ARC Partnership and Akitek Jururancang (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd have taken the top spots in a master-planning and architectural concept competition for two of Naza TTDI Sdn Bhd’s land parcels in Puchong and Shah Alam, Selangor.

Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) and sponsored by Naza TTDI, the property development arm of the Naza Group, the competition aims to formulate the best plans and design for the leasehold parcels, says group managing director S M Faliq S M Nasimuddin.

“We feel that local talents are quite capable of handling mega projects, and this is a good opportunity to showcase local talent in a competitive environment. For us, we get the best results because the architects would have explored every area in terms of budget and feasibility,” he tells City & Country.

The architects were basically given a free hand in coming up with their designs, says Faliq.
The winning firms received RM100,000 for the design of each site, while the first and second runners-up received RM75,000 and RM50,000 respectively.  Honourable mentions stand to receive RM25,000.

There were three stages to the competition. The first was the pre-qualification assessment, which was followed by the second stage that entailed the master planning and architectural concept boards. Submissions were assessed based on design excellence, Green Building Index (GBI) standards, economic and financial viability, and ease of implementation.

The third and final stage involved a video and a scaled model presentation to a panel of judges representing PAM and the developer.

There is a caveat — there is no guarantee that the winning designs will be used, and the designs that are implemented may be combined with the findings of Naza TTDI’s own research.

Site A: Puchong
ARC Partnership’s Rahim Mohd Din took first prize for his proposed master plan for the 14.24-acre Site A. The design concept was named “springing shoots”, where the master plan aimed to serve as a catalyst for new progressive growth in that part of Puchong.

The total gross floor area (GFA) of the winning master plan is 2.4 million sq ft, covering serviced apartments, shopoffices, retail spaces, a vertical campus and a high-rise corporate tower that will serve as the integrated development’s landmark.

The first phase of the development will comprise shop offices, which will be followed by the second phase — affordable entry-level serviced apartments to attract a critical mass of residents.

The third phase will be the vertical campus, which will offer “niche higher education facilities” to the surrounding neighbourhoods, while the fourth phase will see the introduction of a second commercial tier, with an anchor tenant, office blocks and an elevated pedestrian mall.

The elevated pedestrian mall will physically link the entire development, culminating in an open plaza that will integrate with the public amenities at the side of the development.

Subsequently, a second block of serviced apartments will come up, followed by a corporate tower that will cater for companies who may be attracted by the area’s vibrant atmosphere.

First runner-up for this site was KCYS Architects Sdn Bhd while second runner-up was Chai Si Yong in collaboration with Intodesign Laboratory.

“Of the two sites, Site A is the more difficult site as there is a compulsory shoplot component within the project, and the group also has to build roads into the area,” says Faliq.

He adds that the group hopes to replicate the success of its TTDI Dualis project in Seri Kembangan, an 8.7-acre mixed development launched in 3Q2010. The group hopes to launch the Site A Puchong project in the third quarter of 2012.

Site B: Shah Alam
For Site B in Shah Alam, the winning master plan came from Akitek Jururancang’s Peter Chan Ping Wai. The proposed design, named the “Sky Circuit City”, boasts a 1km motor racetrack on top of a six-storey podium complex as its signature feature.

Based on Akitek Jururancang’s master plan, the 15.56-acre leasehold site will feature four phases, the first of which will comprise a six-storey podium block that features retail shops, tiered alfresco dining and an expansive Naza World automobile showroom. Naza World is Naza Group’s car distribution arm.

The second phase will comprise a tower of serviced suites, the third phase will be a hotel and the last, an office tower. A riverfront boardwalk that will face the podium area is included in the plan.

With an estimated development cost of RM976.3 million, the master plan development will aim for a GBI certification, and will have features such as horizontal louvres and screens to reduce heat, sleek building designs to ensure there’s enough daylight in the buildings, optimised envelope, glazing and shading, daylight dimming and optimised lighting, energy efficient equipment and optimised mechanical system.

DBA Akitek (M) Sdn Bhd received an honourable mention while ATSA Architects Sdn Bhd was a finalist in the competition.

Faliq says this site is attractive given its location in Section 13 where it fronts main roads and is a short drive from Glenmarie and Subang Jaya. The project will be targeted at residents of Shah Alam, Glenmarie and Subang Jaya for similar reasons. Open spaces and relatively light traffic are other plus points, he adds.

The mixed development is part of the company’s aspirations to transform the state’s administrative city into a more lively commercial area by offering more commercial developments, he says. The group hopes to kick-start the project by 3Q2012.

KL Metropolis
A model of its proposed 62.5-acre project in Jalan Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur — dubbed KL Metropolis — complete with a prototype of the new exhibition centre already graces the lobby of the Naza headquarters in Shah Alam, but Faliq says details are still very much “up in the air” and not much can be divulged at this juncture.

To recap, the group announced last year that it was going to undertake a RM15 billion development on the prime site, which includes the Matrade Section in Jalan Duta, under a privatisation deal with the government.

The group’s subsidiary, TTDI KL Metropolis, will undertake the development of the proposed RM628 million Matrade Centre, on a 13.1-acre site, which upon completion will become the country’s largest exhibition centre.

The development will be funded by a mix of bank borrowings and internally generated funds, Naza TTDI’s chairman S M Nasaruddin S M Nasimuddin said at the time. Work on the site is expected to begin in the middle of this year and completed by 2014.

The arrangement surrounding the redevelopment of the site has sparked fierce criticism from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat, which have questioned the need for another exhibition centre and raised concerns about a lack of transparency regarding the project.

When asked about possible tie-ups to develop the site following the cancelled joint venture with Kumpulan Jetson Bhd, which he and his brother Nasaruddin exited recently, Faliq says the group is still exploring its options.

He also points out that the estimated RM15 billion in GDV of the highly contentious project was inflated as the master plan has not been finalised.

This article appeared in City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 842, Jan 24-30, 2011