Tour Menara Hap Seng – Plaza Shell

Following the delivery of several building projects in Malaysia, VINCI Construction Grands Projets was called on to design a 10-storey office tower at Kota Kinabalu on the island of Borneo. The building features 4 levels of underground parking, a 3-level podium with a retail vocation, and a 10-floor tower. The building covers a total area of 65,000 m². Presently, the tower accommodates several restaurants, a bank, offices in the petroleum industry, and numerous showrooms (Honda, Hap Seng Star, Mercedes-Benz, and Hap Seng Properties).

BACKGROUND

The client, Hap Seng, is a major Chinese group that is active in various sectors, including real estate and palm-oil production. It is also a reseller of Mercedes vehicles in China and Southeast Asia. By commissioning the building of this tower, Hap Seng wished to strengthen its presence in the city of Kota Kinabalu and, more widely, in the region of Sabah. One of the key features of the project was to accommodate the offices of the petroleum giant, Shell; accordingly, at its inauguration, the tower was named Plaza Shell.
Our privileged client relationship, long-term presence in the region, and proposed top-and-down design-build method for saving time enabled us to win this contract.

TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

Implementing human and material resources on this tower-construction project in such a remote region was a true challenge.
From a technical standpoint, the use of the top-and-down method (building upwards and downwards concurrently) is considered an achievement in developed settings. Implementing such a method in Kota Kinabalu is a true feat.
In addition, implementing secondary trades on the project proved to be yet another challenge, especially with respect to Grade A and LEED Silver certification, which were required to deliver the first ever high environmental quality office space on the island of Borneo. Nearly 1,000 labourers had to be mobilized to carry out finishing work and enable Mercedes and Shell to move in on time.

This is the tallest – and the first LEED-certified – tower in central Kota Kinabalu. It is designed to accommodate leading brands and businesses and contribute to the development of this city in eastern Malaysia.

IMPACT

Borneo is located in Southeastern Asia and is the fourth-largest island in the world. It is part of one of the planet’s most biologically diverse regions. That is why innovation was such a key focus in this project.
In response to ecological challenges and in efforts to preserve the island’s biodiversity and habitats, we aimed to create a building in accordance with sustainable development. Plaza Shell is the first building with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in the State of Sabah – and, therefore, the very first “green building” in the region.

Project participants

Client
Awal Megah Sdn Bhd

Key figures

Implementation dates
August 2013 to August 2015

Earthworks
115,000 m3

Concrete
25,000 m3

Reinforcement
3,500 t