Wisma Mercedes-Benz And Wisma Hap Seng

Developed by Hap Seng Realty (Auto) Sdn Bhd, this six-storey industrial building in Bandar Kinrara, Puchong, consists of two sections—Wisma Mercedes-Benz and Wisma Hap Seng. Both these sections have their own exclusive entrances and frontages and are separated by a two-way helical ramp for ease of security control.

Wisma Mercedes-Benz was purpose-built to suit the needs and requirements of Mercedes-Benz headquarters-cum-training centre from the design development stage. The interiors of the office and connecting spaces are characterised by simple and functional layouts. Employees enjoy contemporary light-filled workplaces that promote collaboration and inspire creativity. Central café areas, team rooms and huddle spaces support a cooperative and transparent work culture.

Wisma Hap Seng, which serves as a showroom and workshop for Hap Seng, was designed and constructed with basic provisions for the time being, until new tenants occupy the place. It is designed with high headroom and a large open area to provide flexibility for future layouts.

FIRST GREEN INDUSTRIAL BUILDING
The development fully embraces its namesake slogan—3G: Green, Global, and Generative— through its sustainable building design, which incorporates energy-saving and water-conservation features, convenient access to public transportation, multiple connectivity to major roadways, and the inclusion of modern technical infrastructure with access to ultrafast internet service providers.

It is designed as a highly sustainable building, targeted to meet a minimum of a LEED Gold certification, making it the first Green industrial building within the Subang Jaya area.

The building orientation has been fine-tuned to create a highly efficient building envelope. The team explored opportunities for natural ventilation, on-site energy, and extensive vertical Green wall and Green roofs to reduce the heat island effect. There is also a rain-harvesting system to harvest rainwater, as well as parking areas for bicycles and hybrid cars.

The building cladding consists mainly of double-glazed, low-emissivity (low-E) curtain walls, from China, to minimise heat penetration and enable natural lighting into the office. A high-efficient variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air-conditioning system was also installed for optimum thermal comfort. Transparent roller shutters allow natural lighting into the working area, whereas high-efficient LED lights are used to optimise energy saving.

Due to the big massing with deep-set internal space and the absence of good views surrounding the site, the courtyard and roof garden were created to bring in natural lights and ventilation and to raise the indoor environment quality, which leads to improved staff productivity.

MAXIMISING LAND USE
This site is located between an industrial and commercial area along Jalan Kinrara, Puchong. As such, the building, which sits on industrial land, is constrained by the 25-metre height limitation by the local town council.

For the development to be economically feasible, the building footprint had to maximised. The developer’s planning had to be precise to accommodate the design brief, account for the technical requirements, such as the trucks’ turning radius, and adopt the most effective grid span for the various spaces needed, including a large span room for trucks, offices, seminar rooms, workshops and carparking area.

Many dialogue sessions were carried out with the tenant’s technical personnel, along with site visits to similar facilities locally and abroad, to further refine the layout to suit requirements by all parties within the site’s constraints. The two-layer helical ramp design, for example, was a space-saving solution that accommodated the vertical vehicular circulation for both sections.

CHALLENGES
The development is sited on a land that also houses an existing showroom, so the construction activities had to be carried out without affecting the showroom’s daily operations. This was managed well by the contractor, thanks to stringent housekeeping guidelines and safety operating procedures. As the showroom belongs to the same owner, the design of the new building relates closely to the function and language of the showroom, in term of its massing, layout and height.

Halfway through the project, it was learnt that the new Alam Sutera LRT station would be built right in front of the land. The building’s height had to be adjusted to ensure that the view from the two topmost floors of the office is not entirely obstructed.

There were other mid-stage construction adjustments needed when the tenant for Wisma Mercedes-Benz requested for additional floor area for the office space. With the collaboration between the client, project management team and the consultants, and also through great effort from the contractor, the building was completed in time for the tenant to move in.