Malaysian architect, urban planner and author, Ken Yeang is best known for his ecological design and ecomasterplans.
Image source:https://alchetron.com/Ken-Yeang#ken-yeang-a38b4738-dd8a-4f05-9fb9-2d70754e370-resize-750.jpg
About his life
Born in 1948 inPenang, Malaysia,Ken Yeanggrew up with his parents in an early Modernist house. He obtained his qualifications in architecture from theArchitectural Association School(AA) inLondon. He received a PhD inecologicaldesign and planning fromCambridge UniversityDepartment of Architecture, writing his doctoral thesis, later published asDesigning with Nature(1995), which became the springboard for his work on ecodesign,greenarchitecture and ecocity masterplanning. Yeang attended courses on ecology at the Department of Environmental Biology at Cambridge University. He is a member of theBritish Ecological Society. Yeang’s headquarters is inKuala Lumpur,Malaysia asHamzah & Yeang, with offices inLondonandBeijing.
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What are his major works?
An interesting project is Yeang’s own home, the so-calledRoof Roof House(1985), whose distinctive dual-roof design filters the tropical Malaysian sun and provides shade. Among his major projects there are:Menara Mesiniaga Tower(1992, Selangor, Malaysia), a climate responsive tower that exemplifies Yeang’s key principles;Kowloon Waterfront Masterplan(1998, Hong Kong), a green masterplan where he developed the green ecoinfrastructure concept and the novel use ofecocells;National Library(2005年,新加坡),一个绿色图书馆与larg塔e sky courts;
Image source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Yeang#/media/File:Cmglee_Mesiniaga_Tower.jpg
Image source:https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/137e7e8d-3fc2-48f5-ae2d-9275dafb0f88byjonolist
SOMA Masterplan(2006, Bangalore, India), a signature ecomasterplan which merges his innovative idea for ecocity masterplanning as the integration of four ecoinfrastructures, with the use of ecobridges and ecoundercrofts to enable ecological nexus;DiGi Technical Office(2010, Shah Alam, Malaysia), which advances the idea of alivingecowall as a nexus of greenery linking all the facades; Solaris (2010, Singapore), which has the innovative 1.5 km longVertical Linear Park;Spire Edge Tower(Gurgaon, Haryana, India);Ganendra Art House(2011, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia) and theGreat Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Extension(2011, London, UK).
Image source:http://it.archello.com/en/project/digi-technology-operation-centre-0
How can we identify Yeang’s style?
He focused his career on designingsustainablestructures that were one withnature. He created thebioclimatic skyscraperthat has shaped the way architects design skyscrapers around the world. Essentially, he uses the surrounding environment and vegetation to drive design instead of competing with it. His buildings are designed to use naturalsunlightto provide bothheatandlight, to collect precipitation for use incoolingsystems, and to use wind patterns to maximizeventilationthrough unique structuralinnovations. Ken Yeang also believes that structures must havebeautyor they face rejection.
Images source:https://alchetron.com/Ken-Yeang#ken-yeang-530e64af-78c2-4966-ad30-0ca622c48ef-resize-750.jpg
Info sources:
http://www.fampeople.com/cat-ken-yeang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Yeang
https://landarchs.com/6-famous-green-architects-of-our-time/
http://www.museumofthecity.org/project/ken-yeang-ecology-and-architecture/
