IN DESIGN

Ativo Suites

Ativo Suites is located in the middle of TA Global Bhd’s 48-acre Damansara Avenue mixed-use master plan in Bandar Sri Damansara.

Targeted at young professionals and the sophisticated urban community, GDP Architects Sdn Bhd was tasked with designing a residential building that would serve as a catalyst for the master plan and a new centre for future endeavours and expansions.

Ativo Suites will be part of the same strata parcel as the completed Ativo Plaza, a low-rise commercial development comprising shops and offices. The new design has to fully integrate the existing linear park and ensure the continuity of commercial activities. The existing single-storey sub-basement parking of Ativo Plaza also has to be extended to the new parking structure.

DESIGNING FOR INTEGRATION
The project site has a rhombus shape, which posed some constraints in terms of plinth usage efficiency. To overcome this, the two apartment blocks are positioned parallel to the side of the rhombus, with all the other ancillary spaces created following the shape of the site to maximise the land area.

The two blocks are staggered horizontally to allow wind flow through the internal tower spaces. Each block is further divided into two parts that are staggered vertically by ‘blade walls’ to create modern and sleek ‘tablet twin towers’.

The towers’ façade breaks into a series of volumes, with various framing devices, to avoid monotony. The topmost framing forms the crown of the building, which houses a sky garden, as well as a light beacon for the night.

To ensure that the linear park is maintained, while not sacrificing too much building area, the landscape is designed to filter through the building instead. Thus, the continuity of the landscape is not only maintained but also transformed into a more intimate interaction of nature and culture via the created interlude spaces.

BUILDING FOR SPACE
With the large number of carparks required, the challenge was to prevent the carparks from becoming too obtrusive and overpowering. This is resolved by suppressing the bulk of the volume under a sub-basement level, taking advantage of the slope of the site, and creating a plaza on top of it that is seamless with the entrance approach.

The podium façade comprises a series of animated display boxes, staggered on various levels and set on axis with the main entrance, that are balanced with green walls and green boxes to soften the edges. The boxes also mark the open spaces for various functions, such as the entrance-level plaza; retail lots at the second storey, which connects to Ativo Plaza; and the private facilities deck at the 10th floor.

CONNECTING WITH SURROUNDINGS
The project is located just outside the oval-shaped circulation spine of Bandar Sri Damansara, with existing direct access from the Damansara-Puchong Highway (LDP) and the Kepong-Selayang highway. A proposed bridge link to the future Sri Damansara East MRT Station is planned to link up these developments.

The surrounding context and the sun orientation are key basis for the formulation of the design concept. The architect tried to achieve uninterrupted views, especially on the northwest side, facing the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, and the southeast side, facing KL City and Desa Park City.

PROJECT DATA
Project Name:Ativo Suites
Location: Bandar Sri Damansara, Selangor
Expected Completion: September 2020
Site Area: 2.83 acres
Gross Floor Area: 79,199 square metres
Number of units: 668
Building Height: 123.475 metres
Client/Owner: Indo Aman Bina Sdn Bhd (subsidiary of TA Global Bhd)
Architecture Firm: GDP Architects Sdn Bhd
Principal Architect: Ar Wan Bahrum Wan Ali
Civil & Structural Engineer: Asia Pacific Engineering Consortium Sdn Bhd
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Jurutera Perunding Urus Jaya Sdn Bhd
Images: Forefront International Sdn Bhd; Ar Wan Bahrum Wan Ali