Putrajaya's center is a 4 km by 1 island. It is organised around a 100m long large boulevard. At its center, the boulevard crosses a secondary axis, which leads to the Qiblat and the Great Mosque. At the intersection, there is a 150 m square, bordering the secondary axis, and a cornerstone element of the new city, the City Hall, Civic Center and auditorium. We are the coordinating architects for this segment, and project architects of the City Hall.
The 3 main features of this complex are :
- a facade facing the square and the boulevard: it contains the conference hall and auditorium, an arcade and encloses the square with an architectonic random concrete railing, rhythmed by vertical inserts of polished steel and brass.
- vaulting over the Qiblat, a textured metallic arch announces the Mosque. 50 m up, elevators offer you a panoramic view of the new city.
- multi-purpose offices and City Hall administration occupy four blocks on both sides of the axis.
They enclose a garden, and two symmetrical atriums link up the units two by two, and allow for vertical circulation. Suspended conference rooms are scattered on 8 levels in these atriums, from which, through the long sunscreens, one can see the Mosque esplanade and its waterworks. The offices external facades are clad in aluminium volumes surging from glass panes, like a peeled mango's exposed cubes. The ensemble is crowned by a presidential penthouse whose 70 m single glass pane spans the space between the two blocks...
Source : Putrajaya Civic Center
