of
In 2002 former partner of OMA, Ole Scheeren made his mark on the architecture industry with the design of the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, an abstract form that defies the generic concept of commercial architecture. Today the esteemed architect unveiled his latest concept: Angkasa Raya.
The 268m-high tower is to be located directly opposite the famous Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, which were once recognised as the tallest towers in the world. If realised, Angkasa Raya will be formed of three autonomous yet connected volumes linked by three Sky Levels, enabling residents and commercial users to step back from the overwhelming bustle at street level into a tranquil environment with wide-reaching views across their urban surroundings. These levels feature outdoor dining terraces, an infinity pool, banqueting halls, business lounges and other premium amenities.
The lowest of these three floating blocks will act as a gateway between the high density activity at street level and the more serene internal environment with an interconnected spiral of pedestrian and vehicular circulation to ‘draw the diversity of the streetscape into the building’. Leading up from this area - which includes multiple public amenities including retail outlets, a food court, parking facilities, prayer rooms etc - is a grand staircase which doubles as amphitheatre-style seating.
Within the second block are Service Residences; 280 high end condominiums arranged around an impressive naturally ventilated atrium. Above this is a similarly plush hotel slab with over 200 suites of varying sizes, punctuated with lush vegetation to maximise the volume of greenery in a small, highly populated site.
Sustainability also plays a major role in this project. The entire complex is clad in modular aluminium sun-shading, geometrically optimised and specifically oriented to reduce solar heat gain. Natural ventilation in many public areas massively reduces the buildings energy usage by negating the need for air conditioning, whilst rainwater harvesting, landscape re-irrigation, insulated green roofs and natural shading effects of the Ground and Sky slabs reduce the energy and water consumption of the entire building.