Table of

Contents
Introduction
the Fast facts
the history
the architect
architecture style analysis
building construction & material analysis
Architectural elements/components analysis
conclusion
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introduction
1990 by Hijjas Kasturi Associates (Ar-
chitect). In 2002, Shahzan tower changed
their name into Menara Prime and did some
renovation in the exterior and interior.
One year after, it became Menara Stand-
ard Chartered. Menara Standard Char-
tered It is 46 storeys and stands within
the golden triangle commercial district
of Kuala Lumpur. Menara Standard Char-
tered is the 16th tallest building and
one of the landmarks in Kuala Lumpur.
The shape is sculpted into five vertical
fingers whose staggered height is re-
flected in detailing at the ground level
which reinforces the theme at the human scale
Menara Standard chartered was formerly
known as Shahzan tower, is located in
Jalan Sultan Ismail, No.30, level 16,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was built in
fast facts
The building type of Menara Standard
Chartered itself is skyscraper and main-
ly used as commercial office. As a com-
mercial building mainly for office, it
has a net lettable space of approximate-
ly 321,000 sf and offers office units
with built-up areas ranging from 1,000
sf to 10,000 sf. The facilities provid-
ed such as 374 parking bays, cafeteria,
business center, centralized air condi-
tioning system, 24 hours security, fully
equipped boardrooms and meeting rooms,
IP technology with broadband internet
Located in the heart of KL City, Me-
nara Standard Chartered is adjacent
to Raja Chulan Monorail Station which
provides access to all public trans-
portation systems and easy access
from various part of the city via
Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
and Jalan Sultan Ismail. And also,
it is next to Pavilion Shopping Cen-
tre and is close proximity to estab-
lished hotels including Crowne Plaza,
JW Marriott, and Hotel Istana. With
features such as modern entrance lob-
by, elevatures and common areas with
high-end finishes, it is considered
as the tallest and the most prominent
building in the immediate vicinity.
11 years after its completion, the Government of Singapore Investment
Corporation through its partner, Reco City Sdn Berhad bough Shahzan Insas
Tower in November 2001 for RM135 million. Due to its strategic location,
GIC foreseen that this building with considerable value-add potential
can be redeveloped into a gold class office building. They employed DP
architects and renovated this building in a large-scale. However, the
renovation was not easy as they had to ensure during the process, the
massive structure would stay intact. They employed skilled resources and
succeed in transforming the property into one of Kuala Lumpurs iconic
buildings in a relatively short period of time. Whats best, the reno-
vation helped preserved this iconic landmark without demolishing it .
Soon after in November 2008, Dutch insurer ING bought Standard Chartered
Tower for RM 328.85 million. Their main motive was to invest in properties
in Malaysia. The building, other than is one of Kuala Lumpurs prime office
buildings, it is also located in the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur. The
predicted capital appreciation is also expected to be at a consistent rate .
Today, the building is home to Standard Char-
tered Bank and a host of other multi-national companies.
Completed in 1990, the architect behind this building is Hijjas Kasturi Asso-
caites. The building was initially called Shahzan Tower. The construction cost
was 90 million Ringgit. It was also called the Shahzan Insas tower as it was
owned by Insas Berhad, which is a stockbroking firm.
The history
THE ARCHITECTS
The Menara Standard Chartered is mostly
recognised as one of the main projects
by the firm, DP Architects (DPA). But,
the project was, in fact, started by the
firm Hijjas Kasturi Associates (HKA).
Since the foundation of HKAS in 1977,
Malaysias construction industry has
experienced dramatic changes. The ear-
ly post-colonial period was character-
ised by strong nationalism and a desire
to express this architecturally. HKAs
philosophy is to develop designs that
reconciled contemporary space and func-
tion with a modern aesthetic quality.
HKAs recent designs still
takes reference from tradi-
tional ideas but are devel-
oping towards organic form
and detail that can ex-
ploit construction sys-
tems for new solutions.
Through a strong commitment to design excellence, we as-
pire to make our mark on the global stage by making signif-
icant contributions to the field of architecture and to
the design environment, with the aim to improve the
quality of life of the people who enjoy our work.
DP Architects
HKA has set the foundation and the unique design of
the building. DPA has reinforced the standing through
the name update and a complete makeover in its ap-
pearance. Though being different firms, DPA and HKA
both had the same objective: the designation
of Me- nara Standard Chartered to re-
tain its premium stand-
ing in the market.
Singapore-grown, DPA is an architectural practice
evolving in tandem with the building of nationhood
since the independence of Singapore. DPAs phi-
losophy is to create architecture of excellence.
It aims to enrich the human experience and spir-
it through its planning and architectural works.
In this vast emphasis, the considerations of different
types of material are often used in well-defined planes
and vertical forms. This creates a contrast against the
horizontal elements which are presents for more dramatic
effects. Horizontality.
The use of modern materials and system are also widely
used in this building. In explanation to this characteris-
tic, steel columns are used in exposed manner in terms of
its application, concrete blocks are also used as a fin-
ished material, a more stain and exposed concrete floors
are utilized, the long-spans steel trusses allow open col-
umn-free spaces, and finally, the radiant heating system
enhances human comfort during the heavy rainfall experi-
enced in Malaysia.
linked boxes
honrizontality
verticality
Late modernism also known as High Tech
Architecture or Structural expression-
ism is an architectural style which be-
came a bridge between modernisms and
post-modernisms. In the year of 1980s,
high tech architecture started to look
different from the post-modern architec-
ture. Many of the themes and ideas which
originated during the post-modern times
were added to the high tech architec-
ture. Modern architecture is primarily
driven by technological and engineering
developments; it is proven by the avail-
ability of new building materials such
as iron, steel and glass which drove the
invention of new building techniques as
a part of the industrial revolution.
Characteristic:
One of the main characteristics found
in a late modern building is how its
ornamentations are very limited. With
the restricted decorations, it emits a
sense of simplicity, giving it a clean
aesthetic in which the materi-
als are coincided in simple well ex-
ecuted joints. Emphasis is given
to rectangular forms and horizon-
tal and vertical lines in which
the shapes of the buildings are
based boxes, or linked boxes.
architecture style
analysis
The architect also took into
consideration and thought deep-
ly on the relationship between
interior spaces and the sites.
This problem has been solved
by the use of large expanses
of glass in effect of bringing
the buildings site into the
building. This allows an in-
ter-connected relation in be-
tween the exterior and interi-
or. He was also smart enough
to take advantage and fully
utilized the dramatic views
and natural landscaping. To
assist in the connectivity,
generous use of glass; main-
ly used in curtain walling
systems, and the penetra-
tion of natural light.
These windows are no longer portrayed as portholes to the outside,
but largely expanded from floor to ceiling glasses. This provides a
dramatic view and the introduction of natural light deep into the
interior of the building which gives a completely different feel and
atmosphere to the user within the building.
The Menara Standard Chartered is considered a pure modern building
as demonstrated in the west. This main influence can be clearly
seen from the use of curtain walling and big columns, not for-
getting the quote by the very famous architect Mies Van der Rohe,
Less is More, with the limited usage of ornamentations. If it has
local influence, it will be proven by the usage of the Islamic style
or timber and bamboo elements in the building.
Entrance lobby
The Menara Standard Chartered is built
around 4 internal columns which starts
up from the foundation, goes through the
ground, mezzanine and the other floors.
They are found in the middle of the
building. But they still allow a very
wide open plan for the easy circulation.
The position of the 4 columns is a grid-
like. They are strategically positioned
in such a way because of the design of
the building. As we can notice from the
floor plan, the building seems to be
separated into 5 sections. Each of them
are not aligned to each, but are rather
shifted to the sides. Therefore the 4
columns are positioned in such a way to
provide support to the 5 sections evenly.
The structure of the building then ex-
tends to the walls. On the North and
South faades of the building, there
are 12 columns, 6 on each facade.
Those give the illusion that the build-
ing is being separated in 5 sections.
The columns are one major element of
the buildings structure. Once the
structure is set, the curtain walling
is attached to them, as well as for
the other components of the building
Construction
method
The columns are made up from pre-cast
steel reinforced concrete. The con-
struction is undergone by setting the
blocks one on each other. For the col-
umns, to reach such a height, they have
been reinforced using bundled tube steel.
In structural engineering, the tube is the
name given to the systems where in order
to resist lateral loads(wind, seismic,
etc.) a building is designed to act like
a three-dimensional hollow tube, cantile-
veredperpendicular to the ground. The sys-
tem was introduced by Fazlur Rahman Khan
The system can be constructed using steel,
concrete, or composite construction (the
discrete use of both steel and concrete).
It can be used for office, apartment and
mixed-use buildings. Most buildings in-
excess of 40 stories constructed since
the 1960s are of this structural type.
The tube system concept is based on the idea
that a building can be designed to resist
lateral loads bydesigning it as a hollow
cantilever perpendicular to the ground.
This assembly of columns and beams
forms a rigid framethat amounts to
a dense and strong structural wall
along the exterior of the building
One of the comparisons we can make is with one of Mies van
der Rohes building, which is the Seagram Building. One
similarity in the construction methods is that they were
built of a frame, from which non-structural glass walls
were hung. Mies van der Rohe would have preferred the steel
frame to be seen to all; however, American building codes
required that all structural steel be covered in a fire-
proof material, usually concrete; like the Menara Standard
Chartered. Mies then changed the material to bronze to keep
h i s desire of having a very skin and bone architec-
t u r e .
From the comparisons, we can notice a minor similarity; the use
of columns in the interior of the building. However the Seagram
buildings structure consists of more columns than the Menara
Standard Chartered, because of the difference in the material.
Many types of materials are being used
in Menara Standard Chartered construc-
tion process, but only a few that are
main / major materials which are more
dominant than the others materials.
First is the 3 mm thick aluminium sol-
id panel. It is used in this build-
ing as framing. There are quite a lot
of advantages in using this material.
Based on the chemical property resist-
ance, while there are continuous drop-
ping of hydrochloric acid on the same
spot fot 15 minutes, no bubble and no
changes observed on the surface of the
panel. As for the nitric acid resist-
ance, color changes happen but its
less than E 6 NBS. For the mortar
resistance, no changes observed and as
for the washing resistance, the coat
film remains firm and no bubble ob-
served. If we observe from the cor-
rosion resistance, both moisture re-
sistance and smoke resistance tests
resulted that this material can stand
for 4000 hours and quality above grade
2. For the endurance ability within 10
years, fading E 5 NBS, pulveriza-
tion GB/T 1766 with grade 1 quality,
It also helps to protect expensive curtains, furnishings and
carpets from fading caused by the damaging effects of shortwave
UV radiation. It is very effective in reducing the transmis-
sion of noise through glazing and achieved through the sound
dampening properties of the interlayer (it varies with the
type and thickness of the glass and interlayer). Another ad-
vantage is that this material has tinted interlayer or re-
flective glass to reduce glare and heat gain in a building.
Facades glazed with annealed laminated glass reduce the risk
of visible distortions which sometimes created by the heat
treatment process. The PVB interlayer in laminated glass can
also create some polarization of light in some lighting condi-
tions and may appear as haze or give a dappled appearance.
Third is 6 mm thick heat-soaked tempered glass (ASA-
HI SUNLUX-G DARK BLUE TS5A40). It is used as
material for curtain wall in this building,
which I personally think is main attrac-
tion from outside. Compared to normal tem-
pered glass, heat-soaked tempered glass
normally is more expensive due to the ad-
ditional process applied. Heat-soaked tem-
pered glass cannot be sawn, cut, drilled or
processed after treatment. The heat-soak-
ing process helps to reduce the risk/inci-
dence of spontaneous breakage due to Nickel
Sulfide (NiS) inclusions and fabrication dam-
age in tempered glass. Heat-soaked tempered
glass has greater resistance to mechanical
shocks (glass doors and glass units with me-
chanical controls) and also thermal stresses.
glossiness not less than 50%, and damage possibil-
ity of film thickness is not more than 10%.Ageing
resistance after 2000 hours causes fading changes
E 3 NBS, pulverization to 0 and glossiness not
inferior to grade 2. Wear resistance for this ma-
terial is not less than 54m. Great features that
this material has are that it is light-weight,
high durability, temperature resistance, rust re-
sistance, easy cleaning and low maintenance. It
can also serve as decorative to a building with
its bending flexibility and perforation effect.
Second, it is clear laminated glass with 13.52 mm
thickness. It is made up of two or more sheets
of glass bonded together with a plastic inter-
layer. Multiple laminates and thicker glass has
more strength and if layers of laminated glass
combined with polycarbonate and thermoplastic
can construct a bullet-resistant glass. In this
building, it is used as materials for office
doors and windows. There are a lot of advantages
in using this material. For the safety as exam-
ple, laminated glass is hard to be penetrated
when it is attacked by outside force because the
PVB film has strong tenacity and is able to ab-
sorb and weaken a mass of striking energy which
means that even it is broken, the splinters will
stick to the interlayer and not scattered around.
PVB film that makes laminated glass also can ef-
fectively prevent sound-wave and UV. It absorbs
about 99% of the suns UV radiation while allow-
ing the important visible light to pass through.
Forth is steel reinforced pre-cast con-
crete. Even strong, plain concrete doesnt
easily withstand tensile and shear stress-
es caused by wind, earthquake, vibrations
and other force, while steel does. It shall
consist of cementitious materials, min-
eral aggregates and water in which steel
reinforcement has been embedded in such
a manner so that the steel reinforcement
and concrete act together. So, reinforcing
steel significantly increases the strength
of concrete in an economical and safe man-
ner.
Lastly is drywall. It is also known as
plasterboard, wallboard or gypsum board. It
is a panel made of gypsum plaster pressed
between two thick sheets of paper. In this
case, it is found as part of office interi-
or such as walls and ceilings. The method
of installation affects the sound transmis-
sion through walls and ceilings. Also, it
may become damaged when exposed to water,
especially if it remains exposed and ex-
tended period of time. As for fire resist-
ance, drywall acts as a passive fire pro-
tection item because it contains the water
of crystallization bound in the form of
hydrations.
Material Analysis
Architectural Elements
Components AnalysisA building progressively increas-
ing in height, this buildings north and south facades consist of mostly
windows.
The building, appear as though 4 progressively increasing in height domi-
nos stacked together, has an interesting north and south faade constructed
based on 6mm thick tempered heat soak glass and 3mm thick aluminium solid
panel. The windows which make up the whole faade are one of the distinctive
features among the surrounding buildings.
There are 2 main type of stairs found in this building. Those
two are landing staircase and spiral staircase.
The type of stairs for the
emergency staircase is
landing staircase.
This is to com-
ply with the
s a f e t y
Also, the entrance or exit of escape doors must consist of fire resistant materi-
als. These doors are required to be able to close without manual aid due to safety
reasons. These exits must be indicated clearly as well and can be operated without
efforts. It is also vital that they stay unobstructed at all times. There should
also be handrail along the stairs.
However, in case of emergency, it would be hard for disabled people to evacuate
as the stairs are not design for the disabled.
The spiral stairs can be found in this building too. The spiral stairs looks
good too in terms of aesthetic value. One of the significant advantages
of spiral stairs is that it occupies much lesser space compared to the
other staircases.
Nevertheless, to achieve this, it has to be steep as
well. The steepness has caused this type of stairs
to be not quite user friendly.
The front faade of both standard char-
tered building and crown hall has quite
a number of similarities. Both buildings
have steps ascending towards the entrance.
These steps have enhanced the elegance of
the building. It is also similar to an-
cient Greek temple, where prior entering
the temple, there are flight of steps.
In general, our first approach into a
building is through the doors. Hence,
in commercial buildings, having a
pleasant entrance is important. It
would not be welcoming if the doors
were damaged or not well maintained.
The main doors of standard chartered building are made of tempered glass. Each
door measures 962.5 mm. The transparent doors look modest as well. The open-
ness of the entrance reasserts the important objective of ensuring that com-
mercial buildings are welcoming rather than forbidding to the pedestrian.
The doors can be opened both inwards and outwards of the building. In other terms, the
can be rotated at 180 degrees. Each door is supported by 2 international patent hinges.
Glass building is one of the key features of Mies Van Der Rohes ar-
chitecture. His preference of glass in construction has created a huge
influence in the modern architecture today. The glass doors at Menara
Standard Chartered have a similar appearance with the crown hall, which
is one of the campuses in Chicago Institute of Technology.
The key feature that struck our mind once standard chartered building
is mention is its blue faade windows. The windows, not only serve to
provide ventilation for the interior, but also make up the north and
south faade.
There are a few type of windows found in this building, but only the
casement window will be discussed here. The materials used to for
these windows are aluminium frame and tempered glass.
Casement window is a type of window that is attached by one or more
hinges to its frame. The hinges are usually at its sides. It is the
most common type of window.
One of the ultimate benefits of having glass faade is the decrease in energy
consumption to light up the interior. Hence, leaving lesser carbon footprint.
If compared to western building, the glass windows mimic crown hall, which is located in
chicago, United States of America. Crown hall which adapts to full glass faade emits
a sense of clarity with elegance. This applies to Menara Standard Chartered as well.
Next Page
Curtain Walling
Previously we acknowledged the presence
of abundant amount of windows on this
building, now well look at the pres-
ence of curtain walls on the building.
Curtain walling is the outer covering
of a building in which the outer walls
are non-structural, but merely to keep
the weather out and the occupants in.
This system is used at the North and
South part of the building in the
Standard Chartered. This not only gave
the whole building a unique look, but
it also gave it one of the most sig-
nificant faade in the whole area.
The new curtain wall was carefully
placed especially at specific floors
in this building. It developed from
the lower floors to the higher floors
according to the general view, shape
and form of the actual building.
It develops from the 1st floor on the
first part of the building to the
2nd, 3rd and 4th floors in acquaint-
ance to the respective parts of the
building. This not only follows the
trend set by the building itself,
but it also generates a con-
cept and idea of hierarchy and
development throughout the build-
ing. Some of these windows can
be opened to improve ventila-
tion throughout the spaces. Besides
this, the curtain wall was also placed
at a small part from the 12th and
14th floor. Unlike in the other
floors, these windows cannot be opened
as thus, artificial ventila-
tion systems are used in them.
In placement of
these curtain
walls, aluminium
louvers are used
as a supportive
element. There are
3 types of glass
or windows used in
this system. These
are mainly, 10mm
thick shop front
glass (Figure 1),
6mm think tempered
heat soaked glass
which can and
cannot be opened
(Figure 2). The
placement of these
variations of
glasses was also
taken into con-
sideration. These
considerations
were taken ac-
count in terms of
the accessibility
to open the win-
dows and the wind
direction to improve rather than to de-
bunk the air ventilation and circulation.
Fig 1
Fig 2
The Standard Chartered building not
only has a significant faade in
terms of its curtain walls system, but
also in terms of its roofing system.
ROOF
This building is made up of flat
roofs with no inclination. The prob-
lem of water retention is also tak-
en into consideration in this particu-
lar design. This problem is solved by
the usage of a proper internal gut-
ter system and a wall flashing sys-
tem. This method reduces the problem
that the building may face due to the
fact that no inclination was introduced
in the design of the roofing system.
Rather than being aesthetically pleas-
ing, the roof was also made to be com-
pletely flat to allow access for cleaning
of the windows and maintenance purposes.
Roofs are separated into 5 different
levels in which the height differs
from one level to the other. This dif-
ference in height is one of the reasons
it gives this building a very unique
feature. It portrays a sense of indi-
viduality within the same structure.
The width of the roof landings also
differs according to levels. Accord-
ing to the analysis made, the first
landing as well as the last landing
is made to be much wider in compar-
ison to the rest of the landings.
(a) First and last levels : 11000
(b) The mid-levels : 8400
Each landing on the roof is separat-
ed into 2 to provide sufficient space
for the access path to the roof.
Concrete roof slabs are used in the
construction of the roofs. Voids are
used at either side of the roof es-
pecially on the top floor. The main
purposes of these voids are to allow
the penetration of natural light into
the building as well as to improve the
air circulation within the building.
SHADINGS
When talking about roofs, the
architect also made it an
importance to provide small-
er shadings throughout the
exterior of the building.
These shadings or canopies are particu-
larly taken into consideration, due to the
rainfall and high intensity of heat in this
country. They dont completely shade you
from the rays of sun and rain but only pro-
vide a certain percentage of protection.
Canopies
The larger and more efficient canopies are
provided in the southern part of the build-
ing. These canopies are made of aluminium
solid roof panels with a PDVF (Polyvinylidene
fluoride) finish. These roofs also covered
by 50mm thick extruded Styrofoam insulation
and a 10mm thick plywood as a weather proof
coat. All these finishers are used to ensure
optimum precaution against the vast change
in weather Malaysia encounters, which are
excruciating heat as well as heavy rainfall.
These steps reduce the maintenance cost of
the building in general. These aluminium pan-
els are supported by horizontal steel truss-
es, in variation of sizes. The galvanisa-
tion of these trusses ensures its life span,
hence reducing its maintenance cost as well.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Menara Standard Chartered is one of Malaysias
eye-candy when it comes to its architecture. Having such a mod-
ern structure in the midst of the city of Kuala Lumpur, it has
received many compliments and reviews from well-known architects
whether locally or globally. All its specifically thought of de-
sign not only adds to its aesthetic value, but also its function-
ality. Its also one building that should be kept as a national
treasure within this country.
Reference
1. http://www.gic.com.sg/en/newsroom/news-speeches/138-2005/131-gic-real-estate-wins-the-fiabci-
malaysia-property-award
2. http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=27655594
3. http://wikimapia.org/68793/Menara-Standard-Chartered
4. http://www.hijjaskasturi.com/
5. http://rahim-co.com/properties/MSC%2026-29.pdf
6. http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/kuala-lumpur/menara-standard-chartered/1886/
7. http://www.propwall.my/bukit_bintang/menara_standard_chartered
8. http://www.jlwmalaysia.com/english/cp/MSC.pdf
9. https://www.sc.com/my/about-us/
10. http://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings-kualalumpur-malaysia