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University ofTechnologyPetronasBandar Seri IskandarMalaysia

Foster + Partners and gdp Architects

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Introduction

Malaysia’s sustained growth in recent decades is due in large part tothe development of a strong education sector, one that aims especiallyto contribute to advances in the fields of science and technology. In support of this ambition, the government invited the petroleumcompany Petronas to set up a private university that would nurturetechnically qualified, well-rounded graduates who could direct thedevelopment of key industries in Malaysia. Blending academic trainingwith hands-on experience, the University of Technology Petronas is conceived as an environment that will encourage creativity andinnovation, ‘a place to learn and not a place to be taught’.

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Jury Citation

The project’s significance lies in a number of aspects.

First, its prototypical built configuration,consisting of an all-encompassing shapedcanopy with functional boxes inserted under -neath, is a contemporary reinterpretation ofthe classic metaphor for tropical architecture– an umbrella that offers protection from the sun and rain.

Second, the building provides a definedshaded zone for social interaction andcirculation under an overhead enclosure.This is a high-tech, emblematic architectureappropriate for a scientific university in arapidly developing nation.

Third, the careful physical integration of a complex educational structure with theexisting landscape is achieved in an ingeniousway, by wrapping the built forms around the base of a series of knolls.

And fourth, this is an exemplary use of a performance-based approach toarchitectural design that goes beyond thediagram. The design has been carriedthrough to completion with meticulousdetail, rigour and persistence. It sets newstandards in the quality of constructionwithout significant cost premiums. Inaggregate, the jury found the design to be instructive, aesthetically satisfying and technologically novel.

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Project Description

The University of Technology Petronas(utp) campus is set in a dramatic landscapeat Bandar Seri Iskandar, 300 kilometresnorth of Kuala Lumpur. Around two-thirdsof the 450-hectare site is hilly and forestedterrain, while the remainder is a plain dottedwith dunes and man-made lakes formed byflooding disused mines.

The design responds both to the physicallandscape and to the weather patterns in thispart of the Malay Peninsula. It can be inten -sely hot in the sun, but during the monsoonseason the skies open every afternoon totorrential rain. A soaring crescent-form roofcovers the pedestrian routes that windaround the edge of the site, providing pro -tect ion from the sun and rain while offeringthe comfort of cross-ventilating breezes. The steel columns that support the roof areslender, to maintain views, and from adistance the canopy elevation seems inte -grated with the tree canopy around the site.

To preserve the natural topography, thecore academic buildings are laid out in aradial manner, skirting around the base ofhills to form five ‘crescents’ that enclose acentral landscaped park. These buildings aregenerally four storeys high and containfaculty offices, engineering laboratories,workshops and associated teaching facilitiessuch as computer labs and tutorial spaces.

Tucked beneath the edges of the cano -pies, at four of the nodes where the crescentsmeet, are ‘pocket buildings’ containinglecture theatres, shops, cafes and studentsupport facilities. At the fifth node, by themain entrance, is the social hub of thecampus, the chancellor complex. This drum-like building, 21 metres high andaround 150 metres in diameter, is formed of two crescent-shaped halves connected by a covered public plaza. One half of thebuilding accommodates the resource centrewith the library: the curve of the crescent isfilled with four storeys of library stacks,visible through a vast glass and steel facade.The other half of the building houses thechancellor hall, a 3,000-seat auditorium withfive tribunes, retractable seats and anexcellent acoustic performance.

Given the acreage of the site, therewould appear to be unlimited land on whichto build. Yet for the campus to function well,the academic facilities had to be placed inclose proximity to each other, especially inlight of the varied topography and the warmclimate. The distance a student can walk inthe 10-minute break between classes – 800

metres – was used as the basic module ofmeasurement for the pedestrian campus.

With a capacity of 6,600 students, utp isthe largest academic centre for the study ofcivil, mechanical, chemical and electricalengineering in the region. In terms of scale,

the project is more consistent with townplanning than with conventional building.The radial geometry of the scheme uses thetopography of the site to locate five majoraxes along which the components of theuniversity are organised. Several axes arekept open to provide the flexibility for long-term growth. Future phases of developmentinclude the completion of a sports stadiumand a mosque (facilities that will be sharedwith the residents of a proposed newtownship) as well as additional studenthousing and research facilities.

The star configuration – a ‘symbol ofexcellence’ – originated in the very earlystages of the planning for the university andwas used as a template to zone variousactivities and initiate the preliminary design.When Foster + Partners and gdp took onthe project they refined the concept. Themasterplan was completed in March 2002.The challenge then was to deliver the projectby August 2004.

Since the brief was to be developed inparallel with the design, the architectsdevised a loose-fit design strategy withgeneric laboratory types that would tolerateand accommodate more detailed functionalrequirements as they became known.

The construction technology in generaltook account of the capabilities of localcontractors. The innovation lies in therigour, detailing and quality of the work. The circular chancellor complex is formedusing reinforced concrete slabs supported on steel columns. A double-cur ved steelstructure roof clad in Kalzip covers its twohalves. External elevations are curved pre-cast concrete with ceramic tiles, whileinternal ele va tions are glazing systemssuspended by cables.

The academic buildings are predo -minantly flat-slab (pre-stressed) concrete,modularised bays supported by reinforcedconcrete columns. External elevations aremodular single-skin glass panels organised in translucent and transparent finishes torespond to programme.

The roof canopy is insulated metaldecking supported by tubular steel columns.The floor deck follows the roof plan, floatingslightly above ground level with colouredpre-cast panels supported on steel frames.

Colour is used to blend the man-madewith the natural; industrial methods withtraditional materials. The local earth has ared hue that is replicated in finishes through -out the building. The exterior cladding ismade of locally sourced ceramic tiles, onpre-cast panels, which form an iridescentpattern with varying matt and shiny finishes.In the chancellor complex, the interiorcladding is mostly formed of silk panels thatare woven to create rich patterns, using atraditional process integrating gold andsilver threads.

Wherever possible the design has taken a holistic approach to using low-energyconcepts. Whilst maintaining a harmonywith the site, the blocks are separated bycentral passages that encourage airflow. The canopy acts as a very effective shadingdevice for pedestrians and buildings alike. It is pierced with rooflights and edge louvresthat allow daylight to filter through theinteriors of the buildings. Cantilever passiveshading and opaque glass reduce solar glare.Gas-fired centralised chilled water systemsare used for cooling, and water is collectedfrom the roof to be used for irrigation.Natural ventilation has been adoptedwherever possible, for example in thesupport facilities and offices, but it is backedup by two types of mechanical ventilation.

The project has engendered animportant transfer of knowledge, process,technology and confidence. The quality ofthe building reflects the fact that thedesigners were given the opportunity notonly to conceive but also to deliver theproject. Through working together, the twopractices taught each other a lot aboutbenchmarking, prototyping and meticulousdetailing, and they are now collaborating onother projects. Similarly, the local contrac -tors, who had not previously undertakenprojects of this nature, have developed newskills and gone on to win new high-profilecommissions in the region.

utp provides a new ‘prototype’ ofpractice that links concept and expectation,creating an environment for an ambitiousand progressive model of education.

Text adapted from a report by Hanif Kara


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University of Technology PetronasBandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh,Malaysia

ClientInstitute of Technology Petronas,Malaysia

ArchitectsFoster + Partners, uk: Lord NormanFoster, chairman; David Nelson,head of design. gdp Architects SdnBhd, Malaysia: Kamil Merican, ceo and principal designer

Project Manager klcc Projects bhd, Malaysia

Engineers Meinhardt Pte Ltd, RanhillBersekutu Sdn Bhd, Wimsa hss

Integrated and Majid & AssociatesSdn Bhd, structural engineers, all inMalaysia; Roger Preston & Partners,uk and Majutek Perunding,Malaysia, mechanical engineers

Consultants Research Facilities Design, usa,landscape consultant; Sandy BrownAssociates, uk, acoustic consultant;Marshall Day Acoustics, Malaysia,acoustic consultants; bdg McColl,Malaysia, signage; Jurukur BahanMalaysia/kpk, quantity surveyor;Shah pk & Associates, Malaysia,Gillespies, uk, landscape architects;Lightsource International (Asia),Hong Kong, lighting designer; pmp

Consultancy, uk, planner

Project DataBuilt area: 104,000 m2

Site area: 85,000 m2

Cost: us$ 174,816,000

Commission: January 1998

Design: January 1998–January 2002

Construction: January 2002–January 2004

Occupancy: August 2004

Websiteswww.utp.edu.mywww.fosterandpartners.comwww.gdp.my

Foster + Partners was founded inLondon in 1967 and is a worldwidepractice with project offices in morethan 20 countries. Over the past fourdecades the company has beenresponsible for a strikingly widerange of work, from urbanmasterplans, public infrastructure,airports, civic and cultural buildings,offices and workplaces to privatehouses and product design. NormanFoster, founder and chairman, wasborn in Manchester in 1935. Aftergraduating from ManchesterUniversity School of Architectureand City Planning in 1961 he won aHenry Fellowship to Yale University,where he gained a Master’s degree inarchitecture. He became the 21st

Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureatein 1999 and was awarded thePraemium Imperiale Award forArchitecture in 2002.

David Nelson began working atFoster’s in 1976 and, since becominga partner in 1991, has worked onmany projects including StanfordUniversity Laboratories in Californiaand the new Supreme Court inSingapore, in addition to theUniversity of Technology Petronas.He was awarded an HonoraryFellowship of the riba in 2002, andnow assumes a broader role withinthe practice, sharing the overalldesign direction as a lead member ofthe design board. He became seniorexecutive head of design in 2007.

Group Design Partnership wasestablished in the year 1990. Froman initial staff of eight, it has grownto become the largest architecturalpractice in Malaysia, with a staff ofalmost 250 people. In 1994, the firmwas incorporated as a private limitedcompany and has since come to beknown as gdp Architects Sdn Bhd orsimply gdp. Aside from architecturalservices, gdp provides consul tancyservices in numerous areas of designand management such as master-planning, interior design, graphicdesign, feasibility studies and projectmanagement. gdp take the stand thatdesign that addresses environmentand culture creates its own cultureand environment.

Kamil Merican is principal designerand ceo of Group Design Partner -ship (gdp). He studied architectureat Universiti Teknologi Malaysia(utm) and the ArchitecturalAssociation in London. He hasworked with various establishedarchitectural firms including Farrelland Grimshaw & Partners inLondon and bep Architects inMalaysia. Merican has participatedin all manner of architectural andmasterplanning projects rangingfrom commercial and corporatebuildings to institutional, hospitalityand industrial projects. He remainsactively involved with architecturaleducation and serves as a guest criticat most universities in Malaysia. Hehas been an external examiner forutm and Universiti Malaya (um) forover a decade.

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