Standing at 170m and 110m tall, the twin ‘Arte s’ residential towers sit at the base Bukit Gambir, a lush tropical mountain located at the heart of Penang Island in the Indian Ocean off the Western coast of Malaysia. Designed by Spark Architects, the geometry and composition of the towers is inspired the dramatic surrounding land and seascapes mediating between the steeply rising verdant mountain and the flowing currents of the Malacca Straits. The project, which began construction in 2012, is due to be completed in 2014. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The two towers are generated by the extrusion of a simple and efficient elliptical floor plate whilst the facade is brought to life with the addition of a waveform fin at each level. The varying profile of the ledges is inspired by the ocean currents of the Malacca straits which separate the island from peninsula Malaysia. The Western tower is closer to the mountain, climbing to 49 storey’s, it will be the tallest on the island offering spectacular ocean views from the upper levels of its eastern elevation whilst the Western façade looks onto the jungle covered mountain.
The organic rhythm of the tower incorporates a sky garden at level 35 housing two pebble inspired recreational pods. The pods will create a dramatic landmark with spectacular views across the city of Georgetown, the straits of Malacca and Malaysia beyond glowing spectacularly at night creating a beacon visible across the island.
The lower tower rises from the layered podium to 27 storeys where the sculpted fin geometry steps back from the primary elevation creating a layered sky garden sculpted from the upper floor plates. The lushly planted tower garden and podium level facades take advantage of the tropical climate merging the boundaries between naturalistic tropical planting and distinctive flowing man-made geometry generating a distinctive street level presence with a human scale and texture.
Architects: Spark Architects Location: Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia Team: Stephen Pimbley, Peter Morris, Jay Panelo, Lintang Wuriantari, Ethan Hwang Landscape Architects: Spark Architects Interiors: Spark Architects / DManssi Associates LDI: East Design Structural Engineer: Perunding YAA/Passage Projects M+E: JH Tag Developer: Nusmetro Client: Nusmetro Thomas Chan Tower Heights: 170+110 m, Levels 49+32, 400 Project Dates: December 2012-2014
