aquacity

This image of an water-centric development, a concept to develop new communities over large bodies of water covered areas, in this case a major coastline along the North bounds of East Malaysian waters. The Project calls for a prototype container, structurally a circular rig with pneumatic features and aquarium-specifications glass sides permitting views into the ocean. Over a long stretch, we might see more of these connecting to each other, forming a network of floating "air bubbles", some serving to provide communication devices and facilities, public reception, and others shall merely provide food and storage items.

Technically a project using water as technology for support and structure, a concept to push modern developments forward using the potential of water environments and generating more awareness in our very limited appreciation of the vastly neglected resources that we have around our congested and polluted cities.

Aquacity is one project whereby the support structure and foundations of a building is provided through the application and understanding of fluid mechanics, the water itself assisting with reducing the cooling loads on the enclosed space with careful mechanical ventilation and design. The site is immediately constructible, devoid of any need to invest in high energy foundation systems commonly required for land bound development. Communication network is again free of charge, the water body permitting simple low-tech transportation systems which can be energy-saving and completely free of fixed, pre-defined or often limited permanent routes offered by traditional road networks.

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Reversing Architecture

By using found objects from the site, the Boh Visitor Centre facade is able to reconnect more effectively, at least in the visual sense, to the surrounding landscape; the wooden logs having been made out from trunks of fallen trees found in the immediate areas. The logs are later inserted carefully into the rust protected slender metal frames, and rearranged in random fashion, to control and soften daylight penetration into this naturally ventilated TEA Visitor and Showroom Facility and Building. Project is located in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia and owned by the Russell family.

Boh has enjoyed many awards and the latest being the Barbara Cappochin Award for its sustinable architecture and also for the efforts put in towards collaboration between the Contractor and the Consulting Experts and the Client. Last week the Cityscape Asia Awards for Corporate Building picked this as a winner for Responsibility towards conservation of the Environment.

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Design: Susanne ZEIDLER, Huat LIM [ZLG Design]