Rising over global cities, the modern skyscraper has long been a symbol of economic growth and environmental decline. For years, they have been reviled by environmentalists for being uncontrolled energy consumers. Malaysian architect Kenneth Yeang acknowledged the skyscraper as a necessity in modern cities and adopted a pragmatic approach to greening the otherwise unsustainable building typology. Yeang’s bioclimatic skyscrapers blend the economics of space with sustainability and improved living standards.
A champion of sustainable architecture in Southeast Asia, Kenneth Yeang’s work is driven by an ecology-based approach. He was a student of the Scottish landscape architect Ian McHarg who encouraged Yeang to design according to a regional microclimate. Best known for his green architecture and master plans, Yeang’s designs display a distinctive green aesthetic that performs beyond conventional rating systems. With many successful projects in his portfolio, Yeang became well-known for reimagining skyscraper design in fast-growing Southeast Asia.
Kenneth Yeang situated his practice at the intersection of theory and practice, having authored a few books on skyscraper design. In “The Skyscraper Bioclimatically Considered”, Yeang describes bioclimatic architecture as the use of passive, low-energy techniques such as building configuration, shading, component placement, material selection, solar- and wind-related orientation, natural ventilation, ‘sky courts, and vertical landscaping. “The Green Skyscraper: the Basis for Designing Sustainable Intensive Buildings” elaborates on Yeang’s justification for the focus on skyscrapers as a means of ecological improvement in growing cities.
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Reading Between the SkylinesDescribed as “capital with a green face”, Yeang was able to market sustainable development to clients and developers. He proved that designing with climate using passive devices resulted in a reduction of the overall energy consumption of the buildings, further reducing operational costs. Consequently, reduced electrical energy use implies reduced use of non-renewable fossil fuels, carbon dioxide emissions, air pollution, and temperature inversions. These considerations allowed development to continue within a framework of environmental sensibility - crucial to growing economies in Asia.
Yeang’s definition of bioclimatic architecture - passive techniques, environmental improvement, and regional expression - were realized through building strategies emphasized in his writing and his built work:
EDITT Tower: The Core
The Ecological Design In The Tropics Tower situated in Singapore is an example of ecological innovation in the Southeast Asian context. Kenneth Yeang’s strategy for increased airflow and reduced temperatures takes the form of an external core placed along the perimeter of the building. This opens up space inside as an expanding and contracting vertical courtyard that promotes natural ventilation and transpiration. Additionally, the external core also acts as a shield against heat gain during the hottest part of the day. The EDITT tower successfully reinterprets conventional skyscraper design where a central core within a rectangular shaft was considered immutable.
Nara Tower: Vertical Greenery
Kenneth Yeang’s unbuilt project designed for Tokyo, the Nara Tower, uses planting to counteract the biological imbalance caused by urban conurbation. The energy-efficient building applies concepts of vertical landscaping with eco-design to filet and clean indoor and outdoor air. Apart from serving as the lungs of the tower, the greenscape acts as a sound break between floors. The Nara Tower features a combination of changing form, continual landscaping, and embedded technologies to create a vernacular expression and aesthetic for an ‘eco-friendly skyscraper’.
Menara Mesiniaga: Sky Courts
With the Menara Mesiniaga tower, Yeang shifts his focus from technological advances in skyscraper design to the physiological well-being of users. The culmination of the Malaysian architect’s years of research into passive strategies for tall buildings, the tower fully realized its bioclimatic design principles. Yeang envisioned the project as a vertical interpretation of planar urban landscapes, equipping the building with vistas, public realms, civic zones, and linkages to “humanize floor slabs disconnected from the ground”. He achieved this through “sky courts” that spiral around the cylindrical facade. The sky courts not only act as a transitional space between the inside and outside of the skyscraper but also direct convective currents of cool air around and into the building.
UMNO Tower: Natural Ventilation
The UMNO (United Malaysian National Organization) Tower in Penang, Malaysia highlights the eco-architect’s structural creativity. Yeang’s design turns a general disadvantage to skyscraper construction - wind load - into an opportunity. The UMNO Tower stands as a “vertical cantilever beam” positioned to take advantage of wind coming in from far-away natural features such as the South China Sea and the surrounding mountains. The structure was designed as a large “wind wing” wall angled to create an artificial pressure zone and pull wind through each office floor. The resulting natural ventilation was crucial in improving the health of the occupants, enhancing their physiological perception, and supporting energy conservation.
