architecture + design

issue 20
may 2010 / bi-monthly
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Places of Work
EASTERN Office Design
Benoy Morphogenesis
Camenzind Evolution WOHA
UID architects RMJM
Department of ARCHITECTURE
memō
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Klein Dytham architecture van der Architects

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 contents
MAY 2010 / ISSUE 20
51
PORTFOLIO Googled in Switzerland Camenzind
Evolution 24 Temperately Considered WOHA 29
A Flexible Space van der ARCHITECTS 32 Goksu
Office Building Nevzat Sayin 37 A Showcase of
Ideals & Culture Benoy 40 Rising Sun Department of
ARCHITECTURE 44 Private Banking Charm Designphase
58
48 Mori X Hako UID Architects 51 A Merger of
Identities Klien Dytham Architecture 54 Informally
Industrial Axis Identity Group 58 House with a Crest 44
Eastern Design Office 63 The Pearl of Jaipur Morphogenesis
66 A Vertical Campus RMJM 70 PORTFOLIO
BRIEFS 80 ESSAY Unravelling the Story of
Graphic Design in Malaysia Ezrena Marwan 76 

REGULARS Pulse Seen/Heard 8 Diary of Events 54

14 Goods 15 On the Shelves 18 Sleepbox 22 Living
Light in Seoul 23 Specs Highlight Flamant Suite III Velvet
86 Specs 86
32

15
48
70

37

61
24 15
29

22
76
66
4
 Editor’s Note

For this issue’s focus on office architecture and interior design, the editorial team was spoilt for choice with
interesting projects that spanned multinational conglomerates to modest craft studios. What we loved about
some of the projects we chose to profile is the highly personal and emotive connection the designs had with the
respective clients’ businesses or cultures. As brands, corporate cultures and values become ever more prioritised,
it is evident that architects and designers are increasingly allowed more creative latitude in expressing such
spaces with consideration to their form and function. Enjoy this issue!

Alex Choo

Assistant Art Director SALES

Chriss Liew Senior Manager
chriss@memo.com.my Lim Hong Meng
meng@memo.com.my Memo Publishing Sdn Bhd (739251-V)
EDITORIAL Graphic Designer +6016 2220 268 (Formerly Known as Bluelinemedia Sdn Bhd)
Publisher / interim Editor Nazlyn Rozahn Block B, Suite 3A16, Kelana Square,
Alex Choo naz@memo.com.my ADMINISTRATION Jalan SS7/26 Kelana Jaya,
alex@memo.com.my senior manager 47301 Petaling Jaya,
contributors Candice Cherng Selangor, Malaysia.
writer Albert Chun, Ezrena Marwan, candice@memo.com.my T: +603 7880 0730
Eunice Loh Hajime Yatate F: +603 7880 2736
E: ask@memo.com.my

PRINTER
Percetakan Zanders Sdn Bhd
No 16, Jalan BK 1/11,
Bandar Kinrara, 47180 Puchong,
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
T: +603 5623 9393
* Have something to share that you think deserves publishing? Contact the editor at alex@memo.com.my

The opinions and views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Although every effort has been taken to ensure correctness and accuracy in the preparation of each issue of
Blueprint Asia, the publisher or editorial staff accept no responsibility for any effect arising from errors or omissions. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written consent from
Memo Publishing Sdn Bhd. All rights reserved 2009. Manuscripts, photographs and artwork may be submitted for consideration but will only be returned if accompanied by sufficient postage for the purpose.
No responsibility is accepted for any unsolicited materials. 

6 blueprint asia
Pulse Seen/
Heard

A Colossal
Installation
The main entrance of Zara’s flagship store in Milan plays host to an eye-catching installation created by Netherlands-
based design firm UNStudio. Commissioned by the Inditex Group in support of the Milan International Furniture Fair, the
installation stands a spectacular five metres tall and has a diameter of 4.85 metres. The coated alumninum structure is lit
from within using LEDs, and is further echoed in two smaller pieces displayed in the shop’s windows. The installation was
designed by Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, the architect reknowned for the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany and the
Moebius House in Het Gooi.

KLDW Suburban Icon in the Making

Designed as a community enclave and located in the centre of

2010 a popular residential suburb and commercial centre in Petaling

Jaya, Malaysia, SStwo Mall is positioned to bring new commerce
opportunities and enhance the quality of life for residents of
Fresh from last year’s successful SS2. The project is seen by many as an essential development to
inaugural Kuala Lumpur Design breathe new life into the aging but popular Malaysian suburb.
Week, the annual KLDW festival
is primed to set Kuala Lumpur
ablaze with creative sparks once
again, from the 1st to 16th of May.
There are three main locations this
year – the National Art Gallery,
which will host all the International
Designers’ Exhibition, Business of
Design Dialogue and Malaysian
Masters Forum; CapSquare KL,
which will host all Business of
Design exhibitions and events,
School Showcase, and the Food
& Beverages + Design Fest; and
the Kuala Lumpur Convention
Centre will host the Typographic
Conference, Creative Magazine
Symposium and SuperAnimotion
Conference. A host of notable
international and local creative
professionals will be participating.
www.kualalumpurdesignweek.com.my

8 blueprint asia
 ” - Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe
“
Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe (1749
-1832) is a German
writer & polymath
Learning architecture is no different than learning music - their
work can be thought of in such musical terms as rhythm and
harmony, theme and variation, proportion, balance, and compo-
sition. There is a lyrical quality to their work, in the ways that
they played the ebb and flow of space, enclosure and openness,
movement and stasis. Each was acutely aware of spatial expe-
a celebration of architecture and music

rience and the opportunity for beauty and composition.

find out more

www.archustic.co.cc
Pulse Seen/
Heard
www.vwfa.net

Continuing it’s recent theme of unseen worlds is a exhibition on new photography from South East Asia, CUT 2010. Featuring works by
various South East Asian artists like Eiffel Chong, Shooshie Sulaiman, Mintio, Zhau Rehnhui/The Institute of Critical Zoologists, Michael
Shaowanasai and Wawi Navarroza, the show presents an ecletic mix of alternate visions and surrealities that challenges audience percep-
tions. The authenticity of photography as a conveyor for truth has been distorted and empowered throughout its evolution – and CUT 2010
seeks to explore the limits of the imagination, adventure, and escape that the medium can provide. The show, which ran from 3 to 27 March
in Kuala Lumpur, will move on to tour Singapore and Manila in June and September respectively.

Parallel
Universe

www.vwfa.net
The Singapore Biennale, a critical platform for collaborations and
dialogue about the state of contemporary art, has recently con-
Greek Reality
Valentine Willie Fine Art recently presented
Beyond Reality, a solo exhibition by Indonesian-
based Greek artist Tano Papadopoulos. Tano’s
stunning works combine traditional South East
Asian techniques like Batik, charcoal drawing from
European tradition, Byzantine icon painting, and
Greek Nopographia (al fresco). Presented as an
artistic journey beyond the limits of our senses
(hence the show’s title), Tano’s works represent his
lifelong commitment to explore ‘worlds unseen’.
Singapore
UNStudio
Expands
Amsterdam-based UNStudio has
opened UNStudio Asia, its first
Asian office located in Shanghai,
China. The new office will initially
serve to facilitate the design pro-
cess for the Raffles City project
in Hangzhou, but is expected to
expand into a multinational team
within the next two to five years.

firmed the initial group of artists for the Biennale in 2011. They are
Elmgreen and Dragset, Cael Floyer, Rafael Lozana-Hemmer, Tatzu
Biennale 2011
Nishi, Arin Rungjang, Charles Sandison, Shooshi Sulaiman, Tan announces its first
Pin Pin, Ming Wong, and Goto Design. 10 artists
www.singaporebiennale.org

Charles
Sandison
(China Family,
2006)
Ceal Floyer (Overhead Shooshie Sulaiman Ming Wong (Life of
Projection, 2006) (Darkroom, 2009) Imitation, 2009)

10 blueprint asia
Pulse Seen/
Heard

www.designcity.lu/www.mudam.lu
Design City
Luxembourg
A new event, Design City Luxembourg – Edition 0 by Mudam, aims to explore the
influence of design on urban spaces and daily life though a series of events and
manifestations take will take place from 23 April to 6 June throughout the city of
Luxembourg. Meant to set the basis for raising awareness of design issues in the
development of the city, the event aims to instill a philosophy of living where creative
professional play a stronger role in translating the needs of a city’s citizens, and to
contribute to improving the quality of life. The event will offer an open-air circuit with
guided visits, projections, conferences, a workshop, a flea market and a creator’s
market. Among the participants include an installation by 3RS Ar(t)chitectures, Phillip
Stark, Ross Lovegrove, Sebastien Wierinck, Lucille Soufflet, Peter Newman, Michael
Bihain and Cédric Callewaert.

Maarten
The Ondine bench, by Michael Bihain and Cedric Callewaert
(‘edited’ by TF France), will be among the items on exhibit at Baas’s
Design City Luxembourg
Iphone app
Every year in Milan, Maarten Baas
surprises and confuses the design
audience by coming up with un-
predictable concepts which often
shake up the fixed borders of
design. Baas, known for his hand-
made limited pieces mostly made
for museums and private collec-
tors, turned his hands this year
World’s Most
not on a new collection, but on a Advanced LED Plant
one dollar iPhone app, the Analog,
Digital Clock. The app juxtaposes Osram recently opened the world’s most
a museum piece as a mass prod- advanced LED chip production plant in Pen-
uct: again an unexpected twist in ang, Malaysia. It is the company’s first ever
Baas’ eclectic range of works. “I LED chip plant in Asia, and underscores its
always make works without any commitment in the burgeoning global LED
concessions on the quality and market. Osram has been making significant
authenticity, therefore they often inroads into the LED market of late, among
are high-end unique works. The them the use of its LED lighting solutions in
Analog Digital Clock as an iPhone Indonesia’s first LED-lit toll road, and more
app, is exactly how it should be, glamorously in the new Audi A8.
yet this product only needs to cost
www.osram.com
one dollar.” This clock is avail-
able for the iPhone’s iTunes App
Store, and instead of a presenta-
tion space, Baas rented a private
apartment for a week to display
the the app.
www.maartenbaas.com

12 blueprint asia
 complied by hajime yatate

Sparch Lights
up the Shanghai
Waterfront Shanghai’s historical legacy as an
‘Oriental Pearl’ will be re-invograted
with the new Shanghai International
Cruise Terminal mixed-use devel-
opment. Designed by Sparch, it is
scheduled for completion in May this
year. The centerpiece of the devel-
opment is a structure nicknamed the
‘Shanghai Chandelier’ – a 40m-high
glass-clad portal that overlooks the
public park and waterfront. Looking
up from the ground, a spellbind-
ing view greets visitors in the form
of floating cafes, restaurants and
bars, suspended on cables beneath
Artist’s impression of the ‘Shanghai
Chandelier’ at night
a seven-storey steel truss. This con-
struction is the very first suspended
cable construction of its type in
the world, and is in reaction to the
Shanghai authorities desire to cre-
ate more ‘breathing spaces’ in the
crowded municipality.

Good People Wanted!

- contributing writers
- project reviewers
- creative visual professionals
www.maxxi.beniculturali.it

MAXXI
Officially
Opens
MAXXI, the new National Museum of XXI
Centery Arts in Rome, will be officially
opened to the public on 30 May 2010. De-
signed by Zaha Hadid Architects, MAXXI’s
architecture is undeniably early Zaha Hadid
– and was selected as a result of an interna-
tional architectural competition organized by
Italy’s Special Superintendency of the Na-
tional Gallery of Modern Art at the behest of
the Ministry of Cultural Heritage in 1998.

Blueprint Asia is looking for correspondents, writers, photographers and illustrators who are
interested to contribute or be part of our team. If you’re good at what you do and would like to
be in on the action, drop us a line at enquiry@lineofblue.com.
issue 20 may 2010
13
Pulse Diary
of
events
[ M A L AY S I A ]
29 APR – 2 MAY
HOMEDEC 2010
CIS NETWORK
Recognised as the home inte-
rior lifestyle and living trend-setter,
HOMEDEC is a comprehensive
exhibition that bridges homeowners
to all the renovation, redecoration
and refurbishment needs under one
roof. A series of popular highlights,
concurrent activities plus a wide and
varied participation from relevant
industry players makes this exhibition
a vibrant marketplace for homeown-
ers seeking the latest interior lifestyle
and living ideas, trends, products,
services, designs and solutions.
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre,
Malaysia.
T: +603 7982 4668
F: +603 7982 1648
E: info@cisnetwork.com
W: www.homedec.com.my
1 – 16 MAY
KLDW 2010 - KL DESIGN
WEEK
VIP MISSION SDN. BHD.
In line with the arising public aware-
ness of preserving mother earth in
this age of technological advances,
the theme will be EAST MEET WEST
-“Doing Digital”. There are more
programmes added into the festival
components, such as The Business
of Design Evening, F&B+Design
Sessions, and a Street & Bistro Music
Fest. These are expected to add
flair to the festival, in addition to the
annual array of event line-ups, which
includes exhibitions, conferences and
celebrations.
Venue: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
E: info@kldesignweek.com
W: www.kldesignweek.com
12 – 17 JUNE
XXII Architectural
Workshop 2010 -
Archustic
UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN
MALAYSIA (UKM)
The theme of the 22nd Architec-
ture Archustic is a celebration of
Malaysian diversity. The jamboree
encourages participants to join hand
in hand to define Malaysia and the
role we must play in its future – to
foster understanding, respects and
friendship.
Venue: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
(UKM), Bangi, Selangor.
T: +6017 432 2616 (Mr. Beh Ssi Cze)
E: ssicze.beh@gmail.com
14
complied by eunice loh
1-4 JULY
ARCHIDEX 2010
CIS NETWORK
ARCHIDEX is recognised by many as
the Malaysia’s annual premier exhibi-
tion for the architecture, interior
design and building industry. Several
key activities and events will be fea-
tured, which serves as the key point
for the congregation of thousands
of architects, interior designers and
building industry professionals from
around the world. Two of the main
highlights are the DATUM: KL 2010
(International Architectural Design
Conference) and KLDF 2010 (Kuala
Lumpur Design Forum), where local
and internationally reknowned archi-
tects and interior designers will be
presenting their works and sharing
their design philosophies. There will
also be networking opportunities for
the local architectural and interior
design fraternity.
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention
Centre, Malaysia.
T: +603 2333 2888
F: +603 2333 2800
E: info@klccconventioncentre.com
W: www.archidex.com.my
[THAI LAN D]
15 MAR
RENEWABLE ENERGY
THAILAND 2010
UBM ASIA (THAILAND) CO. LTD.
With the fluctuation of oil prices and
the impact of global warming, renew-
able energy is now one of the hottest
growth areas in the business. Bio-
mass, hydro and geo-thermal power,
solar and wind – all these technolo-
gies are now of enormous global
interest, and Bangkok’s Renewable
Energy Asia 2009 exhibition is set to
become one of the most important
exhibitions in South East Asia.
Venue: Bangkok International Trade and
Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok.
T: +66 0 2642 6911
F: +66 0 2642 6919-20
E: info@cmpthailand.com
W: www.renewableenergy-asia.com/
[C H I NA]
CONFERENCE: 7-10 SEPT
CUMULUS Shanghai
Conference 2010
College of Design & Innova-
tion of Tongji University
The theme for Cumulus Shanghai
Conference 2010 is “Young Creators
for Better City and Better Life.” The
conference aims to explore how
the young generation of designers
can improve our environment and
life in creative ways. The emerging
missions and visions of future design
education, research and practice,
together with its economic, political
and social impacts of the era, will
also be discussed during the confer-
ence. Design educators, practitioners,
and researchers are invited to join
the cross-disciplinary conversation.
Abstract deadline: 1 Mar
Notification of abstract
acceptance: 5 APR
Full paper deadline: 1 JUN
Notification of full paper
acceptance: 5 JULY
Full paper submission deadline:
5 AUG
Venue: College of Design & Innovation,
Tongji University, Shanghai.
E: cumulus2010@tongji.edu.cn
W: http://www.dexigner.com/jump/
news/19719
[KOR EA]
22-25 JUNE
LED & GREEN LIGHTING
EXPO 2010
EXPOnU.
One of the region’s signature events
for business people who want to
understand the direction the industry
is moving in and meet key industry
players.
Venue: Korea International Exhibition
Centre (KINTEX), Korea.
T: +822 783 7979
F: +822 783 7292
E: led@exponu.com
W: www.ledexpo.com
[COM PETITION s]
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: NO
LATER THAN 31 JANUARY 2011
MACTAC INNOVATIVE
AWARDS 2011
The 7th edition of the MACtac In-
novative Awards rolls around once
again – a global competition that is
open for all visual communication
players that produce works using
MACtac® : MACmark®, IMAGin®,
MACscreen® or Permacolor®
products. Two separate panels will
judge the projects and award prizes
to the successful entrants in Europe/
Latin America on the one hand and
Asia/Oceania/Middle East/Africa on
the other. By running the competi-
tion simultaneously in both regions,
MACtac ensures that all candidates
will be judged by the most objective
possible cultural and commercial
criteria.
W: www.mactac-europe.com
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 3 JUNE
UNBUILT ARCHITECTURE
AWARDS 2010
Unbuilt architectural designs of any
project type are eligible including
purely theoretical projects and
unbuilt client-sponsored projects
(buildings, interiors, transportation
infrastructure, monuments, etc.; all
project types). Projects under con-
struction or otherwise apparently as-
sured of construction are not eligible.
There are no geographical or other
restrictions on the individuals, teams,
firms or institutions eligible to submit
and there are no restrictions on the
presumed or imagined location of
projects. The intent is to invite unbuilt
work by practicing design profes-
sionals, design educators and design
students throughout the world.
W: www.architects.org/design_awards_pro-
grams/index.cfm?doc_id=274
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 30 SEPT
ASIA WITHOUT
BORDERS PHOTO
COMPETITION 2010:
POETRY IN MOTION
This photography competition chal-
lenges amateur and professional
shutterbugs to capture that which
is beautiful to watch, based on the
theme. There are 4 main categories:
Wild in Motion, Earth in Motion,
People in Motion and Freedom in
Motion. One winner and runner-up
will be selected from each category,
with a grand prize awarded to the
best overall photograph as judged by
out panel.
W: http://www.asiangeo.com/poetryinmo-
tion.html
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 31 AUG
Aesthetica Creative
Works Competition
2010
This competition is internationally
recognised for identifying new artists
and writers and bringing them to in-
ternational attention. The Aesthetica
Creative Works Competition repre-
sents the scope of creative activity
today, and provides an opportunity
for both new and established artists
to nurture their reputations on an
international scale. There are three
categories: Artwork & Photography,
Fiction and Poetry. Entry is open to
anyone in the world.
W: www.aestheticamagazine.com/submis-
sion_guide.htm
blueprint asia

The Devon
Works Tread 1
Watch
The Tread 1 is an innovatively
designed watch from Devon,
a design lab dedicated to craft-
ing innovative luxury prod-
ucts. Featuring cutting-edge
futuristic design, Devon touts
the Tread 1 as an engineering
masterpiece, one that is a big,
bold, sexy declaration of inde-
issue 20 may 2010
pendence from the status quo.
The movement of Tread 1 is a
mesmerizing display of patented
interwoven system of time belts.
This series of belts expresses the
hours and minutes in exacting
motion, while the seconds indi-
cator runs in continous motion.
To ensure accuracy, a propri-
etary optical recognition system
monitors each belt position at
all times.
Four extremely compact
microstep motors, powered by
a lithium polymer rechargeable
cell that will run for up to two
weeks on a single charge, drive
the movement of the four belts
with efficiency, exacting power
and steadfast accuracy. The belt
assemblies are mounted on a
central chassis, which allows
for the perfect clearance of the
moving parts and also creates
the illusion that the parts are
floating within the case. Fiber-
reinforced glass nylon allows for
belts that are only 2/1,000 of an
inch thick while being strong and
stable enough to ensure continu-
ous accuracy.
The Pulse
Goods
The look of the watch, in-
spired by industrial conveyor
belts and motorcycles, required
such unique manufacturing pro-
cesses it required the input of a
Californian aerospace engineer-
ing company to help develop
the intricate technology re-
quired to produce the timekeep-
ing movement of the watch.
Whether working on a car,
motorcycle or watch, the chal-
lenge posed by Devon founder
Scott Devon to his design team
was both simple and daunting:
“We sought to create a design
that redefines the category.
We consulted with experts in a
variety of fields in order to build
new innovations and keep push-
ing boundaries.” All of this adds
up to head-turning aesthetics,
one that will no doubt appeal to
not only the creatively inclined,
but to watch enthuisasts that
embrace innovation.
www.devonworks.com
15
Pulse The
Goods

Snow Lamp
Inspired by wintry lights, the Snow Lamp is an
elegant light offering a fresh perspective to the
function of a typical floor lamp. It is designed
to emit light in every direction, generating a
comfortable ambient lighting that is rare for floor
lamps. Despite its elongated shape, the Snow Lamp The super adorable Face
is a stable fixture, made possible by a heavy 2kg Chair, by Istanbul-based Bora
“snowball” hanging within the main column of the Çakilkaya, was designed with
lamp. Designed by Louise Campbell, the Snow Lamp the following objectives – to
was a Red Dot Design Award winner in the lighting be simple, memorable and to
category. last many years. Inspired by
www.louis-poulsen.com the mediterrenean countryside
Available in Malaysia and Singapore from www. and the typical ‘village chair’,
it is guaranteed to put a smile
Orbiting
spacefurniture.com
on one’s face.

Bookshelves www.p-arch.com

The Orbit Bookshelf

from Bonaldo is a fresh
take on book-shelving
systems – a fun and
decorative object that is
suitable even in confined
spaces. Designed by Gino
Carollo, it can be rotated
to allow the maximum
use of space. Orbit is
available in varnished
wood in traditional,
black, white, cappuccino
and gold colors.
www.bonaldo.it
Cadmo Apple’s iPad
Crude puns aside, and unless one
Karim Rashid’s name seems has been living under a rock, the
to be popping up quite often iPad is by now old news to most.
in the industrial design scene. For those residing in countries
Among his latest works is the outside the US, the wait for the
Cadmo, from Artemide – a iPad to be officially available has
sculptural floor lamp, with been somewhat long in coming,
stunning lines and curves that with the latest news being that the
provides two light emissions iPad will be available in Australia,
(indirect and diffused). The France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Cadmo was the winner of Spain, Switzerland and the UK on
the 2010 iF award under the May 28 2010. As for other asian
product design category. countries like Singapore, Malaysia
and Hong Kong, you’re out of luck –
www.artemide.com
an announcement on availability will
Available in Malaysia from Lightcraft
be made by Apple at a later date.
(www.lightcraft.com.my)
Selling a credible one million iPads
in 28 days from its launch, the iPad
looks to be another sellout hit for
Apple, and another case study for
industrial designers everywhere.

www.apple.com/ipad

Scanning Revolutionised
Doxie is a cute-looking document scanner that, unlike conventional scanners,
takes the hassle out of scanning documents. It is USB powered, and scans right
to local and web-based apps – its convenience particularly shines when used
with cloud applications like Google Docs, Flickr and Twitter – eliminating the
usual multiple stages required to prep a scanned document for use. At an ultra-
light 310 grams and a compact form factor, Doxie can be carried conveniently
on the go, and features a respectable enough 600dpi color scanning resolution.
Available directly from www.getdoxie.com for US$129

16 blueprint asia
 The Pulse
Goods

Office
Cred
Boby
Any collection of office furnishing staples cannot
be complete without a mention of the Boby.
Designed by Joe Colombo in 1970, the Boby is
a timeless storage trolley par excellence. Made
of injection-moulded ABS plastic. Its versatility,

Bringing vertical modularity and high storage capacity

make it an object for everyday use in a whole
host of different environments: the home, office,

Nature Home
Korean designer Shawn Soh’s Tree Bookshelf is delightfully literal in
doctor’s surgery, laboratories and shops.
www.b-line.it

its approach – a bookshelf that mimics the form of a tree – which in

the words of Shawn, is “a tree that becomes a book that becomes
a tree”. As books are stacked unto the irregular-planed shelves, the
form changes dynamically, the books serving almost as ‘blooms’ or
leaves to the tree’s structure. Constructed of powder-coated metal,
the entire series of Tree Bookshelves are exlusively produced in the
designer’s own studio. Each bookshelf takes a week to produce, and
the entire process (welding, bending, etc…) is done by hand.

www.designartist.co.kr

Vitra Workbay
Aside from all the attention
one will get with
this chair, the Vitra
Workbay protects
one from visual and
acoustic distractions,
thanks to the shape
Molecule comes of its high backrest. It
opens the possibility
to Malaysia for users to distance
themselves, even in busy
The newly opened Molecule
home accessories and furniture environments, so as to be
showroom in Malaysia able to concentrate better
represents a much welcome with fewer disruptions. A
boost in providing locals with gift for the grumpy creative
more design choices for the
home. Featuring an extensive
head that hates
range of swanky and modern to be disturbed,
home furnishing pieces, most items are perhaps?
exclusively carried by Molecule. Brands carried include
Cattelan Italia, Vibieffe, Naos, Pallucco, Pedrali, Diamantini www.vitra.com
and Domeniconi, F&F, Kundalini, Movelight, Sirecom Tappeti Available in Malaysia and
as well as Dutch brands like Karlsson, Present Time, Nextime Singapore from www.
and Fatboy. Get your design brand fix at the high-end Pavilion
spacefurniture.com
Shopping Mall in downtown Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

www.moleculeliving.com

issue 20 may 2010

17
 on
all books are available at Basheer Graphic Books BB Plaza Kuala Lumpur. tel 603 2713 2236 / kl@basheergraphic.com
Pulse
the
shelves
101 Things I Learned
in Architecture
School
Matthew Frederick
MIT Press
An indispensable book for
students of architecture – this
book is a classic that expresses
in clear, simple terms, things
that tend to be mystified in the
architecture classroom. A total
of 101 concise lessons in design,
drawing, and presentation –
from the basics of how to draw
a line, to the complexities of
color theory – provide a much-
needed primer in architec-
tural literacy, making concrete
what is often left nebulous or
open-ended in architecture.
Experienced practitioners will
also find the book useful as a
guide back to the basics when
faced with a complex design
problem.
Decorating Asia
Tatjana Schantz
Johnsson
Page One
Decorating Asia taps into the
range of rich and diverse styl-
ing elements that are reflected
in Asian countries, highlighted
18
by the strong color themes
found in each country. The
book centres around nine
countries/regions, taking you
on a visual journey through
inspirational shots that depict
the cultural elements of Asian
countries and showing one how
to incorporate such style ele-
ments in your home.
This Way Please
– Environmental
Graphic Design
Worldwide
Wang Shaoqiang
Sandu Publishing /
Page One
Signs are not simply instru-
mental. They convey more
than objective information.
They may take many different
forms, enhance the spirit of
place and engage at various
levels with people’s emotions.
This book is about the art of
communication design for the
built environment. Its give valu-
able practical help in defining
and resolving the vast briefs
of today’s mammoth building
complexes: in how to establish
meaningful and memorable ur-
ban identities; in working with
the client and efficiently man-
aging schedules and budgets;
in collaborating with many
other professionals engaged in
blueprint asia
submission of books for review consideration can be sent to the editor, blueprint asia
(mailing address as listed on the editor’s page). books submitted are not returnable.
urban design and place mak-
ing, from strategic planning
through to final execution; and
in creating effective graphic
messages that engage peo-
ple’s emotions and add to the
sense of place.
Shigeru Ban – Paper
in Architecture
Riichi Miyake, Ian Luna &
Lauren A. Gould
Rizzoli
This monograph chronicles
Shigeru Ban’s explorations in
“paper architecture.” Informed
by a thorough and early inter-
est in sustainable forms, his
innovative practice pioneered
the use of paper as a struc-
tural element in buildings. This
book features permanent and
temporary structures, ranging
from one-off museums and
exhibition spaces to emer-
gency structures for com-
munities displaced by natural
and man-made catastrophes.
The forty projects featured in
issue 20 may 2010
exclusive voucher
the books
this issue
reviewed
any of
20%
off
This Voucher
is only valid
at at the bukit
bintang outlet
signs from China and around
the globe. With distinctive of Basheer
projects from Europe, Aus- Graphic Books
to be
tralia, USA and other regions, Present this voucher
the book aims to profile the a disco un t. Only
entitled for
the book showcase the vari- most imaginative, creative vouc her s will be
original
ety of possible applications and alluring residences. The taine d. Ot her ter ms and
enter
for paper and its derivative selected works are presented conditions apply.
forms (cardboard, fiber-based with full-colour photographs,
composites). As flexible as plans, drawings and detailed
it is adaptable, when used project descriptions both in
in tandem with other locally English and Chinese. Display-
sourced building materials or ing enlightening and inspiring
post-industrial surplus (mari- residential design trends, this
time shipping containers), book is a valuable reference
Ban’s singular use of paper for homeowners, architects
knowingly references paper’s and designers alike.
traditional uses in vernacular
Japanese buildings, and ad-
vances modern construction
technology, reducing its envi-
ronmental impact.
Books
Basheer Graphic
East Meets West 3rd Flr 001, Bu kit Bintang Plaza,
– Modern Living Jalan Bukit Bntang
Space 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 2713 2236
Wang Shaoqiang
Fax: (603) 2143 2236
Sandu Publishing hic.com
Email: kl@basheergrap
East Meets West showcases
/
brilliant modern residential de- malaysia / singapore
a / ho ng kong /
indonesi
thailand
19
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Magiline, a leader in the European pool market, is now available
in Malaysia. With a host of features that go beyond conventional
swimming pools, the proof of its innovation is the more than 40,000
pools installed worldwide since 1994. Key among its features is the
unique filtration system.
Filtration is one of the key consid-
erations of pool design. To ensure
that the water is always crystal
clear, adequate filtration must be
provided. Conventional filtration
systems require a separate equip-
ment room to house the pump
– which often results in ungainly
aesthetic compromises, especially
when working within a limited
area. Magiline’s unique pool filtra-
tion system addresses this problem,
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Economical
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issue 20 may 2010
also extremely fine filtration of up
to 15 µm. This means that smaller
pollutants are filtered before any
chemical treatment, resulting in
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chemicals that degrade the user
enjoyment of the pool. This level of
filtration is among the highest avail-
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Long-term maintenance is also
addressed by the filtration system,
with the Magiline broom (which
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tration sytems require significantly
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On the ecological front, the filtra-
tion system scores high marks as
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week to clean. It also features en-
ergy recovery – the pump is water-
cooled, and the heat recovered
from the cooling water is returned
to warm up the pool water. Magi-
line’s filtration systems are also
one of the quietest, as it can be
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The innovative monobloc con-
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An extensive range of liners, friez-
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21
Pulse Sleepbox Russia

Designed by Russian Architects

the Arch Group, the Sleepbox is
envisaged to be used primarily in
busy trains stations, airports and
Sleepbox shopping centres – providing pe-

Sci-fi fans will love the Sleepbox, a device that pro-

poses for a fast-food style approach to rest for weary travellers or pedestrians within urban environments.
destrians a quick and convenient
option to catch 40 winks at a mo-
ment’s notice. In more temperate
Essentially a one-person hotel, the modular and easily assembled (looking) Sleepbox is a 2 x 1.4 x 2.3 metre climates, the Sleepbox can also
cubicle – of which each contains a bed, LCD TV and power outlets. Sheets are changed automatically via a be installed unto the streets. The
continous roll of bed linen that ‘winds’ across the mattress, and rest can be booked at 15-minute blocks. idea definitely deserves some
consideration, and one can see its
potential usefulness particularly
in transportation hubs. There is
even a rumor circulating that the
Dubai Airport is planning to in-
stall 50 to 70 of these Sleepboxes.
WIRED Magazine’s Gadget Lab
cheekily commented on what
would likely be it’s real-world
use – one that will most obviously
happen the minute two people
sneak in there together. All we
(and WIRED) can say is, thank
goodness for those self-changing
sheets!

www.arch-group.org

22 blueprint asia
 Korea
Living Light Pavilion
It Lives!
It Lives!
Living Light is a permanent
outdoor pavilion with a dynamic
skin that glows and blinks in
response to both data about
air quality and public interest
in the environment. Sited in
Peace Park, Seoul, just across
the World Cup Stadium, the
pavilion’s ‘skin’ is a representa-
tion of the map of Seoul, with its
27 neighbourhood boundaries
– displayed and redrawn based
on existing air quality sensors
from the Korean Ministry of
Environment. The dome-like
structure is made from transpar-
ent luminescent panels, and il-
luminated by LEDs – when daily
air pollution levels improve in
one area over the previous year’s,
the corresponding neighbour-
issue 20 may 2010
Living Light Pavilion Pulse
hood boundary is illuminated.
The Living Light proves it pos-
sible to create forward-thinking
architecture that is more than
just flash and concept, but one
that is potentially useful – in this
case, merging media information
within its form to offer more
than just a canopy and tactile
enclosure, but one that shares
Prepare to be borgified!
important real-time information
about our shared resources and
collective concerns.
City-dwellers can enter the
pavilion or view it from nearby
streets and buildings, and can
even text message the structure,
where it will text the user back
with air quality information. De-
While not quite at the
state of self-awareness,
signed by Soo-in Yang and David
the Living Light Pavil- Benjamin of The Living, a process
ion’s interactivity might
be somewhat eerie to of automated optimisation – with
some – Aside from a a parametric model, multi-objec-
morphing visual display,
text it via a mobile or tive optimization software, and a
through the internet, and genetic algorithm – was used to
it will respond with up-
dated pollution reports. generate 25,000 possible designs.
The eventual form – a final roof-
and-column frame, performs well
structurally and uses material
efficiently, but is unexpected and
different than any rule-of-thumb
would suggest.
Yang and Benjamin imagines
that similar glass skins could
one day be attached to buildings,
effectively making a new type of
building façade that can double-
up as functional public spaces.
www.livinglightseoul.net
23
 PORTFOLIO Camenzind Evolution Switzerland

24 blueprint asia
 G io o g l e d
n Switzerland
Google is not a conventional company, and this is readily apparent in their new office
in Zurich, Switzerland, Google’s EMEA Engineering Hub –
where the design cultivates an energised and inspiring work environment

that is relaxed but focused, and abuzz with activities.

issue 20 may 2010

25
 Google’s new EMEA Engi-
neering Hub is located within
the ‘Hurlimann Areal’ within
easy walking distance of
Zurich city centre. The site was
originally a local brewery that has
been regenerated into a vibrant
mixed-use development of apart-
ments, shops, offices and a spa
hotel. The Google building is a
contemporary seven storey shell
and core office block offering
12’000 square metres of floor area
for up to 800 staff.
Google is in the process of
rapid expansion in Zurich where
the headcount has doubled in the
last 12 months. The challenge for
the architects was therefore to set
up a tailor-made design and con-
struction process, which would
meet the tight time and budget
constraints whilst endorsing a
very broad participatory design
methodology. Based on their
method statements, Camenzind
Evolution was selected in a com-
petitive tender-interview process
to become the lead architect and
project manager for the interior
design and fit-out of the new
Google Engineering Hub.
Google celebrates individuality,
creativity and innovative business
practice within a high-energy
environment and emphasises the
importance of the individual and
maintaining a small-company
ambience throughout company
growth. Thus, the key element
in the design approach was that
the Googlers in Zurich (fondly
referred to as Zooglers) would be
allowed to participate in the de-
sign process in order create their
own local identity. Under the
guidance of the Director of In-
ternational Real Estate at Google
in Mountain View, an interactive
and transparent approach to the
architectural process was imple-
mented from the beginning.
A diverse team of local Zoog-
lers were formed as the steering
committee to represent the entire
office. This committee reviewed,
challenged and approved the de-
sign throughout the project. This
unique method of engagement
provided open collaboration,
unique perspectives and ideas,
and supplied a direct sense of
ownership throughout the Zurich
office. To this end, Camenzind
Evolution was neither given a
specific brief nor a corporate
identity manual and was in fact
explicitly asked not to research
the organisation and the design of
other Google offices.
26
The architects began with a Right: The diverse and
highly quirky, personalised
rapid process of research and spaces scattered across
the office effectively
analysis to map out the opportu- enforces and frames the
nities and challenges posed by the creative culture that is
espoused and highly
building as well as the emotional valued by the client
and practical requirements of the
Zooglers. The latter was achieved
by conducting a survey of all the
Zooglers, complemented by a
series of workshops and inter-
views. This research, guided by
a psychologist, extended beyond
purely functional aspects, and
provided information about the
Zooglers’ personality types, rep-
resentational systems, values and
motivational factors.
Although the details of the
survey remain confidential,
the process revealed that the
optimal working environment
for Zooglers needed to be diverse
and at the same time harmonious
whilst making it a fun and an
enjoyable place to work in. The
survey also showed that while
personal workspaces needed to
be functional and more neutral,
communal areas had to offer
strong visual and more aestheti-
cally enjoyable and entertaining
qualities to stimulate creativity,
innovation and collaboration.
Based on the survey, concept
options were developed and
presented. The Zooglers decided
early on that they preferred to
reduce their personal net area of
workspace in order to gain more
communal and meeting areas.
The working areas were therefore
designed with a high degree of
space efficiency. Additionally,
they had to be able to accom-
modate frequent staff rotation
and growth. On average a Googler
moves twice a year within the
building, consequently the office
layout was designed for maximum
adaptability so that all groups and
departments can use any part of
the office space. The office areas
are organised along a central core
and are a mixture of open-plan
workspaces for 6-10 people and
enclosed offices for 4-6 people.
All office enclosures are con-
structed using a glass partition
system, which maintains transpar-
ency and optimises daylight while
reducing noise and achieving the
required degree of privacy for
working teams. Each office floor is
colour-coded and themed for easy
orientation; for example, on the
blue floor large photographs and
graphics on the themes of water
and snow enhance the colour con-
cept and make it an integral part
of the interior design.
blueprint asia
issue 20 may 2010
27

> Location The Zoogler engineers tackle
Zurich, Switzerland
some of the most interesting
> Architecture and
Project Management challenges in computing today.
Camenzind Evolution As many of the teams in Zurich
> Building Engineering work together with Google teams
Amstein + Walthert
all over the world, meeting rooms
> Office Furniture
Consultant
fitted with video-conferencing
Büronauten Ltd. equipment are very important.
Consequently there are a large
number of small to medium-sized
meeting rooms situated through-
out the office space. Apart from
the standard meeting rooms,
there are also many informal
meeting areas, which have a more
relaxed atmosphere for teams to
have creative discussions around
white-boards. Some of them
also incorporate the theme of
the floor, like the Igloo Satellite
Cabins with penguins and the
original ski-gondolas in a snow-
scape on the blue floor.
The concept of the communal
areas relates directly to the
28
project research conclusions and
wider research that indicates
relaxation to be crucial to in-
novation and stimulating original
thought. Work and play are not
mutually exclusive, or as Google
puts it “it is possible to code and
pass the puck at the same time”.
Based on this concept Camenzind
Evolution developed themed
communal areas associated with
sport and leisure; for example,
an aquarium water lounge for
relaxation and a games room to
play billiards, table football and
interactive video games. There is
also an antique-themed library
and a massage spa to soothe any
tight shoulder muscles. Most of
these spaces also contain ‘micro
kitchens’ offering the Zooglers
a variety of drinks and snacks
throughout the day.
The diversity of the communal
areas provides a great choice of
distinctive emotional and visual
experiences and activities. These
ensure that there is a suitably
relaxing or inspiring environment
for the individual needs of the
more than 50 nationalities repre-
sented in the Zurich office. The
communal areas are intentionally
dispersed throughout the building
to encourage Zooglers to circulate
throughout the seven floors to
enhance communication between
the different working groups and
teams. In this way the building has
evolved into a Google city with
easy reference points for Zooglers
and visitors to navigate the build-
ing. To allow speedy movement
with fun between floors, “quick
connections” comprising fire
poles to slide down link some of
the communal areas with the floor
above – making sure the Zooglers
can reach their coffee just that
little bit faster. And for the really
hungry Zooglers, a steep and fast
slide spirals down from the offices
on the first floor directly into the
centre of the Milliways cafeteria
on the ground floor.
Food is very important to
Google, and the Zurich office
is no exception. The Milliways
cafeteria serves free breakfast,
lunch and dinner and the chefs
use only fresh, high quality ingre-
dients and local produce to make
healthy delicious food. Coming
together for eating is also a great
opportunity for the Zooglers to
meet and talk to people they don’t
work directly with. To balance
the good food, a staffed gym
offers yoga, Pilates and fitness
classes to encourage the Zooglers
to keep fit and healthy.
There are also a large number
of technical talks at Google.
Google ‘Tech Talks’ are designed
to disseminate a wide spectrum
of views on topics ranging from
Current Affairs, Science and En-
gineering to Entertainment and
the Arts. For these talks and many
other events, conference facilities
for up to 200 people have been
designed on the ground floor.
When taken as a whole, the new
Google EMEA Engineering Hub
in Zurich is essentially about
functionality and flexibility in
the personal workspace, and
in choice and diversity in the
community areas, creating an
environment that holistically sup-
ports the Zooglers in their work
and well-being. The research
undertaken by the architects
ensured that their efforts would
be sharply focused on aspects of
the environment that mattered
the most to the Zooglers in their
working lives.
blueprint asia
 Thailand WOHA PORTFOLIO

Temperately
Considered
Singapore-based WOHA’s design
for The Met explores strategies of
high-density living in a high-rise tropical environment.

The concept for The Met is to develop an ad-

vanced form of high-rise living for the tropics,
to be conceived less from western temperate models
and more from research on the possibilities of low-wind,
tropical climates in dense urban conditions. Additionally,
WOHA incorporated several ideas that were originally
developed for a public housing competition in Singapore.
The crux of the issue when it comes to high-rise
designs is that they have traditionally followed temper-
ate models that were largely developed in New York or
Chicago, where cold weather and strong winds are a
predominant climatic feature. This has resulted in apart-
ments or high-rises that are often compact, insulated from
the exterior and without sun shading or overhangs. In this
context the building acts as a protective shell, designed to
shield the inhabitants from the harsh weather.
By contrast, design for the tropics should take advan-
tage of year-round warm weather, capture breezes, and
be laid-out for cross-ventilation, incorporating outdoor
spaces, verandahs and gardens. Buildings are framing
devices of minimal environmental devices for an indoor-
outdoor lifestyle.

issue 20 May 2010

29
 > Location > Architect in > C&S Engineers
1
Bangkok, Thailand Association Worley Pte Ltd
Tandem Architects > M&E
> Architect
> Expected Completion Lincolne Scott Ng Pte
WOHA December 2009 Ltd
> Project Team
> Project Cost
Landscape Architect
Wong Mun Summ, USD 132 million Cicada Pte Ltd
Richard Hassell. Sim > EIA Consultant
Choon Heok, Punpong > Site Area
11,360.5 sq. metres ERM – Siam Co Ltd
Wiwatkul, Puiphai
Khunawat, Alina Yeo, > Gross Floor Area > Main Contractor

Techit Romraruk, Jose 112,833.5 sq. metres Bouygues Thai Ltd

Nixon Sicat, Cheah > Building Height > Photographer
Boon Kwan, Carina 230.6 metres Tim Griffith / Patrick
Tang, Gerry Richardson, Bingham-Hall
Janita Han

1 4
/ 50-metre swimming / Waterscape and
pool on 9th floor feature wall on 9th floor
2 5
/ Drop-off and / View looking towards
driveway on ground sky in between the
floor towers 1 (from 9th floor)
3
/ Detail view of north
façade

blueprint asia
9th Floor Plan 10
/ Games
11
1 / Gym
/ Lobby Mid & High Zone 12
2 / BBQ Area
/ Lobby Low Zone 13
3 / Pocket Garden
/ Fire Lift Lobby 14
4 / Swimming Pool
/ Fire Staircase 15
5 / Jacuzzis
/ Carpark Lift Lobby 16
6 / Children’s Pool
/ Management 17
7 / Reflection Pool
/ Male Changing Room 18
8 / Pool Deck & Cabana
/ Female Changing Room 19
9 / Soft Scape
/ Aerobics
The Met, as a result, has been
designed with the core principles
of creating a better lifestyle for
central city living in the trop-
2 ics. Going high in the tropics
means cooler breezes, less dust,
3
more privacy, more security, less
noise and better views. To take 4
advantage of these conditions,
the design incorporates a stag-
gered arrangement of blocks that
allow for cross ventilation, views
to both the city and the river,
and the enhancement of gentle
breezes by funneling them be-
tween towers. The gaps between
the towers are bridged with sky
gardens that provide exterior
entertaining areas directly off liv-
ing areas, which are the pools and
gardens. The orientation of the
staggered blocks allows the sun to
penetrate between the blocks on
its regular tropical sun-path.
The apartments’ interiors
interact strongly with the ex-
terior, with full height glazing,
balconies, sky gardens and sky
terraces. Sun shading and over-
hangs provide weather protection
and screen and filter the strong
tropical light. Walls of greenery
provide sun-shading that convert 5
heat into oxygen, improving local
air quality.
Common areas are spread
throughout the towers, offering
inhabitants a variety of experi-
ences, from an intricately de-
signed carpet of water, stone and
vegetation at ground level, to the
extensive indoor-outdoor facili-
ties at the pool level, to libraries,
barbeques, and function areas at
sky terraces.
The hotel block explores
related ideas, providing guests
with huge outdoor balconies
incorporating water features and
trees, staggering up the façade
to provide a layer of interlocking
external spaces.

issue 20 May 2010

 PORTFOLIO van der architects Japan

32 blueprint asia
 A FLexIbLe
SPAce
ernst & Young’s new tokyo office
adopts a clinical approach to it’s design,
one that perfectly embodies the clients, as well as the
architect’s ethos of a space that is ‘more than
just a sum of desks and chairs’.
van der Architects (VDAJ),
a design and project
management firm based
in Tokyo, was tasked by Ernst
& Young to design and project
manage its Transaction Advisory
Services office in Tokyo. This
represented the second time
VDAJ has worked in the client,
with the first involving a renova-
tion project of it’s old office three
years ago. The second time round
involved the relocation of the
office to a new location. From the
onset, both the architect and the
client shared the same mind-set
regarding the design of a work
environment – one that ap-
proaches the space as more than
just a sum of desk and chairs, but
also as a tool to attract and retain
staff as well as to foster teamwork
and communication.
Designing an office for a con-
sultancy company has its specific
challenges – primarily in the na-
ture of the consultants’ work that
required a certain level of flex-
ibility that equally provided for
teamwork and individual work
to be carried out seamlessly. The
architects avoided approaching
the challenge too literally, which
would have likely resulted in an
issue 20 May 2010
office that was like a box filled
with smaller ‘boxes’ – rooms or
cubicles for project and concen-
tration work. Instead, a study
was made of the types of work
performed, going beyond merely
noting requests for certain types
of spaces or furniture. VDAJ
employed a methodology they
called ‘WorkvitaminsTM’ which
took their clients through a sys-
tematic process that used cards,
questionnaires and posters. This
methodology ensured that the
emotional side of a design was
taken into consideration as well,
and one that helped to stretch
the often limited view of what an
office should look like.
A questionnaire that polled
the staff on the existing space
(which VDAJ had designed only
a few years earlier), revealed that
the majority of the employees
were happy with the existing
conditions. Everyone loved their
Vitra Ypsilon chairs, the large
120 degree desks, the openness
of the offices, as well as the
all-glass internal meeting rooms
and private offices. Retaining
elements that worked previously,
the client requested that the new
design should illicit an emotional
response from the staff as well as
their clients. Thus, the brief for
33
 the design was to create a space
that one would either love or
hate.
Keeping to a black and white
monochromatic theme, some
additional colour was carefully
introduced in the meeting areas
through the use of artwork. Rath-
er than buying existing prints off
the market, the architects worked
with young artists and gave them
a whole wall to fill, or part of the
ceiling, for their creations. On
antechambers that lead off to rooms provide a clear sense of
transition when moving from one space to another
34
a conceptual level, the meeting
area is meant to convey a garden-
like theme – a futuristic one with
various twists and turns, and
one that had to be explored with
antechambers that led to various
individual meeting rooms.
For the reception area, the
walls are curved with views that
slowly unfold. The curved walls
have ocular shaped windows at
eye level. These windows show
glimpses of the meeting rooms
and the park in the distance.
The glass in these windows are
switchable, making it possible
to change the windows from
clear to opaque at the flip of a
switch. Thus the views within
the reception areas constantly
change, depending on the type
of activity conducted within the
rooms. Rather than entering the
doors directly from the corridors,
antechambers were created, with
polished stainless steel doors
leading on both sides to one of
the meeting rooms. The use of
these antechambers and steel
doors make entering these rooms
a more deliberate and reflective
moment. The difference is also
felt tactically, as one moves from
the hard, tiled floor of the recep-
tion to the soft custom-made
carpets of the meeting rooms.
Most of the chairs and all of
the meeting tables inside the
meeting rooms are different as
well. The meeting tables were
custom-made, utilising leather
and Corian stone. All the rooms
feature state of the art audio/
visual equipment, with built into
the wall screens, microphones
in the tables, and speakers in the
ceiling. An interesting bit of trivia
was that VDAJ had specified so
much Corian stone for the project
that they had reportedly used up
blueprint asia
issue 20 May 2010 Custom-commissioned artwork is employed throughout the meeting rooms
 all the available stock in Japan at installed, and the attempt to > Location
tokyo, Japan
the time! Aside from the meeting leverage them as a tool to encour- > totaL FLoor area
tables, the reception desk and age an emotional response from 3,600 square metres
furniture tops in the open office the 300+ staff, clients and visitors > Design

area are all made out of Corian has apparently worked. In a Martin van der Linden

stone, as well as the structural post-evaluation survey, opinions > Design team
ayumu Ota, nanako
supports for the glass partitions were clearly and equally divided tsujimoto, aaron
in the open office area. For the between those that loved, hated, Mccain

commissioned artwork, a total or were indifferent to the various > commissioneD art
Johan Lorentzon, hiroko
of 550 square metres of art was pieces of installed artwork! tsukuda, Kahori Maki,
virginie Lavery
> contractors

An informal semi-open discussion/waiting area sPd Meiji, hakodesign

The reception area, with a space-age feel to its design

36 blueprint asia
issue 20 may 2010
37

The Bosphorus is one of the
world’s most distinguished
places with its unique land-
scape. The sea is here, exqui-
sitely placid, and the fertile land
has suffused the valley in every
shade of green. Its shores, which
in the past were used as summer
retreats, preserve this character
and atmosphere to a large degree.
While the European side has
undergone a greater number of
changes, the Anatolian side has
protected itself from the violence
of modernisation, with a few ex-
ceptions. The architectural motto
of, “you should build on the ugly
part of the site” paralyzes the
architect in such a place, as he
will then think “you can’t do it
anywhere along the Bosphorus
then!” – The very beauty of the
Bosphorus poses a threat or chal-
lenge for the architect, as well as
to inspire. Nevertheless, architec-
1 is located not right on the shore
38
1
/ Relation of the
3
building, road and
the cemetery
2
/ Interior view of
office space
3
/ Detail from facade
construction
2
ture can sometimes, though very
rarely, succeed in bringing out the
beauty of a place.
Architect Nevzat Sayin’s design
for an office building on the
Anatolian side of the Bosphorus
but a little further inland, along
the Göksu creek. On the slopes
behind it there is a cemetery, and
fishing boats lined-up all along
the creek contribute with their
faintly discernable rhythm to the
tranquility of the spot. Here, a
person forgets that he or she is
at the center of one of the largest
metropolises of the world.
The lot is exceedingly narrow.
The building is constructed on
the traces of two tiny dwellings
that used to be there – these
traces serve as guidelines for the
locations and silhouettes of the
building and the open spaces.
The design approach was to take
advantage of the view as much as
possible, to be as transparent as
possible from the interior, but at
the same time to provide enough
shelter from the sun as well as
privacy. Exterior-wise, Nevzat
Sayin sought out a form that
would not be conspicuous within
its surroundings – rather, to dis-
solve and blend into the greenery
of the slopes and boats by the
shore. For this reason the interior
is concealed with a wooden veil,
and decisions regarding the sil-
houette and materials take shape
through a harmonious dialogue
established with the memory and
landscape of the location. In such
a place, the office building seeks
to merely reveal and bring what is
already there in its surroundings.
blueprint asia
SitePlan

Site Plan

Ground Floor Plan First Floor Plan

Section b-b

Penthouse Plan

Section a-a North Elevetion

East-west Elevetion South Elevetion

issue 20 may 2010

39
 PORTFOLIO benoy hong kong

40
A Showcase of blueprint asia
International firm Benoy recently decided to relocate its Hong Kong office to a new location, turning its interior design
expertise inward to undertake a stylish redesign of its new office, located on the 5th floor of Lincoln Hourse in Taikoo Place.

ideals & culture

issue 20 may 2010
41
 True to Benoys philosophy,
the design goes beyond the
conventional, creating a three
dimensional interpretation of
Benoy’s brand identity. Warm
grey tones, an integral part of its
corporate identity, is used to good
effect as a base pallete throughout
the office.
Benoy’s Interior Design Di-
rector and project leader John
Denton describes the use of
vibrant accent colours to comple-
ment the interiors, permeating
the working space through the
double layered graphic glass
partitions of conference and
meeting rooms, “Using a textured
application of Benoy’s signature
graphic language, we created
a particular identity for each
conference room – each named
after one of Benoy’s celebrated
projects around the world.”
An obvious and driving direc-
tion for the design was to promote
collaboration and encourage crea-
tive thinking, and according to
Denton, this was achieved by “the

42 blueprint asia
> Location
Hong Kong
> interior design
Benoy
> Project Leader
John Denton
> Completion
2009

addition of open work areas and

meeting spaces, where staff have
the ability to review designs and
communicate freely on project
issues. Vast areas of pin boards
with display rails allow teams
to display their work, helping to
share ideas and to promote the
creative working environment.”
To encourage a more social
interplay, a “Benoy bar” is incor-
porated – an area where staff can
meet informally, have lunch, or
simply to sit and enjoy some read-
ing time from the book library.
This area also doubles up as a area
to entertain clients and visitors on
a more informal and relaxed basis,
and to provide the staff the op-
portunity to impress upon Benoy’s
brand and office culture.
Within the reception and
conference suite, a series of meet-
ing “pavilions” are incorporated,
with negative space created be-
tween them that act as breakout
areas, or temporary exhibition
spaces and placements for art
installations. Benoy is one of the
few architect firms in the region
that actively supports its local
art scene, and this commitment
is displayed via a twice yearly art
rotation program, where a local
artist’s work will be chosen to
be displayed around the office.
Emerging Hong Kong Sculptor
Danny Lee was selected to kick-
off this art program.
For a leading firm, it was
important for Benoy to address
sustainability concerns for their
own offices as well – generous
amounts of daylight flooding
into the working space reduces
the need for artificial lighting
(which is also controlled through
power saving strategies adopted
for the electrical system design),
and wherever possible, materials
from the old office were re-used.
Additionally, environmen-
tally friendly products were used
alongside a newly introduced
recycling program to engage staff
in more pro-active and day-to-
day sustainability practices.

issue 20 may 2010

43
44
A central atrium helps to open-up the three floors, providing an airy but at the same time, more communal feel to the workspace
PORTFOLIO
Department of ARCHITECTURE
Thailand

blueprint asia
Risi
ing Sun
A new office for Thai-based software developer Sun Systems is situated within
a low-rise neighbourhood, giving rise to atypical challenges for the designers.

Located within a low-rise

residential neighborhood,
the new location for software
developer Sun Systems Corpora-
tion’s office presented Thailand-
based Department of ARCHI-
TECTURE with the challenge to
maintain the quality of living for
existing neighbourhood, whilst
providing the right working
conditions for the client’s new
office. In order to preserve the
serenity of the area, a respect for
privacy for the office’s residential
neighbours were paramount.
Department of ARCHITECTURE
sought to achieve a deliberate
architectural strategy, one that 2
fused two building typology types
– the office and home – to create
an inclusive environment for
the neighbourhood that accom-
modates both types of activity
without compromise.
Externally, a system of hori-
zontal screening was implement-
ed – providing a visual barrier
between the interior of the build-
ing to the outside, while allowing
light to still filter in. Within, a
strategy of flexibility and trans-
parency was adopted for the work
space. Contrary to local conven-
tional office layouts, a variety of
work settings were introduced,
including bench desks equipped
3
with task lights for concentrated
work and informal spaces such as
the lounge/bar area for meetings
and discussions. Such socially
oriented spaces are intended to
improve the possibilities of social
interaction among the staff, as it
was observed that for the client’s
employees, faceless electronic
communication was a predomi-
2
/ Use of coloured
transluscent screens
enliven the interiors
3
/ A socially oriented
lounge/rest area

Section Section

issue 20 May 2010

45
46 blueprint asia
> Location
Bangkok, Thailand
> Site Area
1,200 square metres
> Architect
Department of
ARCHITECTURE
> Project Team
Amata Luphaiboon &
Twitee Vajrabhaya
Teparkum (Principle/
Architects), Waraphan
Watanakaroon, Prow
Puttorngul, Chanon
Petchsangngam, Atirotj
Rojratanawalee, Kanin
Manthanachart
> Landscape Architect
Department of
ARCHITECTURE
> Interior Design
Department of
ARCHITECTURE
> Lighting Designer nant method of communication. strip curtains are incorporated to
ACCENT Studio
A highlight within the interior infuse the interiors with a sense
> Photography
Wison Tungthunya is the use of interior screens that of energy and liveliness, echoing
are scattered throughout the the staff and owners penchant for
space. While the exterior hori- energetic outdoor activities. Be-
zontal screening reinforces the sides operating as space dividers
technological character of the and enclosures, these transluscent
company, the interior screens screens also function as an indica-
reflect on the adventurous nature tor of an area’s privacy level, while
of the client and its staff. Indus- maintaining the open feel of the
trial material like coloured PVC office space.

issue 20 May 2010

47
 PORTFOLIO Designphase Singapore

48 blueprint asia
 1
/ Client Meeting room for
4 Persons
1
2
/ Lounge style informal
client meeting room.
3
/ Staircase from L35 to
L36. Art by Delid
4
/ Town Hall L36

Private
Banking
Charm
Careful space planning and innovative use of materials helps a French banking giant
to position itself as a leading provider of private banking services in Singapore.

For the Asia Pacific Head- 2

quarters of Société Générale
Private Banking, interior design
consultancy designphase was
tasked with the challenge of not
only having the best spatial bal-
ance between practicality, politics
and comfort, but also how the
office would appear to both staff
and visitors. Modern banking
dictates interiors that connote a
sense stability and forward think-
ing, and resultingly the interior
design appears young, fresh and
unstuffy, while still retaining an
elegant quality. The office was
also designed with the bank’s
high net-worth clients in mind,
who were expected to be frequent
visitors to consult with their
private bankers. Circular motifs
recur throughout the spaces, and
more noticeably and appropri-
ately starts at the reception area.
Utilising curved planes allowed
for meeting rooms that would not
open directly unto each other – a
nod towards the client’s need for
privacy for its clients.

3 4

49
 8

Photography by Tim Nolan of Trends Publishing International

5

> Location
Singapore
> Interior Designer
Designphase
> M&E Engineer
J Roger Preston
> Quantity Surveyor
CCW Associates
6 > AV Consultant
Hewshott Associates
7
> Lighting
Modular, Flos, Foscarini,
Antares, Barrisol
> Wallcoverings
Goodrich
> Office Chairs
5
/ Boardroom with a view Vitra, Steelcase
6
/ Open concept waiting
area with a spectacular
view of Marina Bay
& Marina Bay Sands
Integrated Resort
7
/ 8 person client meeting
room
8
/ Hallway to various
meeting rooms and the
boardroom, to avoid
the monotony of a long
corridor, designphase
placed visual distractions
in the form of conical
columns housing art pieces
(Foreground “Play” by Tail
Dalton)
9
/ Reception – A double
curved veneer wall greets
visitors straight out of the
elevator

50 blueprint asia
 japan uid architects PORTFOLIO

Mori X hako UID architects’ project for a multi-tenant commercial

building is an attempt to experiment towards a more

appealing spatial model for such buildings.

issue 20 may 2010

51

As a common building type,
multi-tenant projects present
obvious issues for considera-
tion. In practice, however, most
of such projects end up placing
priority on profit maximization
and the optimisation of the floor
area. Additionally, such buildings
often incorporate elements that
lead to superficial elements in its
architecture. UID architects ap-
> Location proach however, was to attempt
Hiroshima, Japan to rethink the possibilities of a
> Total Floor Area
multi-tenant building that would
403.10 square metres
embody an appealing contempo-
> Project Completion
2009 rary philosophy, while taking into
> Architect account the typical considera-
Keisuke Maeda / UID
tions of such a building.
architects
This project, situated in a
> Construction
Steel Structure largely residential area, is dis-
> Materials tinguished by a large number of
Cedar (exterior walls);
plots of land that are exception-
Hinoki flooring,
structural plywood walls ally long in relation to their front-
and ceiling (1st floor); age. The site for this project was
tile carpet flooring,
structural plywood walls similarly narrow, with a frontage
and celing (2nd and 3rd of about 10 metres and a depth
Floors)
of 50 metres in relation to the
> Furniture
Artek, Carl Hansen & road out front, and surrounded
Son, Sedus on three sides by neighboring
> Lighting residences. Typically, such a site
Yamagiwa, DAIKO
tends to lead to a situation where
the tenant space facing the road
out front is blessed with more
favorable conditions compared to
the other spaces. UID addressed
this concern by working out a
spatial principle that would pro-
vide the inner spaces additional
advantages that would indirectly
equal or surpass the favourable
conditions of the front space.
The multi-tenant set-up was
Axonometric
specifically, a dental clinic on the
first floor, and an esthetic salon
52
and office on the second floor.
These facilities were housed in
two boxes oriented towards the
east and west, with a third box in
the middle containing a staircase
and a forest. The four walls
formed by this layout of boxes
were designed to create a sense
of integrated diversity in the ar-
chitecture, thanks to the layered
openings in between the boxes.
Perhaps somewhat atypical of
such projects, the tenants were
involved in the decision-making
process from the planning stage –
taking a proactive role in deciding
how the interior spaces would be
designed, and were afforded the
chance to understand the frame-
work of the building as a whole.
The front and back surfaces of
each of the four layers contribute
to creating a diverse, interrelated
space. The openings ensure the
privacy of neighbouring tenants,
while the opening and tighten-
ing of these openings at regular
intervals allows one to be aware
not only of vertical connections
between floors and horizontal
ones between front and back, but
also another sort of distance that
transcends physical sensations. In
addition, it was expected that the
trees in the forest would cause
the layers of physical distance to
become ambiguous, creating an
overall environment that would
spread out in an organic manner.
By manipulating the space in
this way, the front tenant space
would be separated from the
inner tenant space, while also
remaining visible to it just beyond
the various layers. The mountain
scenery that lies beyond the front
space, in contrast, feels close and
familiar. In this way, it was possi-
ble to protect the privacy of each
tenant while constructing a space
that maintained the tangible
presence of both these elements,
thus providing the inner tenants
with an environment that was
equally favourable compared
with the front space. The func-
tion of a single wall led to both
a sense of necessity arising from
the multiple layers created by
the seemingly random openings,
as well as a complex, haphazard
character resulting from the
movement and behavior of the
tenants. This mixture of necessity
and contingency led to a new,
three-dimensional expanse and a
diversely articulated space.
blueprint asia
issue 20 may 2010
53
PORTFOLIO Klien Dytham architecture Japan

a Work in
the park

blueprint asia
a result of a joint-venture between global advertising agency tBWa and hakuhodo, one of Japan’s
largest advertising firms, the tokyo headquarters office is an exemplary example of quirky, but fully
functional, modern office design.

issue 20 May 2010

 > Location > architect team > FLoor area
TBWA is a global advertis-
tokyo, Japan astrid Klein, mark 3,000 and 916 square
> architect
Dytham, yukinari metres, total of 4,215 ing agency with a reputa-
Klien Dytham hisayama, yoshiori square metres tion as an original and in-
nishimura, Joe Keating,
architecture
mayumi ito, nazui novative firm – best known
Konishi, makiko Okano, for its work with Adidas and
hiroshi Ohsu
Apple worldwide. In 2006,
TBWA got together with another
global agency, Hakuhodo, one of
Japan’s largest ad firms, to estab-
lish a Tokyo-based joint venture.
Resultingly, the design of TBWA /
Hakuhodo’s Tokyo headquarters
was the result of a three-way
collaboration between the two
agencies and architect firm Klien
Dytham architecture (KDa).
The two agencies had looked
unsuccessfully throughout Tokyo
for a new space, and so asked
KDa to join the search. Through
its search, KDa discovered a
disused bowling alley in a large,
eight-storey amusement complex
in downtown Tokyo. Located in
an out-of-the way street lined
with car dealerships, the amuse-
ment complex was still in daily
use. A golf driving range and an-
other bowling alley were operat-
ing on the upper and lower floors,
6th Floor plan but a bowling alley that occupied
a whole floor in the middle of
the building was being used as
a warehouse. TBWA’s corporate
mantra is “disruption”, and KDa
proposed that stealthily inserting
the new agency into this unas-
suming building in its’ mundane
neighborhood would be a potent
way to disrupt the expectations
of both the agency’s clients and
its employees. It showed that the
agency really does “think differ-
ent”, even about themselves!
When the existing ceiling was
removed the bowling alley became
a double-height space, and the
2-metre-deep down-stand beams
that span the full width of the floor
were revealed. As a column-free
space, the bowling alley allowed
complete freedom in laying out the
office – anything was possible! The
powerful rhythm of the beams –
5th Floor plan what KDa call the building’s bowl-
ing lane DNA - suggested arrang-
ing the desks and circulation zones
in a pattern that re-established
the original dynamic of the bowl-
ing lanes. The wide-open space,
however, inspired KDa to imagine
the office as a park, so they filled
it with fun “landscape” elements.
The park combines both real and
fake greenery – living plants and
green shag-pile carpet. A board-
Section walk runs through the center of

56 blueprint asia
the office, and a series of “pocket
parks” have been arranged beside
the windows. Scattered across the
floor are a series of shelters that
serve as meeting rooms, project
rooms, and director’s offices. The
shelters have been decorated with
a pattern whose meaning is de-
liberately ambiguous – it suggests
both the icing on a cake and the the quaint, intricate village-like layout projects an almost fantasy-like setting – akin to being trapped in a cartoon world – and is delightfully
appropriate for the creative nature of the client
snow on Mt. Fuji, and was chosen
to inject another element of fun
and light-hearted charm into the
space. Some of the shelters have
been fitted with ladders, allowing
the staff to climb onto their roofs Japanese kawaii (cute) aesthetics are much in play here, with the cute snow-topped motifs for the roof shelters that also double-up as spaces for staff
to take a break or to survey the lay of the office
to find a relaxed spot for meetings,
brainstorming, a break, or a picnic
– from these rooftops, staff have
a view over the whole office! The
shelters subtly divide the space oc-
cupied by the office’s 340 staff into
intimate neighborhoods connected
by narrow lanes. The result is that
the space doesn’t feel like a corpo-
rate office, but like a little village in
its own landscape.
With the project’s super-deep
plan, KDa paid special attention
to building services, carrying out
a number of technical studies.
Because of a lack of natural light,
KDa paid special attention to
lighting, cunningly re-cladding
the beams with integrated lighting
and air-conditioning. This care
has borne fruit – the plants in
the office are reportedly grow-
ing rapidly! The double-height
office is entered from an upper
level – a reception area, gallery,
and meeting spaces for visitors
being located on this mezzanine.
A wide stair descends onto the
main floor arriving in a village
square with its own café. Stepped
seating and a large plasma screen
allow the square, café and main
stair to be used as presentation
space. This space is used not just
by TBWA/Hakuhodo staff to
meet, chat, or relax, but also for
events arranged in collaboration
with their clients – receptions,
fashion shows, product launches
and parties. The project has had
interesting flow-on effects. The
amusement complex was owned
by a warehouse company, and in
observing the TBWA/Hakuhodo
project, the company realized that
they could lease their buildings for
much more as similiar commercial
offices rather than as warehouses,
and are now imitating KDa’s ideas
and refurbishing many of their
vacant buildings as offices.

issue 20 May 2010

57
 PORTFOLIO axis identity group malaysia

informally
Industrial
McCann Erickson’s swanky new office in Malaysia
represented the perfect opportunity for its executive creative directors,
working alongside the Axis Identity Group, to push the boundaries
of what an office space should be like.

58 blueprint asia
 1
/ xxxxx
2
/ xxxxxxxxxxx
3
/ xxxxxxxxx
4
/ xxxxx
5
/ xxxxxxxxxxx

Spread over two floors, and
with a total floor space of
about 24,000 square feet,
the idea was to create a loft-
styled design with a modern
industrial office look that pro-
motes a less formal interplay
in the office – where func-
tionality and flexibility take
precedence over formality.
Materials employed include
a diversity of recyclable and
raw materials such as special
compressed plywood, sand board,
brick walls, corrugated aluminum
roof sheets, MDF board and
epoxy white floor to add defini-
tion to the functional internal
spaces. The interior planning
concept was designed based on
geometric forms that bring into
play a cubicle studio concept.
Combinations of different sized
cubic geometry were used to
cater for different work styles and
functions. The maximisation of
strategically planned geometry
forms with different sizes con-
tributes to efficient space plan-
ning and provides a collaborative
working environment with a
non-claustrophobic feel.
Given that the three sides have
full height glass glazing, the
space has directly benefited from
the external natural sunlight.
The porosity of the design from
the architecture posed a chal-
lenge for the designers – and was
carefully addressed by employing

issue 20 may 2010

59
 the right choices of roller blinds
and louvre details to reduce
glare, and provide the right levels
of light into the work spaces.
Angled glass-doors at the
entrance lead visitors into a
foyer area, which is also home to
a lime-green Vespa that serves as
an emotional and quirky indicator
of the creative nature of the client.
A short tunnel, fabricated from
aluminum roof sheets, helps move
visitors into the reception area, and
provides for a physical transition
between the outside world and the
60
‘inner sanctum’ of the office.
Ceilings are double-volume in
height, thanks to the removal of
the traditional plaster ceilings,
and provide for the loft-like ambi-
ence. While the spaces for the
different departments are visually
segregated, care was taken to not
isolate and compartmentalise the
spaces by ensuring that none of
the segregating box-like elements
go full height. Flexibility and
future expansion was taken into
account as well, with integrated
strusses within the internal struc-
ture that will allow the conver- > Location
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
sion of part of the double volume
> Completion
space into an upper level should 2008
additional floor area be required > Design & Build
in the future. Axis Identity Group
Sustainable initiatives include > Project Head
Yenn Yap (Design
design decisions that limit Director)
the need for artificial lighting,
controlled air-conditioning
and ceiling fans that result in a
30% reduction of power usage,
and a highly mobile furniture
system that can be dismantled
and moved to cater for future re-
design of the office space.
blueprint asia
 Japan eastern design office PORTFOLIO

Holes are lined up cross shaped,

and applied as a ‘perforation line’

of sorts unto the architecture.

Welcome to EASTERN Design

Office’s
House
with a
Crest

issue 20 may 2010

61
 Careful use of unfinished concrete surfaces add a touch of modern utilitarism without rendering the space void of it’s rustic charm

62 blueprint asia
 A densely packed neighbourhood, typical of Kyoto suburbs, required focused and deliberate use of space

issue 20 may 2010

63
 > Location
Kyoto, Japan
> Client
Morita MON factory
> Project Architects
Anna Nakamura and
Tayio Jinno of
EASTERN Design Office
> Site Area
236.90 square metres
> Total Floor Area
259.78 square metres
> Photography
Koichi Torimura

Built for a client that required

a single-family residence that
also doubles up as a crest-
making craft studio, EASTERN
design office’s (EDO) approach
was typically but boldly minimal
in approach. Located in Gojo,
Kyoto, the reinforced concrete West Elevation South Elevation

building comprises of ‘two’ floors

of sorts. Central and distinct to
the design are a series of perfo-
rated circular holes – enabling
light to penetrate into the archi-
tecture in unusual and constantly
changing ways. The light that
projects through these holes are
in a circular shape, and changes
form and location depending on
the time of the day – occasionally
appearing, and at times disap-
pearing.
Section
Sited within a traditional resi-
dential area in Kyoto, the building
faces a busy street on the west
side, and on the east side (the rear
of the building) are a series of
high-rise buildings. Surrounding
structures are lined-up closely
to each other, especially in the
south and north sides of building.
EDO chose to ‘lift’ the one storied
structure ‘to the sky’ by 3 metres,
in order to create a calm interior
space. The space underneath is
used as a parking lot. This effect
‘enables two outside spaces that
are placed among three inside 2nd Floor Plan
spaces’ – an abstract concept that
is hard to comprehend in words,
but essentially means the demar-

64 blueprint asia
 cation of spaces from the street
side to the rear side are in the
following order: Inside, outside,
inside, outside and inside. This
clear arrangement works mutu-
ally and intermediately to unify
the whole architecture.
The street front space is the
workshop for the crest making.
The middle space is the living
room. And the backspace is the
bedroom. The gaps between
these three spaces are designed
as voids intentionally. Occupants
and visitors circulate around
these two voids, and it is within
these spaces that the circular,
filtered light – passing through
26 holes – are lined up in a cross-
shaped manner. The effect is a
dramatic and constantly changing
palette of light rays that interplay
with the elements and people
within these voids.
The client, a traditional crafts-
man who puts the crest on Japa-
nese traditional clothes, receives
orders from wholesale merchants
requiring crest work. The entire
typical process of work – from
the merchant that goes up the
staircase with the wall of perfo-
rated holes, the client that places
the crest unto the clothes, to the
client’s daughter that circulates
around these spaces (and circular
The crest-maker applying the crests – the work is
painstakingly intricate light) in preparation of the crest
work – mingles idyllically with
the dramatic perforated light,
Top of parapet: Concrete finish
bringing a sense of the surreal
and a sense of happiness to the
clients and visitors to the house.
The workshop area and the
living area are separated, but also
connected, echoing the lifestyle
of the client and his daughter –
crest making is a delicate work
External wall:
Exposed that is also a business, and as it is
concrete finish quiet, it is also busy. As the sun
descends and twilight beckons,
available light extends into both
sides of the living room, gradu-
ally becoming darker as night
approaches – a subtle effect that
reinforces the sense of the idyllic
surreality that permeates the
building.
Two street side walls overlap
the workshop space from right
and left, replicating the look
of the breast of a Kimono. The
‘breast’ is the shop space, and
within it, the circular holes that
are cross-shaped become a pat-
tern that appears like a crest,
hence the name “House with
a Crest”.

issue 20 may 2010

65
PORTFOLIO Morphogenesis India

blueprint asia
 The Pearl
of Jaipur A fashion institute located
within the outskirts of Jaipur –
a climatically challenging desert environment –
serves up unique possibilities for its designers.

issue 20 May 2010

 > Built-up Area
11,745 square metres
> Architect
Morphogenesis
> Design Team
Sonali Rastogi, Rudrajit
Sabhaney, Anna
Kristiana Bergbom,
Shruti Dimri, John Alok
Decruz
> Landscaping
Consultatn
Oracles
> HVAC Consultant
Design Centre
> Structural
Consultants
NM Roof Designers
> M&E Consultant
Integral Designs
> Photography
Andre J Fanthome and
Edmund Sumner

The Pearl Academy of

Fashion, designed by Mor-
phogenesis, is a campus that,
by virtue of its design, is geared
towards creating an environ-
mentally responsive passive
habitat. The institute sought to
provide interactive spaces for a
highly creative student body to
work in multifunctional zones
that blend the indoors with the
outdoors seamlessly. The insti-
tute is located in a typically hot,
dry, desert type climate on the
outskirts of Jaipur, in the soul-
less Kukas industrial area, which
is about 20 kilometres from
the famous walled city. It ranks Landscape
third in the top 10 fashion de- 1
/ Main Entrance
2
/ Reception
sign institutes in India, and the 3
/ Exhibition Area
4
design of the institute needed to 5
/ Lecture Theater
/ Studios
represent the seriousness of its 6
/ Library
7
/ Resource Center
academic orientation through its 8
/ Class Rooms
formal geometry. 9
10
/ Labs
/ Administrative Offices
Given the nature of an institu- 11
/ Staircases
12
/ Canteen
tion, budgetary constraints on the 13
/ Outdoor Seating
project necessitated the use of 14
15
/ Kitchen
/ Backstage
cost effective design solutions to 16
/ Lockers
17
/ Shop
keep within the price points set
by the client, and yet be able to
achieve the desired functionality
and effect. The adverse climate
made it a challenge to control
the micro-climate within the
project, and thus Morphogenesis
incorporated various passive
climate-control methods in an at-
tempt to reduce the dependence
on mechanical environmental
control measures. The architec-
ture of the academy needed to be

68 blueprint asia
 a confluence of modern adapta-
tions of traditional Indo-Islamic
architectural elements, and pas-
sive cooling strategies prevalent
in the hot-dry desert climate of
Rajasthan. Among them were the
use of open courtyards, water
bodies, a step-well or baoli, and
jaalis (perforated stone screen).
All these elements have been
derived from their historical ap-
plication, but will manifest them-
selves through the built form and
become an intrinsic part of the
daily life of the design student.
The building is protected from
the environment by a double skin
which is derived from a tradi-
tional building element called
the Jaali, which is prevalent in
Rajasthani architecture. This
double skin acts as a thermal
issue 20 May 2010
buffer between the building and
the surroundings. The density
of the perforated outer skin has
been derived using computational
shadow analysis based on the
orientation of the façades. The
outer skin, positioned 1.2 metres
away from the building, reduces
the direct heat gain through
fenestrations. Drip channels run-
ning along the inner face of the
Jaali allow for passive downdraft
evaporative cooling, thus reduc-
ing incident wind temperatures.
The scheme relies on self-
shading sliver courts to control
the temperatures of internal spac-
es and open-stepped wells, while
allowing for sufficient day light-
ing inside studios and classrooms.
The entire building is raised
above the ground and a ‘scooped-
out’ underbelly forms a natural
thermal sink that is cooled by
water bodies. This underbelly –
the anchor for the entire design
– is thermally banked on all sides,
and serves as a large student
recreation and exhibition zone.
During the night when the desert
temperature drops, this floor will
slowly dissipate the heat to the
surroundings, in turn keeping the
area thermally comfortable.
The materials used for con-
struction are a mix of local stone,
steel, glass, and concrete chosen
keeping in mind the climatic
needs of the region while retain-
ing the progressive design intent.
Energy efficiency is a prime
concern and the institute is 100%
self sufficient in terms of captive
power and water supply and pro-
motes rain water harvesting and
waste water re-cycling through
the use of a sewage treatment
plant. Aside having become a very
successful model for cost effec-
tive passive architecture in desert
regions, the design and facilities
of the campus complements the
ideology of the client – that of
a cutting edge design institute
with a sustainable approach. As
a whole, the thoughtful design
approach of The Pearl Academy
of Fashion is a sterling example of
‘inclusive architecture’ – accom-
modating local heritage values
within a culturally and architec-
turally contemporary paradigm.
69
 70
A Vertical Campus
The RMJM designed Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS),
the first collaboration of its kind in Singapore between two of the world’s top higher education institutions –
PORTFOLIO

Duke University in the U.S. and National University of Singapore –

is significant for its architecture.

1
RMJM
Singapore

blueprint asia
 1
/ View of the atrium from the sky 2
2-3
/ View of the atrium

As an international busi-
ness destination and one of
Asia’s wealthiest countries,
Singapore is striving to become
a world leader in healthcare and
biomedical research. In 2000,
the country launched the Singa-
pore Biotechnology Initiative,
committing S$3 billion over five
years to accelerate development 3
in biomedical sciences, offering
incentives to attract companies to
Singapore and funding research
institutes devoted to genomics,
nanotechnology, molecular and
cell biology and cancer therapies.
By increasing the number of well-
trained doctors in the country,
Duke-NUS brings Singapore
closer to its goal of becoming
the world’s leading healthcare/
biomedical destination.
“We designed this new medical
school in response to Duke Uni-
versity’s and National University
of Singapore’s mission to educate
students according to Duke’s
innovative method to develop
doctors that excel in medical
research, education and patient
care,” said Steven K. Gifford,
managing principal of RMJM’s
Global Health and Science Studio.
“This state-of-the art medical
school is designed to meet the
needs of frequently changing
research teams and with three
visions in mind: integrating the
local, physical landscape; defin-
ing modern laboratories abroad;
and responding to the equatorial
climate while achieving a high
degree of sustainability.”
The Dean of Duke-NUS
Graduate Medical School, Profes-
sor Ranga Krishnan commenting
on the architecture said: “The
building’s design features are

issue 20 May 2010

 4

5 6

72 blueprint asia
 A
/ Hanns Martin Schleyer
Hall (HMSH)
B
/ Porsche Arena

1
/ Lobby
2
/ Multi Purpose Room
3
/ Restaurant
4
/ Kitchen
5
/ Changing Rooms /
Backstage Area
6
/ Administration
7
/ Mechanical Services
8
/ Delivery Area
9
/ Parking Garage

A
/ Hanns Martin Schleyer
Hall (HMSH)
B
/ Porsche Arena

1
/ Lobby
2
/ Main Entrance
3
/ Spectator Concourse
4
/ Kiosks
5
/ Multi-Purpose Room

A
/ Hanns Martin Schleyer
4
/ View of the atrium Hall (HMSH)
B
5
/ These spaces are paired / Porsche Arena
vertically in “Pods” which 1
are the true focal elements / VIP Lounge
2
of the building / Sky Boxes
3
/ Arena Control Room
6
/ Principal Investigator 4
/ Upper Concourse
offices are arranged in a 5
/ Mechanical Services
linear single loaded bar
directly across the atrium
from the labs. Between
the labs and Principal
Investigator bar reside the
write-up spaces for the
post-doctoral researchers

Level 3

issue 20 May 2010

 > Location
Singapore
> Architect
A RMJM
/ Lobby
B
/ Student Cafe / Bookstore > Photography
C
/ Open Atrium to Main Entrance H.G. Esch Photography
D
/ Grand Stair
E
/ Plaza
F
/ Gallery
G
/ Student Kiosk & Prefunction

1
/ Admissions & Administration
2
/ Main Elevator Lobby
3
/ Large Flexible Teaching Room
4
/ Special Conference Room
5
/ Large Lecture Hall
6
/ Mechanical Room
7
/ Laboratory Service Elevator Lobby

the most important goal: foster-

7
a perfect complement to our
unique educational effort and
in harmony with our innovative
research program.”
At 26,000 square metres and 11
stories tall, Duke-NUS is a “verti-
cal campus,” housing research
offices, wet and dry laboratories,
classrooms, lecture halls, a library,
student lounges, a café and admin-
8
istrative offices. The placement
of the building’s functions and
programs were designed to build
the academic community and
promote scientific collaboration.
The heartbeat of the building
is the eight-story, glass central
atrium, which ties the library and
academic spaces on the ground
level to principal investigators
on the research floors above. The
atrium promotes an ease of verti-
cal circulation while promoting
ing collaboration on all levels
between educators, principal
investigators, post-doctoral can-
didates, research technicians and
students. Students and faculty
can have casual conversations
in the comfortable public spaces
while also enjoying glimpses and
diagonal views throughout the
hierarchy of the new open medi-
cal school.
The building, which achieved
Green Mark certification, is de-
signed to maintain a comfortable
temperature in Singapore’s tropi-
cal climate. The exterior louvres
and sunshades protect interior
spaces while the building mass-
ing shades exterior courtyards.
The ceramic tile used on the exte-
rior contains titanium dioxide, a
material that reduces the need for
heavy maintenance, withstands
mold in a tropical environment
and is believed to reduce smog
and pollutants in the air of urban
environments.

74 blueprint asia
 9

7
/ View of door details
10 11 12
8
/ Lounge
9
/ At 26,000 square
meters and 11 stories tall,
GMS is a “vertical campus,”
housing research offices,
wet and dry laboratories,
classrooms, lecture halls,
a library, student lounges,
a café and administrative
offices
10 11 12
/ / / Exterior views
during twilight

issue 20 May 2010

75
 ESSAY by Ezrena Marwan, Malaysian Design Archive

unravelling
THE STORY
OF GRAPHIC
DESIGN
IN MALAYSIA

“The design of history is the history of design” – Ivan Chermayeff

What is the history of graphic design in Malaysia? Although it played a critical role
in the transformation of Malaya’s villages and streets into Malaysia’s main cities, graphic arts went through a journey of
inception and development that gradually became a neglected part of the country’s landscape and history.

Beginnings
Graphic arts can be identified from as early as the 15th cen-
tury, when Malacca’s strategic location became one of the
major international trading routes that attracted merchants
who came to use Malacca’s warehousing and trade facilities
to advance their trading positions. It was a meeting point and
cultural crossing that led towards an unstoppable exchange
of design influences – Arab merchants brought with them or-
nate Islamic texts, the Chinese brought porcelain, luxurious
silks, paper and printing presses, and Indian traders brought
colourful textiles. A period before photography and printing
machines, these socio-cultural and economic activities were
documented through engravings, illustrations as well as
maps1. Such artifacts provide us with the spirit of the time,
its cultural trends and tastes. These needs have been filled by
various people in Malaya, including scribes, engravers and
mapmakers, many of whom have been creative artists that
have not been sufficiently recognised2.
The arrival of the British colonisers in the 19th century,
eager to boast their vanguard industrial position, resulted in
a plethora of printed information: flags and crests of colonis-
ing power, illustrated information such as advertisements,
logos, travel posters to editorial publications, magazines and
newspapers that followed foreign guidelines, and with the
setting up of the postal service and education, new stamps
and books3. This was a period of massive change in the coun-
try, where modern graphic design began to emerge.

76 blueprint asia
 1. 1902, Simit logo 2. 1933, Tiger Beer 3. 1896, Jajahan Melayu
advertisement distributed
by Fraser & Neave

1850 to 1943: Modernisation and Commerce

In the 19th century, Malaya became one of the captured
colonies of the British imperialist power. With the increase
of British intervention in the country, traditional lifestyles
began to change. Many Malay rulers had lost much of their
power to the British Residents, demographics were chang-
ing with huge influxes of Chinese workers working in tin
mines and plantations, and villages had become bustling
icons, which consisted of the crescent moon, star and scale. The
towns with a burgeoning merchant class and European-style
male figure with a songkok6 was chosen to act as an interface,
streetscapes4. During this time, graphic design was used by
an avatar of the publication that is reflective of the community
the British as part of their strategy to expand its powerful en-
and religious belief. This also brought forward the question of
terprise, which resulted in the development of graphic design
gender, its representation and role in the society.
as a marketing tool. In other words, graphic design was used
The colonists were not only building their foundations
to create the identity and ‘face’ of British Malaya.
by trading with consumer goods and manufacturing natural
For a country that was going through a deep cultural transfor-
resources, but were also promoting Malaya as a tropical travel
mation, graphic design experienced new ways of conveying in-
destination. As an alternative to advertisements, beautiful
formation and ideas. One of the many ways used by the colonists
posters were commissioned and designed by local artists
to engage with local markets was the production of its designs
with the aim to promote Malaya as an ‘exotic’ and alluring
using multiple languages and typographies, as well as the adop-
destination, using its ‘natives’ – especially women – as the
tation of local symbols into their communications. For example,
subject matter (Picture 4). When observing these old posters,
in 1902, the Simit company logo (Picture 1, now known as Sime
the use of composition and romantic colors appears to be a
Darby, what was then a small British company trading in tin and
relatively ‘new’ approach of understanding nature and the
rubber) illustrated a set of scales to emphasize its trading activi-
environment, derived from Western art teachings. Malaya,
ties and incorporated Chinese script into its identity. Here, the
deprived of its ‘own’ historical style, had posters that featured
logo design was used as a vocabulary, a visual language bridging
paintings reminiscent of British watercolour paintings and
and connecting the colonists with the local markets, which was
style that generally featured a foreground, middle ground
then dominated by the Chinese community.
and a distant background7. Here, a new trend can be detected
The adoption of local symbols within colonists’ ideologies
where there is a cross of influences between art and design.
was also evident in the production of newspapers. Newspapers,
The British imperialists, fueled by this new conquest,
which were widely distributed, were used to disseminate the
benefited from its location, resources and people. They con-
colonists’ ideals, customs and agenda. Through advertising,
tinued to colonise, commodify and profit from British Malaya
colonists took steps to adapt foreign ads to local languages and
for a period of 150 years.
systems of symbolic exchange. Among them was the Tiger beer
advertisement (Picture 2). Fraser & Neave used visibly local
women and Jawi script5 in their advertisement to attract or
speak to the local markets in its promotion of Tiger beer. Again,
design was used as a marketing tool, bridging between the
advertiser with its consumer. The number of locally adapted
British advertisements continued to grow when newspapers
became the main platform to launch new foreign products –
cars, cosmetics, medicines, consumer goods etc – and slogans
were targeted mainly to the local market.
Numerous magazines, community newspapers and bulletins
also existed. Each provided to the needs of different communi-
ties – serious, educational or humorous – and represented
interests according to race and class. The content of these publi-
cations were largely controlled through self censorship, a result
of British licensing and sedition law. Therefore, the symbolism
used in these printed materials were found to be superficial in its
rendering of the community. Among them was ‘Jajahan Melayu’
(Picture 3), one of the first Malay language newspapers, pub-
4. 1934, “See
lished in Taiping in 1896, and written by and for the local Arab Malaya”
community. Its masthead denotes typically religious Islamic Travel Poster

1
Moore, Wendy. Malaysia, A Pictorial History 1400 – 2004. Didier Millet, 2007; 2 Meggs, Philips B. History of Graphic Design. Wiley, 2005; 3 Jamal, Syed Ahmad. The
Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Volume 14 – Crafts and Visual Arts. Didier Millet, 2007; 4 Moore, Wendy. Malaysia, A Pictorial History 1400 – 2004. Didier Millet, 2007; 5 Jawi
script – an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language; 6 Songkok - a traditional Malay cap in the shape of a truncated cone, almost always made of black
or embroidered felt, cotton or velvet;
77
 For entertainment, local novels were allowed to be
published as long as some ‘clues’ of Japanese culture were
5. Stamp with 6. 1943, Savings
King George VI Campaign Stamp
incorporated and adapted. During this time, novels offered
new forms of enjoyment, perhaps they became a form of es-
capism from the isolated reality of the occupation period. The
imposed influence of Japanese culture is evident in the book
cover ‘Nyawa Di Hujong Pedang’ (Life at the Edge of a Sword,
picture 8), where a Japanese Samurai sword is used as part of
the illustration and title.
On the same note, the movie industry collapsed during
this period. The Japanese government forbade the screening
of Western movies as part of its effort to abolish all Western
influences, and only allowed the screening of Japanese and
Malay movies. They screened mostly documentaries and
propaganda films, again, to encourage the locals to adopt
Japanese culture & morals of the samurai12.
1943 to 1945: Period of Aesthetic Prejudices
This period closed with the desire for a new beginning.
Seizure of power by the Japanese in 1943 resulted in an armed
Graphic design, although gradually gaining its relevance,
uprising in the country, which saw a period of Japanese oc-
was restless and lost through a series of imposed values and
cupation for the next three years in Malaya. Life in this period
purposes, and was longing for the need of a new identity, one
had a defining impact on the handling of graphic arts, where all
with a sense of real existence and belonging.
forms of printed media were turned into Japanese propaganda.
The Japanese used a decisive lexicon of symbolism to obliter- 7. Basic Letter Writing Japanese books for Children
ate icons of British imperialism, and confronted the people
with imageries of the Japanese culture (most famously, the
rising sun). Here, graphic design adapted and shifted its role
appropriately, from commodification and trade to ‘persuasion’.
In other words, design was used in the service of control and
influence8, in this case, for the promotion of Japanese values9.
As a first step, the Japanese eliminated all forms of British
icons and symbols from all graphic works, which resulted in
the confiscation of printed materials and the closing down of
English schools. Japanese propaganda was carried out in the
designing of new stamps, postcards, newspapers and books.
The production of new stamps led to an underlying visual
dialogue between the sender and the receiver. These stamps
almost acted like ‘calling cards’ for the Japanese to command
the world’s attention, presenting a victorious symbol of their
defeat of the British. This is evident in the stamps with the
portrait of King George VI (Picture 5), where his image was
overprinted manually with the words ‘Seal of Post Office of
Malayan Military Department’ that formed a red frame over
the stamps as a quick fix before new stamps were produced.
The overprint effectively defaced the portrait of the British
sovereign head10.
To help establish an ‘Asian’ identity, the Japanese adminis-
tration organised the very first public stamp design competi-
tion. Five designs depicting scenes of Singapore and Malaya
were selected and the stamps issued in 194311. In this 15 cent
stamp (Picture 6), an image of rice being planted played both
the function of depicting a typical scene in Malaya, as well as
to symbolize new beginnings and growth. The weight of its
lines, strong and bold almost like Japanese woodcut, with the
rising sun in the background, alluded to Japanese power.
In the state of tension, the production of print publica-
tions during this period faced a conflict of styles and roles.
New publications were produced to help impose, enforce
and dictate the population into “living the Japanese way”.
Contrasting from the British colonial times, where graphic
design was used as a two-way communication tool between
the product and consumer, here one-way communication
was being experienced, where graphic communications
commanded the attention of the population and demanded 8. 1944, Nyawa 9. 1943, Chinese
for their immediate compliance/action. Di Hujong Advertisement
Pedang for a Japanese
propaganda film

7
Jamal, Syed Ahmad. The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Volume 14 – Crafts and Visual Arts. Didier Millet, 2007; 8 Heller, Steven. Design Literacy : Understanding Graphic De-
sign. Allworth Press, 2004; 9 Syonan Years 1942 – 1945, Living Beneath The Rising Sun. National Archives of Singapore, 2009, 10 Syonan: Light of the South, A Story Told
Through Stamps (http://www.spm.org.sg/exhibition/syonan/index.html); 11 Syonan: Light of the South, A Story Told Through Stamps (http://www.spm.org.sg/exhibition/
syonan/index.html); 12 Millet, Raphael. Singapore Cinema. Didier Millet, 2007. 13 Omar, Prof. Dato’ Dr Asmah Haji. The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Volume 9 : Languages and
Literature. Didier Millet ; 14 Malayan Emergency - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_Emergency
78 blueprint asia
 1945 to 1957: New Emerging
National Identity
In 1945, Malaya went back into the hands of the British,
which led to a new fervor for nationalism. Graphic design
that was developing in this new context attempted to show
a more nationalistic undertaking, through its positioning
of communications media and ideology of the nation. This
period also saw a diversity of styles merging together, while a
process of acute filtration was being carried out. In the proc-
ess of building a new national identity, unwanted imagery
and symbolism, (from internal and external factors) were
deleted from all communications media. This period also saw
an equal development between commercial communications
and political propaganda; a visual and political struggle that
continued until Malaya gained its independence.
Eruption of new aesthetics began to appear. Graphic ap-
pearances took on a more minimal approach – composition,
use of lines, provocative forms and its intimate connection
to symbolism started to emerge. This does not necessarily
mean that it was being safe in its visual expression, instead
it took on a more radical and clearer transition into building
a national identity. The relationship between typography,
illustration and photography were also being explored and
experimented with intensely in design, which benefited the
government in rendering a clearer symbol and ‘mascot’ to
win the hearts and mind of its citizens.
Posters in particular, served as an efficient foundation
in spreading information in public places. For example,
the poster below (Picture 10) is used to call for enlistment
into the military. Its illustration appears to be a Malay man
wearing traditional attire, his expression has remarkably
menacing, a visual expression that’s never been seen before
11. 1953, Comic
Melayu – Perjuangan
Hang Tuah
12. 1953, Malaya Ration Card.
As part of the overall British
strategy of ‘food denial’ to control
provisions and interdict supplies
to the insurgents, this ration card
was distributed and used from
1953 to 1954.
10. 1951,
Berkhidmatlah
Kepada Tanahair
A poster to persuade
citizens to join the army.
Illustrated by Hossein
Enas at 1951.
in this context. However, interestingly, its composition was
undoubtedly influenced by America’s Uncle Sam poster with
the same intention.
Magazines by this period had matured in its visual ex-
pressions and its role for entertainment. The comic below
featured the Malaccan Malay Muslim warrior, Hang Tuah,
who was a national hero derived from the epic ‘Hikayat Hang
Tuah’. The legend was made into films and featured almost
everywhere. One example is the 1953 edition of ‘Majalah
Comic Melayu’13 (Picture 11), which illustrates and presents
the familiar male figure in the same traditional attire. The
use of primary colors on the cover is also reminiscent of the
American superhero, Superman.
Here the appearance of a male figure in traditional
costume began to surface. This repeated imagery and the
patriotic love story embodied by this symbol urged the people
to hold him in regard. As a symbol interwoven with national
propaganda that appeared in posters, magazines, books, he
was a seductive figure made to appeal to all races and classes.
He had gradually started to become the face of the public, the
image of the people, and the symbol of trust.
This period was also known as the period of “emergency”,
where a guerrilla war was fought between the Common-
wealth armed forces and the Malayan Communist Party14.
This war led to the explosion of highly intense propaganda-
based graphics. Graphics and illustrations with planted mes-
sages and political manipulations were distributed through
different underground channels and networks. These pam-
phlets were used to persuade, alert and alarm communists
that took refuge in the forests of Malaya. However, under the
circumstances of that time, such provocative visual commu-
nications were part of everyday life and were supported by
the population who were trapped under the same foundation
of conspiracy.
This phase ended with Malaysia gaining its independence.
While still without a graphic style or particular forms to
characterise ‘Malaysian design’, we can begin to unravel the
threads of influences through the choices of imagery and sym-
bolism that were articulated, reiterated, diffused and persisted
through different forms of design work.
As seen, taking a closer look at design artifacts and
elements can present not only a clue to the development
of both the advertising and graphic industry during that
period, but also to its socio-cultural backdrop, relations and
preoccupations.
Unfortunately, many graphic design products and artifacts
have not been preserved in archives or collections in Malaysia.
Added to the complexities of our historical past, this presents
a difficult task of unfolding the historical details of our graphic
design history - its processes, production capabilities, listings of
organizations, creative agencies and directory of graphic design-
ers. Malaysia Design Archive (www.malaysiadesignarchive.org)
hopes to be an effort that can help unearth and document the
lexicon of our graphic design history.

Special thanks goes out to author Ezrena Marwan of the Malaysian Design Archive (www.malaysiandesignarchive.org), who originally wrote this article for the
Kuala Lumpur Design Week 2010. The Malaysia Design Archive (www.malaysiandesignarchive.org) is a project that aims to unearth the history of Graphic Design
in Malaysia, and to trace the indentations that graphic design have left in the unfolding of our nation.

Image credits // 1. 1902, Simit Logo The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Volume 7 – Early Modern History (1800-1940). Didier Millet; 2. 1933, Tiger Beer advertisement Collection of Fariza Azlina Isahak and National
Archives of Malaysia; 3. 1896, Jajahan Melayu The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Volume 7 – Early Modern History (1800-1940). Didier Millet; 4. 1934, “See Malaya” Travel Poster Collection of Ezrena Marwan; 5.
Stamps with King George VI http://swiftraft2000.com/default.aspx; 6. 1943, Stamps “Savings” Campaign – From the article “Japanese Occupation of Malaya, The Pictorial Issues” by Susan McEwan; 7. Basic
Letter Writing Japanese books for Children National Archives of Singapore; 8. 1944 Nyawa Di Hujong Pedang The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Volume 9 – Languages and Literature. Didier Millet; 9. Japanese
Propaganda Poster Millet, Raphael. Singapore Cinema. Didier Millet, 2007; 10. 1951, Berkhidmatlah Kepada Tanahair National Archives of Malaysia; 11. 1953, Majalah Comic Melayu (Malay Comic Magazine) The
Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Volume 14 – Crafts and Visual Arts. Didier Millet; 12. Malaya Ration Card Collection of Ezrena Marwan.
Copyrights of images remain with their copyright owners. This article collates what is available and intended for educational purposes only.
79
 PORTFOLIObriefs
Seyhan Ozdemir location completion Photography

Istanbul
& Sefer Caglar Cihangir, 2009 Ali Bekman
Istanbul

Suites

Istanbul Suites is located in the

Cihangir neighbourhood which is
very close to the historical aspect
of Istanbul. Through the windows,
you can view all of the historic
quarter, including Topkapi Pal-
ace, Galata Tower and the big
mosques in Sultanahmet. Keep-
ing a modernist approach, the
sandstone facade of the building
was inspired by the strong ap-
pearance of the Tophane-i Amire
Building at the end of the street.
The long windows and French
balconies of Istanbul Suites
reflect the architectural style of
the Italian Hospital just opposite
the hotel.
Inside the lobby and rooms,
visitors may join together, al-
lowing the local Cihangir daily
life to carry on. Each room was
designed as one space where you
can eat, rest and sleep. Patterns
made from laser cut wood or
iron create layers, and combine
with the existing Autoban
furniture. Some of the furniture
has been adapted to the hotel
concept. The bathroom walls are
made of traditional Marmara mar-
ble which is the main material in
the Ottoman architectural style.

80 blueprint asia
 PORTFOLIObriefs
architects 61 location completion

A Juxtapose of
penang, 2009
malaysia

The building, Wisma Great East-

ern, is located in George Town,
Penang, and falls under the local
Planning and Heritage Guidelines
that requires the existing 2-storey
building to be conserved and any
extension be kept to maximum
of 5-storeys. The pre-existing
building embodies features from
the Art Deco era, with classical
colonial architectural features
where symmetry is important, and
was constructed with load bearing
walls and clay-pitched roofs.
The design approach adopted
by Architects 61 was to add an
element of ‘time’ into the de-
velopment – where the ‘old’ can
be easily differentiated from
the ‘new’, without having the
‘new’ mimick the ‘old’ – which
would have obscured the line of
differentiation between the ‘new’
and ‘old’. The building that is to be
conserved sits right in the center
of the site, making the design
challenging, as any extension
would have to be built around it.
Furthermore, with the site fronting
an open field (which is an impor-
tant landmark of the area), any
extension would then be restricted
to the rear and the side. By default
the new ‘L’ shaped extension acts
as a mirror to the ‘jewel’, which is
the building to be conserved. The
new extension was designed in a
modern contemporary style not
only to be different from the old
the old & new
conserved building but also to act
as a backdrop for the old, project-
ing it to be the jewel on the site.
The ‘old’, is heavy in masonry, while
the ‘new’, is light with its glazed
curtain wall at rear and side which
acts as mirror for the ‘old’.
There are two main entrances
to the building, one being the
main door of the conserved build-
ing, the ‘jewel’ for Great Eastern,
and the other being the modern
glazed canopy walkway leading
to the retained façade into the
central lobby for the rest of the
tenants, creating a contrasting
experience.
The urban context is addressed
through the scale and proportion
of the new extension, relating sym-
metrically to both the neighbour-
ing pre-war houses and a modern
building nearby. The architects
also felt that the juxtaposition and
sympathetic interlocking of the
‘new’ and ‘old’ also helps to create
a sense of ‘drama’ on the site.
A courtyard garden in the
basement with a water feature that
cascades from the garden above
along the glazed covered walkway
not only allows light and ventilation
to the basement car park, but also
creates a more conducive environ-
ment and provides for visual con-
nectivity to the environment above.
Both the new and old building is
well set back from the front of the
site, to exude a sense of grandeur
along the main road access front-
ing the open field. The large front
lawn, complete with a landscape
of mature trees, is devoid of any
fences, allowing a continuous
‘flow’ from the open field unto the
building – which projects a more
accessible and public-friendly
demeanor to the site.

issue 20 may 2010

81
 PORTFOLIObriefs
house in
hartamas
heights
ATSA Architect’s recently
designed house in the affluent
Malaysian suburb of Hartamas
Heights, Kuala Lumpur, is sited on
a corner of a hill, with three sides
overlooking scenic vistas. The
essentially rectangular design
takes full advantage of the sur-
rounding views, particularly the
south side which is angled to
capture the view of the Kuala
Lumpur skyline.
One side faces towards a
descending slope, and a semi-
basement floor is carved out in
response, creating the garage,
denai house
The Denai House, situated on an
2,438 square metres site, is organ-
ized in an elongated manner, per-
pendicular to the main road. The
basic planning of the house is one
room ‘thick’ – to promote a high
degree of cross-ventilation for all
spaces, as well as to ensure that
every room has a view to the lawn
82
and swimming pool. There is no
formal enclosed living room. The
house layout was planned strictly
on the everyday practical re-
quirements of the client. Hence,
the kitchen is located near the
entrance, as the main centre
of activity, alongside the family
Razin
Architect
living area. Sliding folding timber
doors open up the family area to
the lounge, transforming it into
a spacious combined area where
the dry kitchen, family, dining
and lounge areas spread across
a 6 by 18 metre area without any
dividing partitions. Most of the
concrete ceilings are left unflus-
ATSA Architects location
Hartamas
Heights, Malaysia
pool room and swimming pool
areas. Conventional organisation
of spaces are applied elsewhere,
with the living, dining, library and
kitchen located on the ground
floor, and bedrooms on the upper
floors. The house incorporates
the use of sun-shading devices,
protecting glassed areas from
direct sunlight. A light well and
shaft is introduced at the centre
of the house to draw hot air up for
natural ventilation. Interestingly,
the design as whole was concep-
tualised with the input of a Feng
Shui consultant to cater specifi-
cally for the house’s owners.
Green building principles and
climatic considerations employed
include the metal louvres which
provide sun-shading, clear high-
storey windows (allowing for
trapped heat to be released),
cross-ventilation, extensive land-
scaping to reduce heat gain, and
consideration to prevailing wind
directions of the location.
location Photography
Malaysia Yusri Hashim
(Razin Architect
Studio)
tered and unpainted. An external
colour palette was consciously
limited to using black for metal
works, natural stain for timber and
unpainted cement plaster for the
wall surfaces – which combines
elegantly into the lush green foli-
age on the site.
blueprint asia
 PORTFOLIObriefs
David Yeo location completion

Colonial Celebration
Tsim Sha Tsui, 2009
Hong Kong

Hullet House, located in the historical Marine Police headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, is a new heritage development that consists of an intimate
hotel, five restaurants and bars, and a souvenir store. Housed within one of the oldest buildings in the heart of Hong Kong (dating back to 1881), the
development aims to preserve and renew a magnificent example of colonial architecture. What we loved the most were the beautifully ornate inte-
riors, designed by founder David Yeo, which are a fusion of traditional and contemporary aesthetics, and combined in a way that will appeal to a wide
audience. Each restaurant and hotel suite has been individually created to embody a period of history.

issue 20 may 2010

83
 PORTFOLIObriefs
FormoDesign location completion

Polish
Aleksandrow Ongoing
Lodzki, Poland

Office
Building

From Poland-based formodesign comes a modestly-sized two-storey office building in Aleksandrow Lodzki, Poland. Still in the conceptual stage, the
design for the PR agency office is starkly modern and efficient in its use of space. The ground floor features a circular movement flow that leads to
individual office rooms, and is formed around a ‘social’ core – an open reception desk with a customer service area. On the first floor, an inner garden
unfolds through the facade – a view available only through the chairmen’s offices. On this floor, an open office space caters for the ‘export’ department,
alongside more individual offices and facilities. Interesting features include computer-regulated sun-blades and a natural wood facade.

84 blueprint asia
 Spec HIGHLIGHT
Goodrich Global
A Touch To Remember
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Spec
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blueprint asia
 Spec
compiled by eunice loh

DAMIXA
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Designed by gneiss group of
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issue 20 may 2010

87
 Spec

ONZEN
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88 blueprint asia