SPARK has completed Arte S a residential development located at Jalan Bukit Gambier near the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. The project consists of a pair of condominium towers containing 460 apartments. The tallest tower is 180m, the buildings together comprise the tallest “twin tower” development on the island.
The towers' flowing form was inspired by the dramatic topography of Penang Island.
The 2 towers and the podium are articulated by the curvilinear movement of balconies, terraces and pools that echo the way man has occupied Penang’s mountainous terrain over time. The mountain landscape has been interpreted as a series of layered flat surfaces that resemble steps, a graduated terracing of the building podium and its twisting towers is the signature of the Arte S project.
The geometry of the two towers was generated by the extrusion of an elliptical floorplate, augmented by the addition of a waveform brise-soleil that is subtly rotated at each floor level to achieve the building’s twisted appearance.
The taller tower has a sky garden at level 35 that incorporates two pebble-form recreational “resident club” pods. The larger pod can accommodate up to 60 people for events, the smaller hanging pod houses a Jacuzzi.
The design provides a variety of apartment types for buyers. Future flexibility is achieved with column free and beam free apartment spaces that facilitate interior adjustments as tenant requirements change.
All common areas are naturally ventilated and day-lit.