by Ken Yeang

This article was written by Malaysian architect Ken Yeang, best known internationally for his work throughout South Asia on environmentally friendly design strategies for "green" highrise buildings. His book "Bioclimatic Skyscrapers" was published in 1994. In awarding him the 1999 Auguste Perret Prize, the International Union of Architects said, "Ken Yeang pioneered the application of bioclimatic principles to the highrise building as a new genre of the skyscraper typology. In a world increasingly assailed by pollution and scarcity of natural resources, Yeang has set a much needed example." — Editor

The size and location of the service core in a highrise building is predominantly governed by considerations that include the fundamental requirements of meeting fire-egress regulations, achieving basic efficiency in human movement, and creating an efficient internal layout. The layout in turn, should serve to maximize returns and to satisfy the requirements of vertical transport and the numerous vertical service shafts.

The service core can provide the principal structural element for both the gravity load-resisting system and lateral load-resisting system, with the latter becoming increasingly important as the height of the building increases. The core provides the stiffness to restrict deflections and accelerations to acceptable levels at the top of the building.   >>>

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For Menara TA1 in Kuala Lumpur, by Ken Yeang, the core is located on the east side to keep the morning sun out of the offices while allowing natural lighting and ventilation into the core areas. Photo: K. L. Ng Photography Typical floors of Menara TA1 in Kuala Lumpur, by Ken Yeang. Image: Ken Yeang   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.