SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGNCentre for Modern Architecture Studies in Southern Asia (MASSA)

Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Architecture)

Architecture Culture & History 2 [ARC 60203]

Architecture Analysis Report

Tutor:

Ms Ida

Building Proposed:

Wisma Lee Rubber

Group Members:

Tristan Yu Tze-Xien (Leader)Teo Hong WeiYan Wai Chun

Tang Ju Yi

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Introduction

This project is the refurbishment of the original 29 storey Wisma Lee Rubber, a building located on a

square shaped lot of 17,000sf on Jalan Melaka at the heart of the business district of the old city

centre. The new design seeks to rejuvenate the old building in a more contemporary image suited to

the company's current outlook. The office tower is re-finished in a new curtain wall of glass and

stainless steel cladding. Vertical sun- shading fins, juxtaposed against a fully glazed façade accentuate

the verticality of the building. The top penthouse floors which cantilever out are unified to read as a

transparent, delicate glass box crowning the building. Illuminated at night, it transforms into a lit

lantern perched atop the structure.At street level, the former car porch is extended with a glass roof

canopy to create a semi-outdoor verandah with a sidewalk café to engage the vibrant street life of its

neighborhood.

Fast Facts of the building

- Name: Wisma Lee Rubber

- Location: No. 1, Jalan Melaka, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

- Function: A 29 stories office tower at the heart of business district of the old city centre.

- Wisma Lee Rubber is equipped with amenities such as 24-hour concierge service enhancing

security

- There is a “street-side” café.

- The new architectural design continues the “modern simplicity” of the original building.

- the office tower will be re-finished with a glass-and-stainless steel curtain wall.

- The design with vertical stainless steel sun-shading fins against a fully glazed facade creates a

soaring visual effect to accentuate the height of the building.

- At night, the top floors when lit are designed as a light box creating a distinctive light sculpture

that will appear to glow from afar.

- The dramatic glass canopy creates a sheltered semi-outdoor verandah space with a sidewalk

café to encourage more activities in the area beyond office hours.

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History

Touted as Kuala Lumpur’s first high-rise office tower when it was completed in 1980, Wisma Lee

Rubber in Jalan Melaka, Kuala Lumpur was recently upgraded and refurbished at a cost of RM24

million. This 29-storey building is owned by the Lee Rubber group. This building is also a former OCBC

Bank Malaysia main office which recently moved to its own Menara OCBC located not far from here.

The refurbishment exercise, together with the new OCBC Bank headquarters in the vicinity, help to

accelerate urban rejuvenation in the area. The major shareholder of both Lee Rubber and OCBC Bank is

the family of the late Singaporean tycoon and philanthropist Lee Kong Chian.

The company, Lee Rubber Co. (Pte) Ltd. started business in Muar, Johor, in 1927. At the time, Malaya

and Singapore were considered one country. According to Lee Foundation financial controller and

director Lee Seng Chuan, the Lee Rubber group continues to show confidence in Malaysia by investing

in several infrastructures. The company has recently built two new rubber processing factories in

Kedah and Kelantan, each costing around RM40 million. Furthermore, it also operating hypermarket in

Segamat, Malacca and Batu Pahat, with each structure costing RM20 million.

Architects

Original Architect: Arthur Oakley Coltman (A.O. Coltman) was a British architect practising in Malaya

for 32 years where he worked as manager of the architecture firm Booty Edwards & Partners. He was

the first earliest architect that brings in Art Deco architecture style into Malaya during 1920s. He

arrived in Malaya in 1925 and retired in 1957. He was on active service during the First World War

before working in the Transvaal, and was officially listed as an absentee member of the Transvaal

Provincial Institute of Architects from about 1931 to 1938.

He was responsible for many of Kuala Lumpur's greatest Art Deco structures, including the Clock

Tower, OCBC Building, and Oriental Building. He also designed the Anglo-Oriental Building, which is

now known as Wisma Ekran; Lee Rubber Building, Rubber Research Institute and the Odeon

Cinema.Coltman died in Sussex, England at the age of 67 in 1961.

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CONTENT

1. Site context analysis

Building accessibility

Relationship of building to surroundings

Respond to climate

2. Architectural layout of building - written by Teo Hong Wei

Plan to section or elevation analysis

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Architect Azril Azmi Jaafar

Architect in-charge of refurbishment: The

VERITAS Design Group was founded in 1987

upon the principles of constant innovation and

a commitment to quality.Today the VERITAS

Design Group is led by its Group President

David Mizan Hashim and Principals Lillian Tay,

Azif Nasaruddin, Ng Yiek Seng, Azril Amir

Jaafar, Zainal F. Abdul Aziz, Shamsuddin

Wahap, Eric Tham, Shah Jaffar and Richard

Raymond and is backed by a team of over 330

qualified professionals and professional

support staff.

Refurbishment of the Wisma Lee Rubber was

taken place of the whole building was done by

Veritas Architects Sdn Bhd company, by

Architect Azril Azmi Jaafar. Azril proceed with

the 'modern simplicity' of the first building.

The new outlook tries to restore the old

building in a more contemporary revolution of

style to suit the organization's present

viewpoint.

Architect Azril Azmi Jaafar

Circulation to use-space

Organization analysis

3. Architecture style analysis - written by Tristan Yu Tze-Xien

Style adopted and characteristics

History of Art Deco.

Refurbishment

Spatial organization

4. Building construction, structure and materials analysis - written by Yan Wai Chun

Specific structure / materials of building

Comparative study

5. Architectural elements / components analysis - written by Tang Ju Yi

Significant components ( Roof , door , staircase , window , shading , stainless steel column )

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1SITE CONTEXT ANALYSIS

Group work

Building Accessibility

BUILDING ACESSIBILITY

Wisma Lee Rubber Building is

located at Jalan Melaka, right

opposite Masjid Jamek (Putra &

Star) LRT Station. Traffic jam

often happens at the main road,

Jalan Melaka in between the

two buildings. In order to

approach the Wisma Lee

Rubber building, one needs

make a right turn at the

junction from Jalan Tun Perak

into Jalan Melaka. The Oriental Building sits right in front of the junction. The Wisma Lee Rubber

building is located at the same row as the Oriental Building which is right beside it. The Wisma Lee

Rubber building has two entrances, which is the main entrance and the parking lot entrance. The

entrance clearance allows passengers to unload and prevent congestion of the main road. Meanwhile,

the parking lot entrance which leads to the basement is located at the back of the building. This allows

employees and visitors to park their cars there and access to different levels of the building using the

lift.

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Main Entrance Parking Lot Entrance

1SITE CONTEXT ANALYSIS

Group work

Building Accessibility

RELATIONSHIP OF BUILDING TO SURROUNDINGS

The Wisma Lee Rubber is located in a prestige and convenience location in the heart of the city. It is

located along Jalan Melaka, bounded by Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Gereja and the old colonial cluster at

Dataran Merdeka. Shopping centres, banks, offices and numerous major commercial buildings are

located around Wisma Lee Rubber. For unparalleled accessibility, the Putra and Star LRT ( Masjid

Jamek station ) stations are just few steps across the road. Wisma Lee Rubber is located 16 metres

from Menara Bumiputera, 107 metres from Bangunan Abdul Zamal, 48 metres from Wisma Tas, 26

metres from Bangunan Moccis, and 62 metres from Wisma Konwa. All these buildings are surrounded

and constructed in the same area which has a one-way entrance ( Lebuh Ampang to Jalan Melaka ).

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RESPOND TO CLIMATE

Daylighting incorporated from multiple

directions to create even lighting quality. Shade

for the North windows with overhang creates

necessary internal comfort. Orient the floor plan

on an east-west axis for the best control of

daylight allows penetration of sunlight into the

building. The Interior and exterior glazing

maximizes daylight transmission.

WIND DIRECTION

The building opens to the south and west, it takes

advantage of the prevailing winds for cross ventilation to

occur (a passive energy demand energy saving). Air

substantially reduces the load on the air conditioning

system to cool down the whole building.

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Sun Path

Section of the building

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2ARCHITECTURAL LAYOUT OF

BUILDINGBy Teo Hong Wei

Plan to section or elevation analysis

Circulation to use-space

Organization Analysis

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View from North-West side of the building

Ground Floor Plan

Wisma Lee Rubber is a 29-storey-building which meets a corner set

at a 45° angle facing the street. The Architectural layout is slightly

different after the refurbishment. The new architectural design by

Veritas Architects Sdn Bhd continued the “modern simplicity” of

the original building. The office tower is re-finished in a new curtain

wall of glass and stainless steel cladding. Vertical sun- shading fins,

juxtaposed against a fully glazed façade accentuate the verticality

of the building. The top penthouse floors which cantilever out are

unified to read as a transparent, delicate glass box crowning the

building. At the street level, the former car porch will be extended

with a dramatic glass canopy to create a sheltered semi-outdoor

verandah space with a sidewalk café to encourage more activities

in the area beyond office hours.

The reception area of this building is located at ground floor, just after the main entrance. The

reception counter is located on the left side upon entering from the main entrance while the security

gate is located on the right side. This is the only entrance to access the lifts, and the higher levels.

There are total of 7 lifts in this building. The three lifts located on the East side of the building is the

high rise lifts which access to level 16-28 while the three lifts on the West side are low rise lifts which

access level 1-16. The only lift in the middle is the car park lift which acess floors below the ground.

Most of the floors above ground are for office use besides ground floor which has a reception area and

restaurants, and 16th floor which has a gymnasium and surau. The only public area of Wisma Lee

Rubber is ground floor, before the security gate.

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Typical Floor Plan level 19-25

In a typical office floor, the lifts would be in a long corridor with two ends which are the entrance of

two different offices. The toilets and stairs(fire exits) are just beside the entrance of the office in the

corridor. There are two main stairs in the building which is at both east and west corner of the building.

Since the building is square shaped, there are hardly any useless space as all of the spaces are well

organized and used.

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Lift LocationReception Area

Office Entrance

Wisma Lee Rubber is a square shaped building. It has a strong geometric shape that meets a corner set

at a 45° angle. It is symmetrically balance on the east and west side of the building. Both plan and

elevation show that the east and west side of the building is exactly the same. The hierarchy of space

usage is obviously shown with the difference on private and public area of the building. The ground

floor is the only public area of the building and also the only entrance to the upper part of the building,

which means that the space usage of this area is the most of all.

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Upper Roof Plan Front Elevation

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3ARCHITECTURE STYLE ANALYSIS

By Tristan Yu Tze-Xien

Style adopted and characteristics

History of Art Deco

Refurbishment

Spatial Organization

ART DECO

Art Deco style appeared in France just before World War I. It emerged in the late 1920s and 1930s,

thus began flourishing internationally before its popularity warned after World War II. The style is

often characterized by rich colours, bold geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation.

The art deco style, which above all reflected modern technology, was characterized by smooth lines,

symmetrical, geometric shapes, streamlined forms and bright, sometimes garish colours. Initially a

luxury style employing costly materials like silver, crystal, ivory, jade and lacquer, it also used cheaper

and mass-produced materials like chrome, plastics, and other industrial items catering to the growing

middle class taste for a design style that was elegant, glamorous and functional. It drew its impacts

from distant locations abroad, touching on a scope of styles, from Ancient Egypt to advanced modern

industrial machinery. In numerous parts of the world, Art Deco stood for modernity and the escape

from convention. It offered an accessible image of modern life and progress, more fun than competing

forms of design such as Modernism. At the same time, designers could adapt Art Deco to convey

national or local identities and meanings, using native decorative forms and subject matter.

ART DECO STYLE CAME TO MALAYA

Despite developing in distant Europe, the art deco influenced has reached Tropical Malaya in 1920s.

While most of Malaysia’s best known Art Deco buildings are in the Kuala Lumpur area, in fact, it is

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Wisma Lee Building, 1967

amazing how quickly Art Deco style spread throughout British Malaya. Look at the history of the

movement and admires some of the buildings that bear testament to that era of style. Art Deco left its

mark on pretty much every urban settlement which saw some degree of prosperity during the interwar

years. Art Deco is very unrealistic to even continue its previous position of impact in Malaysia, or in

whatever is left of the world besides. Luckily, many superb structures stay from the time when this

enchanting, idealistic style held influence in Malaya. Styles may change, yet genuine magnificant

preserves.

ARCHITECT

ELEMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS

There are few aspects that makes Lee Rubber building looks iconic, as it was a modern building

incorporate with Art Deco style. For example, the front façade of the building have a very sleek, linear

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British Architect, Arthur Oakley Coltman, known as A.O.

Coltman, who came to Malaya practicing for 32 years where

he worked as manager of the architecture firm Booty

Edwards & Partners. He arrived in Malaya in 1925 and

retired in 1957. He was responsible to be the first architect

that brings in Art Deco Style into Malaya, thus many of Kuala

Lumpur’s greatest Art Deco structures was designed by him.

Which include the Clock Tower, OCBC Building, Oriented

building, Odeon Cinema, and therefore Lee Rubber building

was one of the iconic building, which also known as Kuala

Lumpur first high-rise office tower sits on the prominent

center of Jalan Melaka at Kuala Lumpur town. All these

buildings are recognisably Art Deco yet simultaneously

possess their own unique charm.

Wisma Lee Building completed in 1980

appearance that stands vertically tall by itself. The primary façade of the building often feature series

of set backs that create a stepped vertical outline. It mainly constructed in a regular geometric

rectangular form, with four sides of flat façade that convey a feeling of sturdy structure standing

among the rest of the building surrounding. The proportion of this building is very similar to the

existing buildings surrounding, for example the Oriental building right next to Lee Rubber building consists of

sharp edged with linear appearance. And also, Wisma Tas consists strips of horizontal windows that seems

similar to Wisma Lee Rubber. Besides that, the front façade of Lee Rubber building emphasize on the vertical

movement, from the perspective view the horizontal rows of rectangular pattern of windows which also

contribute to the movement of the building. Besides, the façade feature distinctive smooth and clean

finishes building materials such as Stucco.

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Lee Rubber Building, after refurbishment completed in year 2008

Later, refurbishment of the building was done by Veritas Architects Sdn Bhd which continue the

‘modern simplicity’ of the original building. The new design seeks to rejuvenate the old building in a

more contemporary image to suit the company’s current outlook. According to architect, Azril Azmi

Jaafar, the new office tower was refinished with glass-and-stainless steel curtain wall. The design with

vertical stainless steel sun-shading fins against a fully glazed façade will create a soaring visual effect to

accentuate the height of the building. The top penthouse floors which cantilever out are unified

conveying transparent, delicate glass box crowning the building. At night, the top floors transforms

into a lit as a light box creating a distinctive light sculpture that will appear glow from afar. Although

many changes have done which use new construction technology to refurbish the building, but it still

remain its own identity of style.

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Chrysler building, completed in 1930

SIMILARITIES WITH CHRYSLER BUILDING

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SECTION VIEW of Lee Rubber building

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, STRUCTURE AND MATERIALS

Wisma Lee Rubber was upgraded and refurbished in year 2008. The new architectural design by

Veritas Architects Sdn Bhd continued the “modern simplicity” of the original building. According to

architect Azril Azmi Jaafar, the office tower re-finished with a glass-and-stainless steel curtain wall. The

design with vertical stainless steel sun-shading fins against a fully glazed facade creates a soaring visual

effect to accentuate the height of the building. At night, the top floors when lit are designed as a light

box creating a distinctive light sculpture that will appear to glow from afar. At the street level, the

former car porch will be extended with a dramatic glass canopy to create a sheltered semi-outdoor

verandah space.

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Before Refurbishment After Refurbishment

GROUND FLOOR

Floor, columns, walls and staircases in front of the foyer of the ground floor are all cladded with granite

tiles. The existing granite cladding on existing column was removed and replaced with new wall

cladding to be watertight to provide good resistance towards rain water. Reception area is accessible

through the glass-sliding door which connected with the staircase and the ramp in front of foyer. The

ramp was renewed with 12mm thick tempered glass wall with stainless steel handrail.

A 17.52mm thick laminated glass ( which consisted of 8mm thick clear heat

strengthen glass, 1.52mm thick of clear PVB layer and 8mm thick of clear heat strengthen glass ) with

spider fitting was installed to avoid rain water. The porch outside was extended with 21.52mm thick

laminated glass ( which consisted of 10mm thick light green tinted annealed glass, 1.52mm thick clear

PVB layer and 10mm thick clear annealed float glass ) with 25% coverage pokka dot ceramic fritted

( canopy glass ).

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Renewed ramp, column and staircase (in front of foyer)

Small reception area with a reception counter located in front of the

lift lobby. A frameless glass door was constructed behind the reception counter for authorised

personnel only. Frameless glass walls are constructed beside the glass-sliding door in the reception

area. Automatic turnstiles are used for security control and as the main access point of the building.

There are seven lifts in the lift lobby, one of the lifts is connected with the basement carpark,three lifts

on the north side are used as low rise lifts as it can only reach at the maximum height of 16 floors. On

the west side, three lifts are used as high rise lifts as it can reach the maximum height 28 floors. Two

new 12mm thick tempered glass doors are installed beside the carpark lift in the lift lobby, which

connected to the ground floor office. New 12mm thick tempered glass walls with stainless steel frame

are also installed along the tempered glass doors.

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Lift lobbyLow rise & high rise lift’s sign

Laminated glasses

MEZZANINE FLOOR

Mezzanine floor is accessible by using the staircase beside which connected with the ground floor and

the staircase inside the ground floor office.Granite tiles on the existing stairacse which connected with

ground floor are removed and replaced with new mild steel and timber staircase.Along the north side

of the mezzanine floor, new 12mm thick tempered glass screens are fixed with spider glazing system to

reduce the amount of sunlight.Timber blustrade with mild steel support and full tempered glass wall

are installed on the mezzanine floor.The café on the mezzanine floor are fully furnished and air

conditioned and also finished with granite flooring.Inside the café, there are walls constructed by

110mm thick light weight brickwall with 20mm thick cement plastering on both sides.

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Automatic turnstilesReception area

FAÇADE ( NORTH ELEVATION )

There are two types of glasses that made up the fully glazed façade and create a soaring visual effect to

accentuate the height of the building. First one is the 10.76mm thick laminated glass ( which consisted

of 5mm thick green tinted annealed float glass, 0.76mm clear PVB and 5mm thick clear annealed with

low emission glass ). Second one would be the 9.38mm thick light green tinted laminated glass ( which

consisted of 5mm thick light green tinted annealed , 0.38mm clear interlayer PVB and 4mm thick clear

annealed glass ). All the normal tempered glasses are replaced with all these tinted glasses because

they provide more privacy and better shading. On both and middle part of the façade are covered with

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Mezzanine floor ( exterior )

Tempered glass screenCafé ( mezzanine floor )

4mm thick fire rated stainless steel composite panel with hairline finish. As going up to level 26

onwards, the facade looks slightly different compared to lower levels as it is extruded out which is

covered with laminated glass and stainless steel composite panels at the roof level. Those upper levels

are also designed as a light box which create a distinctive light sculpture at night.

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Stainless steel composite panels & light green tinted laminated glass

COMPARATIVE STUDY

Difference between both buildings can be observed through its floor space itself. There is a great

difference in floor space of Trump Tower and Wisma Lee Rubber, which are 2,600,000 square feet and

17,000 square feet respectively. The architectural concept and services provided by the buildings are

slightly different, Trump Tower served as the tallest residential building in North America which has 98

stories while Wisma Lee Rubber served as an office building with 28 stories. Not only the height of

buildings, Trump Tower relates to its neighbours through a series of setbacks, the first of which occurs

at levels 16.The next setback at level 29 and the third setback at level 51. On the other side, Wisma Lee

Rubber’s neighbours are all with approximately same height or even taller than the building, for

example, Maybank Tower and HSBC Tower.

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Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago

Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago

by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is a great

example of modern building in the west. By

comparing both buildings, it is observed that in

both, the façade of the buildings are using the

same construction materials. The façade of the

Trump Tower is adorned with clear anodized

aluminium and stainless steel composite panels

that reflects and refracts the light from the sun.

It also uses clear low emission laminated glass

throughout the whole tower. Both of the

buildings shared the same intention as the

materials used by the Wisma Lee Rubber are

having the same purpose of usage.Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago

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5ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS/

COMPONENT ANALSISBy Tang Ju YI

Specific Components:

Doors

Roof

Windows

Staircase & Ramp

Stainless Steel Columns

DOOR

Different types of doors are used in the Wisma Lee Rubber building to differentiate the function of

each space in the building.

The type of door which is used for the main entrance is a automatic sliding glass door. While sliding

glass doors may be a luxury and decorative accessory in domestic homes, they are becoming a

necessity in business establishments. sliding glass doors ensure hassle-free customer traffic flow. The

sliding glass door imparts an element of elegance and creates a welcoming feel for the customers or

visitors of the building. The sliding glass doors avoid unwanted disturbances and dust from the streets

entering the building by shutting automatically when it is not in used. They also ample daylight indoors,

increase visibility and becomes cost-efficient.

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Main Entrance Sliding Glass Door

Other types of doors that can be found in the building include fire doors, semi-transparent glass doors

and roller shutter. The fire doors can be found at every floor of the building and are used as part of a

passive fire protection system to reduce the spread of fire or smoke between the spaces. the semi-

transparent glass doors are used in the interior of the building for the offices. They provide a sense of

privacy for the people inside of the room without blocking light. It acknowledges other people that the

space is being occupied and avoid disturbance. Roller shutter is found at the side entrance of the

building, which has narrow stairs leading each floors of the building. The roller shutter is open during

the day and covers up at night to protect the property from burglary and vandalism attempts.

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Fire Door Semi-Transparent Door

ROOF

Flat roof

Art Deco designers adorned flat roofs with parapets, spires,

or tower-like constructs to accentuate a corner or entrance.

Like most urban Art Deco buildings, the Wisma Lee Rubber

Building has a flat roof with no cornice or overhang. The

roofs built much like a floor, and then waterproofed with a

layer of rubber before being covered with an attractive,

weather—resistant layer of tiles. The roof level is not

accessible to the public. The roof level is used to place

domestic water tanks, sprinkler tanks, wet riser tank and

also serves as one of the mechanical floor of the building.

The Gondola system which is used for cleaning the exterior

windows can be found on the roof level too.

Aluminium Canopy Glass roof

At street level, the former car porch is extended with a

glass roof canopy to create a semi-outdoor verandah

with a sidewalk café to engage the vibrant street life of

its neighbourhood.

The glass roof canopy increases daylight penetration,

visibility of surrounding landscapes and the sky during both day and night. Increased daylight

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Upper Roof Plan

North Elevation of the building

penetration not only improves the design and

appearance of the building itself, moreover it helps

in improving the well-being of people who uses

the building, the visitors, employees and

customers. The glass roof also enhances

ventilation and helps in reducing electricity costs for lighting.

WINDOW

In most Art deco style buildings, windows usually appear as punctured openings. To maintain a

streamlined appearance for the building, they were often arranged in continuous horizontal bands of

glass. Wall openings are sometimes filled with decorative glass or with glass blocks, creating a contrast

of solid and void forms while admitting daylight.

Wisma Lee Rubber building uses unitised curtain wall system and unitised punch window system.

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Close-up look at the Glass Roof

The curtain wall is non-structural and thus can be

made of a lightweight material, which is glass. The

aluminium frame is infilled with glass, which makes

the Wisma Lee Rubber building an architecturally

pleasing building, as well as benefits such as

daylighting. When natural light penetrates deeper

within the building it brightens the spaces which are

the offices.

By providing a direct link to the dynamic and

perpetually evolving patterns of outdoor illumination,

daylighting helps create a visually stimulating and

productive environment for building occupants, while

reducing as much as one-third of total building energy

costs.

The curtain wall facade does not carry any dead load

weight, it transfers horizontal wind loads that are

incident upon it to the main building structure

through connections at floors and columns of the

building. The curtain wall of Wisma Lee Rubber

building is designed to resist air and water infiltration,

sway induced by wind and seismic forces acting on the

building, and its own dead load weight forces. The

curtain walls entail factory fabrication. The completed

units are hung on the building structure to form the

building enclosure. The advantage of using the

unitised curtain wall system includes speed of

construction; lower field installation costs; and quality

control within an interior climate controlled

environment.

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Curtain wall system of Lee Rubber building

STAIRCASE & RAMP

There are different types of staircase in the Wisma Lee Rubber building and each one of them gives out

different feelings. It is an important element in the building because it allows people to get from one

level to another.

The entrance consists of staircases and ramp. The staircase right in front of the main entrance is rather

large which creates a welcoming feeling for the visitors. The ramp which is located right beside the

main staircase allows access for wheeled items such as wheel chairs and trolleys. Rough Granite floor

tile is used as the floorings because it can enhance the gripping between the shoes and the stairs. It

helps to prevent any accidents, besides that, it also enhances the aesthetics of the stairs. The tiles gives

out a minimalistic and clean look for the entrance which makes allows the visitors’ view to be focused

on the main entrance’s door.

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Unitised Punch Window System Close-up window knob from interior

Window from interior

Other stairs in the Wisma Lee Rubber building are narrower compared to the stairs at the main

entrance. This indirectly acknowledges visitors

that these stairs are for private use only. For

example, the narrow stairs located at the side entrance is meant only for the staffs who work in the

office building.

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Granite Ramp

Entrance Ganite Stairs

SHADING

Vertical stainless steel sun-shading

fins, juxtaposed against a fully

glazed facade accentuate the

verticality of the building. behind

these sun-shading fins are voids which acts as the lift shaft. People can

move from level to level inside the skyscraper comfortably without

being

exposed to the harsh sunlight during the day.

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Stairs of the side entrance Interior StairsStairs to the basement

At street level, the former car porch is extended

with a glass roof canopy to create a semi-outdoor

verandah with a sidewalk café to engage the vibrant

street life of its neighbourhood. The ceilings are

very tall. Besides giving the entrance a luxurious and

spacious feeling, it also cools the space easily.

Although the ceiling of

the entrance is high,

people are still protected from hot weather and

rain. This is because there are many large glass

panels installed vertically between the upper parts

of stainless steel columns.

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Vertical Glass Panels

Glass Roof Canopy

Stainless Steel Sun Shading Fins on the building

STAINLESS STEEL COLUMN

Columns can make a statement of their own or complement other architectural features. The stainless

steel columns of the Wisma Lee Rubber building have resistance to corrosion and they are visually

appealing. It is also easier to maintain as it can be easily cleaned. The smooth metallic surface is not

only modern and luxurious , it also gives a minimalistic clean look.

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CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, Wisma Lee Rubber which was completed in the year of 1980 and refurbished on the

2008, is truly a fine example of Art Deco Style Architecture that stand among the rest of the building. It

is often overlooked, but once looked at it carefully and with an analytic eye, the beauty and pure

sturdy structure cannot be denied. It’s truly iconic feature has to be the whole building meets a corner

set at a 45° angle facing the street, symmetrically balanced on the east and west side of the building.

Besides, the front façade features a very sleek and linear appearance appears to have a very distinctive

clean façade, and also features series of setbacks that create a stepped vertical outline. The materials

used for the building looks significant with the use of glass-and-stainless steel curtain wall that creates

a soaring visual effect to accentuate the height of the sculpture. The “modern simplicity” elements of

the building tends to create a very bold and striking structure that stands out and grabs attention from

the surrounding.

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