Companion Towers
A pairing of office towers, textured and patterned, create a misty silhouette against the lush, mountainous background of Bayan Baru, Penang Island.
Part of a larger masterplan that includes residential buildings by MKPL Architects the office towers sit atop a densely planted podium containing integrated retail and an elevated conference centre within a garden setting. The centre’s low slung roof pond is a visual foil within the gardens when viewed by the tower population.
A veil of sun shading comprising expressed floor edges and finely tapered vertical blades defines the appearance of the towers within the humid air of Penang. The white concrete veil is tinged with a green oxide that marries this field of colour with the rain trees of the street – an ever present green.
Within the taller of the paired towers are two observation decks, executive floors and sky gardens. These facilities take in distant views to Georgetown in the north and to the west across the Malacca Strait to Seberang Perai and the Malay Peninsula.
- Collaborators Wardle in collaboration with MKPL Architects
- Location Penang, Malaysia
- Levels 40 floors
The plaza works as an urban common and an extension of the living room of each apartment in the sky. It hosts the daily transient population of workers from the two commercial towers.
This approach future-proofs the mixed-use development as a sustainable space. It expands the precinct by opening connections to the newly developed conference centre and beyond.
