(BLD60104) PROJECT

Student Name & ID: (1) Pan Lek Vun (0323164)

(2) Wah Yun Chen (0319115)

(3) Chen Shin Yee (0322650)

(4) Felix Vong Zhi Wei (0318462)

(5) Lim Chu Ning (0320369)

Lecturer : MS. Azrina Binti Md Yaakob

Site : Starhill Gallery

Submission date: 08-06-2015

Table of Content

Contruction Technology 1

Content PageIntroduction 1-2Type of Roof 3-5

Alternative for Roof 6-8Type of Staircase 9-12

Alternative for Staircase 13-14Types of Door 15-17

Alternative for Door & Purpose of Window 18-20

Conclusion 21References 22

Introduction

For our Construction Technology 1 group assignment, we have to choose a building,

specifically a shopping mall as our object of study in this assignment. After

discussion among our group, we decided to choose Starhill Gallery as our object of

study. The reason why we chose this building is because it is one of Kuala Lumpur’s

most iconic shopping mall, featuring an extraordinary array of luxury shops and fine

dining restaurants. As it is a high-class luxurious shopping mall, most of us do not

visit it often and as a result, we do not know much about the building itself, exterior

and interior. Therefore, we are interested to study more about the building especially

the unique design and architectural style of it.

Image 1 & 2: The exterior of Starhill Gallery.

Starhill Gallery has become one of the iconic identity in Kuala Lumpur since

its opening and is a popular destination for luxury shopping in Southeast Asia.

Starhill Gallery is designed by Stephen Pimbley, founding director of Spark and he is

also the architect in charge of Singapore’s popular Clarke Quay. It has a unique

crystalline façade that consists of skin of glass and stone panels. It also resembles

the “wet drapery” of the ancient statues of Greece and Rome. The crystalline walls

provide a transparency appearance and let the outer light in to give some natural

lighting.

Image 3 & 4: The interior of Starhill Gallery.

Starhill Gallery’s lightweight steel, stone and glass facade is the first of their

kind in Malaysia that embraces cutting-edge technology for its construction. An

iconic triple height shopping pavilion is constructed at the entrance of Starhill Gallery

for the French luxury retailer LVMH and their cosmetics brand Sephora. Sephora is

connected to Starhill Gallery via a first floor bridge that pierces the new crystalline

façade.

As the building is meant to be a high-class luxury shopping mall, the

architects has deliberately designed a complex building envelope using only the best

materials in synergy with the high quality of the brands and products in the mall. It is

an interesting place to visit for all ages and it provides the visitors with a special high-

class experience.

Some information about Starhill Gallery:

Architects: Spark Architects

Location: Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Architect in Charge: Stephan Pimbley

Structural Consultant: RFR Shanghai

Area: 2,000 sqm

Year: 2011

Roofs

Roofs are one of the key components of any building. It covers up the uppermost

part of buildings and its primary function is to provide protection from animal and

weather, including rain, heat, wind and sunlight. It also provides heat insulation to

maintain the internal temperature and drainage of water from the top of buildings. In

addition, it can also resist the spread of fire from external sources. There are many

types of roof for different circumstances, the most common ones are Flat roof, Gable

roof, Hip roof, Gambrel roof, Shed roof and Pitched roof.

The characteristics and types of roof depends on the purpose and location of

the building that it covers, the available roofing materials, the surrounding climate,

cost, services accommodated in the roof and the size, shape as well as design of the

building it covers. Another important aspect of roofs is the choice of material used.

Different materials is suitable for different roofs of buildings with different locations

and functions. The three main roof slopes that determine the material used are flat

roofs, low slope, and steep slope.

Image 1

The image

shows a section

of the pitched

roof of Starhill

Gallery from a

distance.

The roof of Starhill Gallery can be considered generally as a type of Pitched

Roof. As the overall design of Starhill Gallery is unique and made up of different

sizes and shapes of glass and stone panel, the roof design have to be unique and

follow the shape of the surrounding panels on walls. As such, pitched roof is chosen

as it follows the slopes of the panels forming the pitch.

Image 2

The view of pitched roof in Starhill Gallery by zooming in.

Pitched roof can be defined basically as a roof with surfaces having a slope of

more than 10 degrees to the horizontal surface. Most houses are designed with a

pitched roof, as this is the most reliable and effective method to weatherproof a

building. It is also the most used roof types for domestic building. One of the big

benefits of pitched roofs is the extra space under the roofs which can be used to

accommodate service or converted into usable space, for example: converting attic

space under the pitched roof into living space. The angle of pitch will be affected by a

number of reasons including the type of roofing material used, extra space needed,

drainage, weatherproofing, difficulty of construction, maintenance, load of roof, span

of roof and architectural styles, which is evident in Starhill Gallery in the unique

architectural style used.

Main Advantages of Pitched Roof in Starhill Gallery:

Nice and unique aesthetic look with the overall design

Efficient in drainage of water

Less maintenance needed as it is less prone to moisture damage

Have a good structure and stability

Durable and weather-resistant

Effective insulation from outside temperature

Does not require weather covering and water proofing treatment

Extra space to accommodate services

Main Disadvantages of Pitched Roof in Starhill Gallery:

Difficult to maintain and clean due to its unique sloped structure

High initial cost

Complex design requires additional materials and work

It is clear that the choice of pitched roof in Starhill Gallery is a suitable and

good decision. Not only it allows the roof to follow the shape of the surrounding

walls, it also have the unique style that the overall building design aims to give out. It

also provides good drainage of water and insulation of heat from the external

temperature. In addition, it reduces the amount of maintenance needed as it is

weather-resistant, which is important as the design of the building makes it difficult to

clean and maintain the roof. The downsides of pitched roof is in the process of

construction, which requires high cost, additional materials and work due to its

complex design in Starhill Gallery.

The materials used in pitched roof of Starhill Gallery is metal, probably

aluminium or zinc. Metal roofs are popular in both residential and commercial

buildings. It is durable (20 to 50 years) and weather-resistant. It is also lightweight

and easy to install. Metals are non-combustible so it is fire-resistant. It can reflect

radiant heat from the sun and as a result makes it energy-efficient. Metal roofs are

also environmentally-friendly as metals are recyclable.

However, metal roofs has its drawbacks too. Some of it include its high initial

cost and the noise it can produce especially by rain. High quality installation and

maintenance are needed as metal roofs can be easily damage by accumulation of

water as well as expansion and contraction due to change in temperature. Some

softer metals such as aluminium and copper can also dent if large heavy objects

such as hailstone falls on it.

The choice of pitched roof in Starhill Gallery is suitable for its purpose and

design but another alternative roof type that can be recommended is Flat roof. Flat

roof are roofs with an almost flat surface, with slope of only 1 degree to 5 degrees.

Image 5 & 6

Some examples of Flat Roof.

Advantages of Flat Roof:

Suitable for complex buildings with various levels

Low cost and economical

Easy to install

Easier and cheaper to maintain and clean compared to pitched roof

High quality and high performance

Option for decoration finishes or recreation

Have a modern design characteristic

Less materials, labour and time for construction

It is safer and provides better light as well as ventilation

Disadvantages of Flat Roof:

Requires more maintenance due to accumulation of moisture

Poor drainage of water

Limited capacity for insulation compared to pitched roof

Little space to accommodate services

Flat roof is chosen as an alternative as it is suitable to cover up the top of

Starhill Gallery especially with the building’s complex and unique design. It will not

conflict with the building’s original architectural style as the roof has a modern look. It

is also cheaper and easier to install than pitched roof which is important as Starhill

Gallery’s building design make the overall building expensive and hard to construct.

In addition, flat roof is easier and cheaper to maintain compared to pitched roof. It

also requires less materials, labour and time for construction. Besides that, flat roof

provides the option for decoration finishes or recreation which is a good idea for a

new attraction of Starhill Gallery which is a high class luxury shopping mall. It is also

a safer roof for the customers and provides better light and ventilation which suits the

crystalline façade of the building which naturally lets light through.

Compared to pitched roof, flat roof also has its disadvantages. One of the

main issues with flat roof is its poor drainage of water which also results in more

maintenance than pitched roof. It also has limited capacity of insulation and only

provides little to no space to accommodate services compared to pitched roof. To

solve these problems, a good water drainage system and heat insulation mechanism

can be installed on the roof with the money saved from the low cost of flat roof. The

missing extra space due to flat roof is not a big concern in the case of Starhill Gallery

as the design of the building does not particularly allows much space under the roof

even if pitched roof is used. Therefore, flat roof is suitable as an alternative roof.

A suitable material for the flat roof alternative is asphalt flat roof. It is a very

common material used in flat roof. The thickness of asphalt and number of coats

needed depends on the surface type and substructure of building. Asphalt flat roof is

easy to install, economical and durable. However, it can decay due to weather

changes.

Pitched Roof Flat Roof

Characteristic Sloping faces of more than 10

degrees to the horizontal

Slope of only 1 degree to 5

degrees

surface

Material Metal Asphalt

Water

drainage

Good drainage Poor drainage

Maintenance Less maintenance is needed More maintenance is needed

Insulation Good insulation of heat Limited capacity of insulation

Difficulty and

cost of

maintenance

Difficult and expensive to

maintain and clean

Easier and cheaper to maintain

and clean

Extra space

under roof

Have space to accommodate

services or other purposes

Little to no space under the roof

to accommodate services

Cost High initial cost Low cost

Construction

process

More materials, labour and time

needed for construction

Less materials, labour and time

required for construction

Table 1

Comparison between Pitched Roof and Flat Roof based on the usage of it in Starhill

Gallery

Staircase

Staircase is a flight or a series of flights of steps leading from one

floor to another, and includes landings, newel posts, handrails,

balustrades and additional parts. It is also a supporting structure

connecting separate levels. Its primary function is to provide the

convenient to access floors, roofs, levels and walking surfaces that not

accessible by other ways. Besides that, it provides a degree of sound

insulation and provides a means of escape in the event of fire. There are

many types of staircases that we can build or add railings to, the more

popular staircases types are straight stairs, L-shaped stairs, U-shaped

stairs, 90o winder stairs, curved stairs and spiral stairs.

The types of staircase used depend on designation of the

staircase (front or supporting), intensity of usage, the form of the place

allocated for staircase construction and the materials that used to build

it. The form and location of the staircase must have the consideration on

convenience and functional usage of the staircase. It should also be

mentioned that compatibility of the staircase is achieved at the expense

of convenience and safety.

Image 1 Image 2

The staircases that exist in Starhill Gallery can be considered as U-

shaped stairs. As the images shown, these are the different locations of

staircases that exist in Starhill Gallery. All the staircases that exist in

Starhill Gallery are the same type of staircases, that is U-shaped stairs.

U-Shaped stairs are basically 2 parallel

flights of straight stairs joined by a landing that requires 180 degrees turn

in the walk line. If a third flight is inserted into the middle of the stairs, it

would become a double L stair (or quarter landing). The landing

separates the staircase into two parts so that it will make the walking

more comfortable. This type of stair is very convenient, functional and

safe.

Image 3

Image 4

This image shows the plan and structure of U-shaped stair.

Advantages of U-shaped Stairs in Starhill Gallery:

U shaped stairs can be easier to fit into an architectural plan.

They offer some architectural interest.

The landing(s) can offer a resting point part way up the stairs.

Convenient, functional and safe.

Disadvantages of U-shaped Stairs in Starhill Gallery:

These types of stairs are a bit more difficult to build.

U-shaped staircase that used in Starhill Gallery is a good decision. It

is because U-shaped staircase really suitable for people who used the

staircases in Starhill Gallery. The structure of U-shaped staircase is

simple and easy for people to walk because most of the staircases that

existed in Starhill Gallery are served as an escape route or fire escape.

In addition, the landings between the flights can be a resting point for

people especially the elderly and child to rest when they use stair to get

to the level. It is really safe for the users. Although U-shaped staircase is

good and safe, it is harder to build than other types of staircase.

The material used in U-shaped staircase of Starhill Gallery is

concrete, which is the mixture of cement, sand and aggregates and

water. Most of the constructed building is built by concrete, it will harden

as it sets. Concrete can be molded into any sizes which means that the

height of step and flight can be customized. Concrete staircase is

durable and long-lasting. Concrete can be prepared on-site or pre-

fabrication so that it is easy for workers to work. Besides that, concrete

staircase is more economical than other materials such as metal.

Concrete is a non-combustible material which makes it fire-safe and able

to withstand high temperatures.

However, concrete staircase has its disadvantages also. Concrete is

brittle and susceptible to crack as it has low tensile strength when it is

harden. Concrete has low ductility and low strength-to-weight ratio

compare to other materials.

The choice of U-shaped stair is suitable to Starhill Gallery but

another alternative type of stair that is recommended is L-shaped stair.

L-shaped stair is a variation of the straight stair with a bend in some

portion of the stair. This bend is often 90 degrees.

Image 5

This image shows the material used that is concrete.

Advantages of L-shaped Stairs:

L Stairs can be more visually interesting.

They provide a visual barrier between floors.

L Stairs can help somewhat with sound transmission between

floors if the stairs are contained within walls.

The landing can provide a place to stop and rest while ascending.

They can be located in a corner of a room if this works better for

your design.

 Disadvantages of L-shaped Stairs:

L shaped stairs are a bit more difficult to build.

A support is typically required for the landing in a L-type stair.

Handrails for these types of stairs require more skill and planning

to construct.

Image 6 Image 7

Image 6 & 7 show the sample of L-shaped stair.

L-shaped Stairs is chosen as an alternative as it is suitable for the

building staircase and the emergency staircase. We choosing to use the

L-shaped stairs because it is when space is not available for the straight

stair or U-shaped stair, L-shaped stairs are used. These are straight

stairs that landing that change the direction of the flight to 90 degrees.

For emergency exit, It is more suitable to use this kind of staircase. It is

because this kind of door is possible to be located in the corner.

Compare to U-shaped stairs, L-shaped stair also has its

disadvantage. One of the main issue that is it is very difficult to build and

it probable need more floor space that other type of staircase. Moreover,

a support is typically required for the landing in the L type stair. Often

this is built into the surrounding the walls so it goes unnoticed.

The requirement material for the L-shaped stair is the length and width of

the landing should not less than the width of the stairway. Landing

should have a minimum vertical clearance of not less than 200mm;

landing must be less than 750mm. Landing has a gradient not steeper

than 1:50.

Doors

A door is a moving structure used to block off, and allow access to, an entrance to or

within an enclosed space, such as a building. The door is used to control the

physical atmosphere within a space by enclosing the air drafts, so that interiors may

be more effectively heated or cooled. Besides, doors are significant in preventing the

spread of fire and they also act as a barrier to noise. There are many types of doors

for different circumstances, the most common ones are swing doors, pendulous

doors, sliding doors and stacker doors.

The door’s function depends on its type. This is the reason why it’s important to choose those doors that are suitable for the intended use. One of the important aspect of roofs is the choice of material used. Different materials is suitable for different doors of buildings with different locations and functions.

Image 1

This image shows the swing door of Starhill

Gallery.

The door of Starhill Gallery can be considered generally as a type of Swing Door. Swing doors are most natural choice for office buildings and other work spaces. In addition, swing doors are offered as a single sash creating a beautiful main entrance or as dual sash, connecting the indoors with the outdoors. As the overall design of Starhill Gallery is unique and modern, the design of main entrance has to be sleek, modern, unique and beautiful to complement the style of Starhill Gallery. The door

that Starhill Gallery has chosen is frameless glass door which is wider than the standard widths to suit the style of Starhill Gallery perfectly. As Starhill Gallery is a shopping mall for the upper-class Malaysians and rich western and Arab tourists, everything is focused on luxury. As the image 1 shown, there is a security guard opens the swing door to let people in.

Main Advantages of Swing Door in Starhill Gallery:

Can be manufactured with side-lights for additional lighting to the interior

Sidelights can incorporate windows for additional ventilation

Available in toughened glass or laminated safety glass

Strong and durable

Easy to maintain

Clean, shining and smooth surface

Light weight and easily transportable

Lasting shape and design

Fast, simple and easy installation

Offers more security

Main Disadvantages of Swing Door in Starhill Gallery:

It takes up space when it swings open

Nothing can be placed in the path of the door

Swing door is obviously a good choice for Starhill Gallery as it suits the style of Starhill Gallery perfectly. The swing door allows the light to go through the door and make the interior looks brighter. Besides, it reduces the amount of maintainence fees as it is strong, durable and easy to maintain. The clean, shining and smooth surface of the door make Starhill Gallery looks even more beautiful. By installing swing door, it takes lesser time by having light weight, easily transportable and easy installation. It offers more security because dead bolt locks which are difficult to overcome can be installed.

The material used in swing door of Starhill Gallery is glass, which is generally made from mixtures of sand and silicates. The use of glass of door in architectural buildings has become very popular in the modern culture. By using swing door made of glass, it supplies natural daylight. Besides, it provides elegant looks which suits the upper class style of Starhill Gallery.

The choice of swing door in Starhill Gallery is suitable for its purpose and design but another alternative door type that can be recommended is

Sliding Door.

Images 2 & 3

Examples of sliding door

Advantages of sliding door:

allow for larger objects to move in and out

create the illusion of more space

Enhance the aesthetics

Space saving

Enjoy the extra natural light

Disadvantages of sliding door:

does not offer as much security as swing door

develop jamming issues due to dirt or rust from the metal parts

installation is not a breeze

Sliding door is chosen as an alternative as it also suits the style of Starhill

Gallery. Sliding doors operate without a hinge. They simply glide along a track

instead of swinging open. This means that no extra space is required for the door

because they simply open up by one door sliding over another panel. Large glass

doors tend to bring a flood of natural light into shopping malls. Sliding door allows for

larger objects to move in and out because they are typically about twice as wide as

regular entry doors. Besides, sliding door provides a sleek and simple look that

harmonises with most architectural styles.

Compared to swing door, sliding door also has its disadvantages. One of the

main disadvantages of sliding door is it does not offer as much security as swing

door. Dead bolts lock can be installed in swing door but it cannot be installed in

sliding door. In addition, a sliding door can eventually develop jamming issues due to

dirt or rust from the metal parts. The installation process involves more than simply

nailing the door into a set of hinges.

A suitable material for the sliding door is also glass, which is generally made from

mixtures of sand and silicates. Glass is the most common material used in windows

and doors.

FIRE DOOR

Fire door is the door with a fire resistance rating used as a part of a passive

fire protection system to reduce the spread of fire or smoke between compartments

and to enable safe egress from the building. Fire rated door look like other ordinary

door but they made up of really weighty material. The material used to make the

doorways contain timber, metal, glass, gypsum, steel and vermiculite boards. A lot of

fire door accessible are made employing a mix of the afore-mentioned resources.

Main Image 1 Image 3Image 2

advantages of fire door

High performance, long service life, unique durability, easy to produce and

assembly.

High thermal and acoustic insulation.

Narrow widths, optimum combination of design and function.

Window

This image shows the emergency exit. Hence,

this building doesn’t have any windows, so we

are going to propose one type of the window

call casement window. This type of window is

hinged on the right or left hand side and opens

outward with a turn of a crank handle.

Disadvantages of casement window

Can’t accept air conditioners.

Can’t use storm window or screen.

Size limitation.

Advantages of casement window

Variety of design feature.

Second most efficient window.

Easy to open and close.

Excellent ventilation.

Casement window offers a number of attractive design feature such as French,

flat top, push out, top down grille, colonial grill, prairie grill and no grill. They can be

customized for precise size and desired colour, and they also look attractive in a

number material. The material for casement window will be steel, wood, and clad,

fiberglass, aluminium and vinyl. It is very easy to open and close because they use

single-lever latches or tandem latches, casement window are easy to open and

close.

Casement window also has several disadvantages, firstly casement window are

design to crank outward, because of the design, and the window can’t be too large or

too heavy. The opening has to strong enough to support the window, so the builders

recommend smaller and more lightly constructed window.

Conclusion

After the visiting and report making, this assignment do get us to learn about construction technology and also related to building material. Based on the basic information from the lecture it helps us much easier to find what we really have to find in our site visit not just walking around and taking picture around Starhill.

First of all, start from the uppermost part of Starhill it is roofing part. Strarhill uses Pitched Roof for their roofing. For the material part, Starhill uses different sizes shapes of glass and stone panel compare to the common material metal roofing and clay roofing. It does bring up a unique design that it doesn’t look like there are any roofing for the building. It is the most reliable and effective method to weatherproof a building.

Other than that, staircase is a flight or a series of flights of steps leading from one floor to another. It also used as a supporting structure for a building. Starhill uses U-shaped stairs, basically it has 2 parallel flights of straight stairs joined by a landing that requires 180 degrees turn in the walk line. This type of stairs is very convenient, functional and safe. The material for the stairs in Starhill is commonly concrete, which is the mixture of cement, sand and aggregates and water.

On the other hand, door is a moving structure used to block off, and access to, an entrance to or within an enclosed space. Starhill uses Swing Door as its main entrance where it offered as a single sash creating a beautiful dual sash.

Lastly, we do know that Starhill Gallery’s lightweight steel, stone and glass facade is the first of their kind in Malaysia that embraces cutting-edge

technology for its construction. The architects has deliberately designed a complex building envelope using the best materials in synergy with the high quality of the brands and products in the mall. Last but not least, no matter what’s the construction technology does the architects use, it is still stick to the basic method of technology to build a complete construction differentiate by their design and uses of material.

As a conclusion, this assignment was an amazing experience for each one of us. This made us understand more of construction that applying the lecture into reality where we cannot able to learn in class. This assignment has greatly improved our knowledge in construction. Especially the types of roofing, door, and staircase. Not just information from construction technology and also related to building material that how well of material used in Starhill for a high-class luxury building.

References

http://www.houzz.com/pitched-roof

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Doors-Windows-Doors-Interior-Closet-

Doors-Sliding-Doors/N-5yc1vZc5iq

http://www.dorma.com/us/en/products/opening_closing/

swing_door_operators/index-144-470.html

http://popularstairs.com/basic-stair-building/stairs-types

http://designedstairs.com/styles/

http://www.fixmyroof.co.uk/videos-and-guides/flat-roof-replacement/

http://www.architecture.com/FindAnArchitect/ArchitectPractices/

SparkArchitects/Projects/StarhillGallery.aspx

http://seriouslyarchitecture.com/2015/05/starhill-gallery-by-spark/