THE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT (FABE) BUILDING
SABE in Astro
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The newly refurbished SABE building located in the main campus of Kuala Lumpur Infrastructure University College (KLIUC) at Bangi, Selangor is a reminiscent of works produced by the De Stijl (The Style) group in the 1920s. Founded by Dutch architect and painter Theo van Deosburg in 1917, the De Stijl design philosophy was based on “functionalism with a severe and doctrinaire insistence on the rectilinearity of the planes, which seem to slide across one another like sliding panels. All surface decoration except color was to be eliminated, and only pure primary hues, plus black and white were to be allowed.”[1]
Inception of the design started when SABE was offered to expand its operations into Block B which was originally designated as a hostel to accommodate male students of KLIUC. Analysis of spaces and façade were carried out by staffs and students of the Architecture Department, to ascertain the suitability as well as potential of the building to be converted into the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE).
Spatial Analysis
Spaces in the new SABE building were arranged according to its users’ needs and the building function, which seemed to follow the De Stijl philosophy that is based on functionalism. However, this is a mere coincidence as the De Stijl philosophy was only adopted at the façade design stage.
The existing building form comprise two cuboids that slides against each other with the shorter sides facing east and west while the longer sides facing north and south, which in itself is a plus point as it helps to reduce solar heat gain into the building. Spaces in the existing building surround an open atrium, the function of which is to provide sunlight and ventilation.
The refurbished building include a total of 8 designated design studios allocated for the 3 different Architectural programs offered by the School which are Diploma in Architecture, Bachelor of Science (Architectural Studies) and Bachelor of Architecture, classrooms, laboratories, a workshop, lecturer’s offices and the school’s management office. The undergraduate studios are located on the ground, second and third floors at the east and west sides of the building due to its broader width while the post graduate studios are located on the third floor to allow the post graduate students privacy and quiet. Classrooms, laboratories and a workshop are located on the north and south sides of the building where the spaces are narrower.
SABE’s management office comprising the Dean’s office, Head of Departments office, lecturers’ offices, a meeting room, document room and a resource room are all located on the first floor with the aim of providing easier interaction among staff members. There are also rooms for the various students’ society under SABE. A bridge linking the north and south sides of the building at the second and third floors was added to provide better circulation and safety for students in case of fire, i.e. by reducing travel distance to the nearest staircase. This also provides more privacy to the design studios on the second and third floors as students need not go through the studios on the east and west sides in order to get to classrooms on the north and south sides of the building.
The void at the center of the building was roofed over to create spaces for exhibition purposes and gallery show casing students’ works. Once completed and fully operational, this space is envisioned to be the heart of the school where all activities are centered, such as public lectures, critique sessions, final presentations, students exhibition and even in door games such as ping pong and badminton. It will also be a place where students from various programs offered by the school which include Diploma in Quantity Surveying and Diploma in Geomatic Engineering can interact with each other outside of the class room environment.
Façade Study
One of the design objectives for the new SABE building was energy efficiency, the achievement of which highly depends on reduction of operational energy use in the building via use of natural lighting and ventilation wherever possible. The existing building elements which include the followings provided ample opportunity for the above.
· Appropriate building orientation, where the short sides face east and west;
· Existing sun shading devices;
· Sufficient openings to allow for natural ventilation in the covered up atrium.
The existing façade elements are maintained and wherever possible upgraded to maximize the sun shading effects to reduce heat gain. Large openings extending from ground floor to the roof on the north and south sides of the building promote natural ventilation as these also faces the prevailing south to north wind direction. Accumulation of hot air rising to the top of the covered atrium is prevented by incorporating louvered panels at the sides of the barrel shaped metal deck roof and lifting the roof around 1.5 meters above the roof plane to promote the flow of hot air to the exterior to be replaced by cool air coming in from the openings at the sides of the building.
Not much could and need to be done to the existing façade as it already fulfills the design objective in terms of passive design elements. The challenge was the aesthetics of the building which will be important in providing observers with a good first impression of the building. Architecture students were given the opportunity to express their ideas for the façade design. Several designs were received from the students, among which the De Stijl concept was the most utilized concept, mainly for its simplicity and adherence to the specified budget and not to mention the required aesthetics.
Completion of the new SABE building in June 2011 is expected to add color and liven up the otherwise monotonous environment of KLIUC. A study to determine the effectiveness of the passive design elements in reducing operational energy use in the refurbished SABE building will also be conducted by the school, the proposal of which had been submitted to the Research Management Center (RMC), awaiting approval.
Source : BLOCK B SABE Article by Pn. Siti Noraini Ahmad
Inception of the design started when SABE was offered to expand its operations into Block B which was originally designated as a hostel to accommodate male students of KLIUC. Analysis of spaces and façade were carried out by staffs and students of the Architecture Department, to ascertain the suitability as well as potential of the building to be converted into the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE).
Spatial Analysis
Spaces in the new SABE building were arranged according to its users’ needs and the building function, which seemed to follow the De Stijl philosophy that is based on functionalism. However, this is a mere coincidence as the De Stijl philosophy was only adopted at the façade design stage.
The existing building form comprise two cuboids that slides against each other with the shorter sides facing east and west while the longer sides facing north and south, which in itself is a plus point as it helps to reduce solar heat gain into the building. Spaces in the existing building surround an open atrium, the function of which is to provide sunlight and ventilation.
The refurbished building include a total of 8 designated design studios allocated for the 3 different Architectural programs offered by the School which are Diploma in Architecture, Bachelor of Science (Architectural Studies) and Bachelor of Architecture, classrooms, laboratories, a workshop, lecturer’s offices and the school’s management office. The undergraduate studios are located on the ground, second and third floors at the east and west sides of the building due to its broader width while the post graduate studios are located on the third floor to allow the post graduate students privacy and quiet. Classrooms, laboratories and a workshop are located on the north and south sides of the building where the spaces are narrower.
SABE’s management office comprising the Dean’s office, Head of Departments office, lecturers’ offices, a meeting room, document room and a resource room are all located on the first floor with the aim of providing easier interaction among staff members. There are also rooms for the various students’ society under SABE. A bridge linking the north and south sides of the building at the second and third floors was added to provide better circulation and safety for students in case of fire, i.e. by reducing travel distance to the nearest staircase. This also provides more privacy to the design studios on the second and third floors as students need not go through the studios on the east and west sides in order to get to classrooms on the north and south sides of the building.
The void at the center of the building was roofed over to create spaces for exhibition purposes and gallery show casing students’ works. Once completed and fully operational, this space is envisioned to be the heart of the school where all activities are centered, such as public lectures, critique sessions, final presentations, students exhibition and even in door games such as ping pong and badminton. It will also be a place where students from various programs offered by the school which include Diploma in Quantity Surveying and Diploma in Geomatic Engineering can interact with each other outside of the class room environment.
Façade Study
One of the design objectives for the new SABE building was energy efficiency, the achievement of which highly depends on reduction of operational energy use in the building via use of natural lighting and ventilation wherever possible. The existing building elements which include the followings provided ample opportunity for the above.
· Appropriate building orientation, where the short sides face east and west;
· Existing sun shading devices;
· Sufficient openings to allow for natural ventilation in the covered up atrium.
The existing façade elements are maintained and wherever possible upgraded to maximize the sun shading effects to reduce heat gain. Large openings extending from ground floor to the roof on the north and south sides of the building promote natural ventilation as these also faces the prevailing south to north wind direction. Accumulation of hot air rising to the top of the covered atrium is prevented by incorporating louvered panels at the sides of the barrel shaped metal deck roof and lifting the roof around 1.5 meters above the roof plane to promote the flow of hot air to the exterior to be replaced by cool air coming in from the openings at the sides of the building.
Not much could and need to be done to the existing façade as it already fulfills the design objective in terms of passive design elements. The challenge was the aesthetics of the building which will be important in providing observers with a good first impression of the building. Architecture students were given the opportunity to express their ideas for the façade design. Several designs were received from the students, among which the De Stijl concept was the most utilized concept, mainly for its simplicity and adherence to the specified budget and not to mention the required aesthetics.
Completion of the new SABE building in June 2011 is expected to add color and liven up the otherwise monotonous environment of KLIUC. A study to determine the effectiveness of the passive design elements in reducing operational energy use in the refurbished SABE building will also be conducted by the school, the proposal of which had been submitted to the Research Management Center (RMC), awaiting approval.
Source : BLOCK B SABE Article by Pn. Siti Noraini Ahmad
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