Setia City Residences is the first high-end, high-rise, development within the rapidly maturing township of Setia Alam. As such there was always a design challenge associated with the introduction of a high-rise component into a largely suburban environment. Through careful consideration of its Street Level Presence, Facilities Deck and Residential Towers the Architects have risen to this challenge and created a building that enhances its surroundings and adds tangible aesthetic value to the township.
At street level water features, illuminated signage blocks and a colourful conical entrance statement all work together to create a building with real Street Level Presence.
Above street level, the scale of the elevated car park is broken down by the introduction of more illuminated blocks and cut-out landscaped areas. These also help to negate any potential monotony of the car park screen and serve to create a level of further refinement to the façade.
Further up, whilst the façade of the Residential Towers is largely dictated by the layout of the apartments, the skill with which this layout has been refined has created a Miesian crispness to its appearance. The combination of full-height glazing and the horizontal Lanai railing element has been enhanced by the addition of a unique floating double spandrel that projects at every floor.
The visual impact of the floating double spandrel is further enhanced by the cheeky addition of brilliant white paint to seemingly random areas. So vivid is the contrast with the dark spandrel colour that these areas appear to be three-dimensional light boxes fixed between the flanges of the spandrel.
Topping off the Residential Towers are roofs that incorporate illuminated boxes that repeat those on the podium car park and tie together the entire composition. With the completion of the final phase of 260 apartment units, the rich architectural language and complex spatial relationships of this triple tower, 780-apartment development, can now be fully appreciated.
Despite its height, Setia City Residences somehow manages to enhance the skyline of Setia Alam, rather than dominate it and it adds a level of sophistication and elegance to this rapidly maturing township.
All too often residential developments of this nature tend to slouch in a grey sea of asphalt surrounded by high walls and fences, with access only afforded to the privileged few that live within their hallowed walls. As such, they can generally be said to have zero street-level presence.
Setia City Residences defies all the above perceptions and is truly part of the urban fabric and both welcomes its surroundings and reaches out to them.
The entrance from Persiaran Setia Wawasan successfully manages to be both monumental and welcoming and leaves no doubt that this is a development that is accessible to all. An illuminated signage block appears to float directly above the entrance creating a distinctive and unique branding that makes any additional wayfinding redundant.
From here the main driveway ramps gently up and around a cascading water feature. This double-volume space brings visitors directly into the heart of the development. This provides a dramatic contrast with the nondescript perimeter access roads which are such a non-feature of most similar developments.
Flanking the ramped driveway and drop-off area are retail units conceived to serve both residents and the general public. These nine two-storey shops have a genuine street-level presence and succeed in integrating the development into their surroundings, particularly as they mature into the dense urban environment they are destined to become.
The scale of the retail component is perfect to create an intimate contrast with the adjacent mall. In addition to the nine units flanking the driveway a tenth unit stands on an island facing Setia City Mall. This freestanding building has been conceived as a truly bespoke outlet with maximum visibility and potential for unique branding.
The drop-off area opens directly into the Concourse Area, which is also accessed directly from the Residents’ drop-off area. This space challenges notions of when outdoor spaces become indoor spaces as well as what can be considered as having a street-level presence. Despite having neither doors nor street frontage this space is an indoor space that has a street-level presence.
The Concourse Area is a vast double volumed space rarely experienced in anything but the highest end of residential developments or luxury hotels. Natural cross ventilation is complimented by giant fans, which combine to transform it from a purely utilitarian circulation space into one that is a joy to be in. The sound of running water helps to enhance the indoor/outdoor experience, whilst the ‘floating cloud’ ceiling design and LED lighting add yet another level of visual interest.
A centrally located stair rises from the depths of the Concourse Area creating an almost sculptural-like quality that draws the eye downwards, whilst the monochromatic staggered cladding to the columns enhances their verticality and draws the eye upwards.
With so much Street Level Presence already identified it is hard to believe that this is all in addition to the Street Level Presence of the Residents’ Entrance.
Accessed from Jalan Setia Dagang AH U13/AH, the Residents Entrance fulfils its utilitarian function of providing access in a manner that is almost poetic.
The Resident’s Entrance leads to a generous drop-off area which opens to the Residence Foyer located within the Concourse Area. The access road leading to the elevated car park podium is off this drop-off area. The resident’s driving experience is elevated by the addition of a small water feature and a delightful landscaped area around which cars circulate.
However, the true joy of the design is how the Resident’s Entrance announces itself at street level. The vertical screening to the podium car park unexpectedly explodes to transform into a colourful conical entrance statement. This deconstructivist transformation is reminiscent of Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit in London. Its poetic and playful nature also recalls the astonishing and unexpected façades created by James Wines for Best Supermarkets in the USA in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The deconstructivist transformation of the vertical car park screen adds a further dimension to the Street Presence of Setia City Residences and hints at the quality of the architecture that lies within.
n a conceptual level, Setia City Residences appears to follow a fairly common design formula with a Facilities Deck sitting above a car park podium and below residential towers.
However, that is where the similarity ends. Normally, in the above scenario, the Architects would surrender the facilities deck to their Landscape counterparts for their input with the Architect’s contribution perhaps being an indication of where the swimming pool could be located, based on the section of the car park below.
At Setia City Residences, the Architects have claimed this space as their own and cleverly worked with the section to create a multi-level series of wet and dry terraces.
The above freeform cascading terraces are inspired by the hot springs of Pamukkale in Turkey with exposed walls mimicking its travertine rock terraces formed by mineral deposits.
Water dominates the entire Facilities Deck with the organic-shaped main pool overshadowing its upper level. Below this pool is a series of shallow pools into which are inserted a pair of sunken lounges and a jacuzzi. A floating walkway then denotes the edge of another level drop to a children’s wading pool. This pool also replicates the organic flowing shapes of the other pools, thus creating a linear play zone, the end of which is heralded by the vertical elements of a Children’s Playground.
The staggered zoning of wet activities from swimming at the top to relaxing in the middle and finally to playing at the lowest level demonstrates the level of consideration and detail that has been given to this area. The resulting three-dimensional space increases the visual impact with vertical and horizontal surfaces combining to create a much greater visual impact than would be achieved with a more conventional flat surface.
In addition to outdoor facilities such as a Tennis Court, BBQ Pit and Seating Pavilion, the Facilities Deck also includes a Spiral Skyway which weaves a forest trail around a dense landscape surrounding a Qi Gong/Yoga Lawn. As with the terraced pools, this Spiral Skyway adds a third dimension and creates elevated vantage points from which views of the overall space can be enjoyed.
Below one of the residential towers, facilities such as a function Hall and Gym are located. However, there are further surprises located on the other side of this tower. Located on the roof of the car park ramp and separated from the Facilities Deck by the residential tower there is a Secret Garden and a Par Course. Although small in scale this area represents an invaluable addition to the Facilities Deck as it creates a more intimate space and also adds a visual connection to the mall fronting street below.
Ultimately it is the Residential Towers that are the driving force behind the development with its Street Level Presence, Carpark Podium and Facilities Deck effectively playing supporting roles. However, whereas the Residential Towers often dominate similar developments, Setia City Residences have a scale and poise that successfully compliments the overall development.
Each tower has ten apartments per floor, six of which face the surrounding township and four of which face the Facilities Deck. A centrally located core is accessed from the Residents’ Lobby and Concourse Area on the Ground Floor and opens onto naturally ventilated corridors on the apartment levels. These corridors are punctuated with an opening into light wells and strategically placed full-height windows within deep recesses crafted between aircon ledges. The overall effect is one of light and thermal comfort without any of the problems of driving rain that often plague open corridor concepts.
The ten apartments per floor consist of four different types, three of which are arranged in pairs facing the surrounding township and one of which is arranged in two pairs on either side of the Lift Core facing the Facilities Deck.
All apartments open directly into a centrally located open-plan Living/Dining Area with Bedrooms opening off to either side. This configuration successfully manages to avoid the long narrow type of Living/Dining Area so commonly associated with modern apartments.
A Lanai stretches across the full width of both the Living Area and the Master Bedroom in all but the smallest apartment type where it only partially extends into the Master Bedroom. This architectural element enhances both the interiors of the apartments and the exterior of the Residential Towers.
In all apartments, full-height glazing to the entire width of the second Bedroom gives visual continuity to the Lanai. Where larger units include a third Bedroom, these are located either with views of the surrounding township or face a blank wall of the adjacent apartment, thus avoiding any issues of privacy.
In the last Residential Tower to be constructed, the flexibility of the design allowed minor changes to be made to the layout of the smallest units to create a dual key unit to enhance the product range on offer to potential buyers.
Whilst the floor plans of the Residential Towers are repetitive, Sky Lounges replace some units on the highest floor. These Sky Lounges maximise the potential of the views from these vantage points as well as providing a valuable additional asset for the use of Residents.
