From an ambitious mountain agri-resort in the Malaysian Highlands to circus tents for Cirque du Soleil, Quarters 2 and 3 in2015 for Web Structures have brought in some varied projects.
The Web team is working on a design competition for the development of an agri-township near Cameron Highlands in Malaysia on a site covering an area of more than 3,000 acres that will include residential, commercial, cable car stations and other agri-tourism attractions.
In Singapore, Web Structures’ experts have been tasked the design and supervision of circus tents for the world famous Cirque du Soleil’s Totem show in partnership with architect and M&E engineer Parsons Brinckerhoff.
TC Tan, Director of Web Structures, says: “There are three main tents, a single bay tent a grandstand and several 40ft containers for the Totem show, all for temporary use.
“We are involved in the review of the drawings and calculations, submission to the authorities for approval and supervision of the erection and removed of the tents.”
Web Structures’ KL office has been appointed to work on a more permanent project with the proposed construction of two office towers in the MET district for Keystone Impetus Sdn Bhd.
Ng Pek Har, Director of Web Structures’ KL office, says: “We are providing structural consultancy services for a 42 storey office building with a gross floor area (GFA) of 450,000 ft and a second 35 storey tower with a GFA of 420,000 ft2 working alongside GSD Architects.”
Still in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, our civil, structural and geotechnical consultancy services have been sought for three new projects in the rapidly expanding Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC).
One is the re-development of the existing BB Plaza, designed by DP Architects, the second project, for Ecoworld, is a 60,000ft2 gallery complex on the site of the former Pudu jail in BBCC. It’s been drawn up by Ministry of Design (MOD) in Singapore working with city architect Redd Design Office.
The third and largest BB project is a 6.8 Million ft2 mixed development in the city centre where GDP Architects are designing an entertainment complex and six blocks of serviced apartments.
Ng Pek Har says: “We have worked with GDP Architects on many similar projects over the years and both teams know and understand each other very well, which is all to the benefit of the client.”
Web Structures and GDP Architects have also teamed up on a design competition for the Terentum Tower in KL. The radical concept will see a tilted steel structure (45 degrees), 90m high, with an observation deck at the top offering a viewpoint towards Sungai Kuantan River in Malaysia. The tower rotates at the base about 45 degrees in plan, like a clock hand.
Dr Hossein Rezai says: “Taking part in competitions, one is not as restricted and that allows you to be freer in your approach. Most competitions in fact demand that.
“We see entering competitions as an important part of our contribution to the continuing, open dialogue that structural engineering must have if it is to remain innovative and develop.
“Competitions enable us to work in close collaboration with leading architects intensively over a relatively short period – to help enhance and realise their design concepts and to anchor them into engineering reality.”