

2.4 Urban Studies

1. Adequate amount of zebra crossing ensure the safety and the

consistency of human walkability to avoid a chaotic setting.
2. Street dividers or fences are placed beside the road to ensure
human walkability are not interrupted by any vehicles.
3. Open green landscape enhances the experience of walkability
and also improve the quality of the environment.
4. Streets lights are functional during the night that provides a sense
of safety and awareness during the walking journey.
5. High distinctive landmark provides a clear point of reference to
navigate human walkability from point to point.

2.5 Macro site analysis

Node
The location of the site is close to the nodes around the area, where
many visitors, tourists, and white collar worker will be close to the
proposal site.

Edge
The site formed a natural edge between the authority and commercial
district, and the highways act as an edge between the area and the
outer areas.
3.0 Design Intention Strategies
3.1 Micro Site
Analysis
● Visually hidden,
covered by trees, low
exposure, good
shading
● Located right next to
Seksan landscape,
Dataran Merdeka
view and greeneries.
● 6 lane one way road
as one vehicular
access to the site,
may solve the
congestion issue.
● Captures most of the
prevailing wind from
South and North
West.

SITE PLAN
3.0 Design Intention Strategies
3.2 Precedent Studies

Growing Green Office

Architects : Studio 102
Location : Cau Giay District Committee, 36 Cầu Giấy, Quan Hoa, Cầu Giấy,
Hà Nội, Vietnam
Partners : Vuong Dao Hoang
Landscape : Mein Garten, OLAD Jsc

Mein Garten, a brand under OLAD Jsc – Outdoor & Landscape

Development Joint stock Company and supply-firm, is a design and
consulting firm focusing on landscape architecture and horticulture. It is
important to them to have an office which is opened as much as possible to
the nature, and which bring refreshment and creative thinking for their staff.

“When looking for a new office, also a showroom, Mein Garten has found a
vacant twin house in Trung Hoa - Nhan Chinh New urban park. Instead of
being a closed, air-conditioned standard office, this twin house offers a high
potential to become a new type of living – working space”.

Starting with an unfinished building, the architect of the project has taken
out some of the cover brick walls to create various semi-open space. There
is no boundary between the inside and the outside. Plants are everywhere:
in the garden, in the semi-open space on the ground floor, first floor, on the
roof, on the walls. The overall color theme with plants and white-painted
walls brings a relaxing but creative atmosphere for the people in the office.
Working space is not a sole desk, it could be at the terrace, next to the
water feature, or at the veranda… It is an office which bring people closer to
nature, closer to each other, and make them work more effectively. Day by
day, season by season, the plants continue to grow and change, giving the
office a new look. This office, therefore, is not just a built object. It is living,
like an organism.
3.0 Design Intention Strategies
3.2 Precedent Studies

Second Home
Architects : Selgascano
Location : 68-80 Hanbury Street, London EI 5JI, UK
Partners : Jose Selgas, Lucia Cano
Project Area : 2400 sq.m.

Second Home occupied the ground and first floor of a former carpet factory. As
the name suggests, the co-working space suggests, the co-working space
sought to provide an environmentally appealing/colorful, socially integrative
space tailored to the needs of innovative start up.The maze form with glass
interior allows close contact while breaking down a typical large common area
workspace to small room for 5, 7, 10 people, up to the largest room which can
accommodate 20 people maximum.The eccentric plan projects the office
spaces outwards, with the event space in between and a spread out workroom
style, allows the visual contact to focus on the event space. The movable
furniture transformed the shared workspace into multipurpose room.

3.3 Design Intention

Create a connection between the landmark buildings and the Seksan

Landscape to engage people to explore the vegetation nature and into the
Co-working community Centre.

To enhance the sense of place and strengthen the identity of the site, by
injecting cultural essence into the Seksan Landscape. To preserve the
gruesome landscape which is fading by adding rainwater harvesting system to
bring in clean and fresh water. On the other hand, to promote the local art from
KL Gallery and local textile design and styles in Malaysia.
3.0 Design Intention Strategies
3.4 Programme and project brief - Art and Textile

The proposed Art and Textile features informal making and crafting in Malaysia which encourages the community and tourist to experience seeing, playing, making of local art
with traditional equipment in Malaysia. The main activity in the centre is the public performance at the gallery and also in the Seksan landscape park, to create the artistic
background sight image for the district. In enhance the sense of the place.

3.5 Site Response

The drop off, entrance and exit from the The openings is designed base on the windrose The fenestration for the main programme is
basement carpark is design behind the site to gain the maximum natural air ventilation to designed to provide distinctive views of the micro
which provides 6road lanes to avoid traffic jam. the building itself. site.

The zebra crossing is considered to bring in
people towards the main entrance of the
building.
Working space is designed at the east side to
gain suitable amount of natural lightings.
Meanwhile the living area is designed at the
west side of the building to get a romantic
sunset view.
Living plants facade is considered to blend in the
Seksan natural landscape just right beside the
site and also reduces heat gain in the respective
designed spaces.
3.0 Design Intention Strategies
3.6 Spatial Programming
Ground floor - A Public Realm
An informal public realm is
designed at the ground floor of the
building to engage people having
informal activities to explore the
art activities at the gallery. The
artist will present their skills to the
community and tourists to promote
the local art in Malaysia.
1st floor - Introduction
Starting point of journey,
introducing the working
space for the artist in
smaller group where semi
open wind is created, best
for artist to explore their
artwork with nature.
2nd floor - Formal
The formal and semi-private
floor at the building, where
larger groups of co-working
space are located at.
3rd floor - Textile Working & Gardens
The formal and semi-private floor at the
building, where textile workers will be at,
provided with gardens to have a sense of
tranquility while sewing and some leisure
activity that features the view of Dataran
Merdeka.
4th floor - Living Area
The highest floor of the building
with large fenestrations to frame
a full view of the Kuala Lumpur
city.
3.0 Design Intention Strategies
3.7 Form Studies

Continuity
Create a public realm and drop off area on the ground floor of the centre by elevating the clusters, to engage The south side of the building continues the
people to explore, while elevated upper floors will have better views and exposures. Open and semi-open of vegetation to blend in the Seksan Landscape
fenestration is created to enhances the site context to bring in the wind ventilation. This could show the identity context. By having green pockets and
of the building and the place, while triggering curiosity from the exterior at the same time. gardens around the building.

Form
The building is designed in diminished form
to have better visual quality from the 5 foot
walkway without giving a sense of
overwhelming.

A push inwards form followed by each floors is created to allow better visual permeability and avoid the sense of
overwhelming from the street level. On the other hand, it allows rainwater to flow down and looks like a waterfall to
blend in the natural Seksan landscape beside the site. On the other hand, the living plants facade also camouflages
the surrounding landscape and blends into one.
4.0 Environmental and Technological Strategies
4.1 Sustainability Concept

To build a sustainable building which causes less impact to the environment, greeneries and passive cooling are important elements for a successful Green Building. To achieve
the requirements for a sustainable building, efforts are made from:

● Dividing the building mass into 3 clusters which creates wind tunnels to allow cross ventilation all around the building and space within, to reduce usage of mechanical
ventilation.
● Most of the spaces in the building are open or semi-open which allows cross ventilation, reduces usage of mechanical ventilation.
● Preserving greeneries on the rooftop gardens and green pockets, to reduce environmental impact and heat gain to the building that reduces the usage of mechanical
ventilation.
● Replacing greeneries with green pockets, to reduce environmental impact and heat gain to the building, reduces the usage of mechanical ventilation.
● Usage of bamboo Facade with living plants as sun shading device which reduce heat gain on building and reduces usage of mechanical ventilation.

4.2 Energy Conservation Features

● Split levels minimize distance between floor levels, users are less likely to use lifts.
● Dividing the building into 3 clusters which creates wind tunnels to allow cross ventilation all around the building and spaces within, to reduce the usage of mechanical
ventilation.\Most of the spaces in the building are semi-open or open which allows cross ventilation, reduces usage of mechanical ventilation.
● Preserving existing greeneries on site, which reduces environmental impact and heat gain to the building , that reduces the usage of mechanical ventilation.
● Replacing greeneries by having green pockets and gardens to reduce environmental impact and heat gain to the building that reduces usage of mechanical ventilation.
● Usage of bamboo Facade with living plants as sun shading device which reduce heat gain on building and reduces usage of mechanical ventilation.

4.3 Material and Resources

Building Material
The main building material chosen are reinforced concrete structure with brick infill and concrete wall finishes. Timber floor finishes, steel roof and bamboo facade. Concrete
creates a feeling of informality for the building which engages people to explore the building informally, while timber and bamboo brings the warm cultural essence into the Art &
Textile Co-working Centre.

Resources
Resources for the Art & Textile Co-working Centre, equipment is imported and unloaded at the loading bay located at the back alley where most services are located at.
4.0 Environmental and Technological Strategies
4.4 Acoustical Consideration

● Each working space is separated from each other by voids or a buffer space, to avoid vibration or surfaces caused by sound wave from the textile machines to affect the
ambience and environment of the other working spaces.
● Living area is placed on top floor of the building to avoid noise from the lower public realm and the other informal spaces.
● Public performance stages in the restaurant is designed in half-circular shape to amplify sound towards certain direction, which is important for public music to travel further
without the help of electronic amplifiers which will reduce the essence of the pure voice of music.
● The material selection of the building, which is concrete and timber, helps on the reverberberation and reflectance of the sound wave.

4.5 Innovations
Rainwater Harvesting System

Rainwater is flushed down following the

designed form of the roof. The
rainwater will be then transferred to the
water feature pool and harvest in the
water tank in the designated area.

Rainwater harvesting system is applied on the ground floor where the water
tank is fenced and easy to channel out to the existing Seksan Landscape.

4.6 Structural Concept

The building of 3 clusters connected by bridges and covered by a pitched roof. Having the clusters built up vertically along the setback form. It can be easily constructed as it is
very solid and gridity. The roof is supported by the main columns coming up from the 3 clusters mentioned, which makes it very stable although it has a huge roof.
5.0 Final Boards
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