Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Architect: RT+Q.

The Fennel is a residential development consisting of four 43-storey towers located in Sentul, Malaysia. Developed by YTL LAND, the project is part of a larger masterplan to provide mid-cost housing and stimulate urban revival in the area. The towers are a counterpoint to adjacent low-rise office and commercial blocks, rising up with a strong sculptural and rational gesture. Units cantilever out 500mm at each floor to sculpt the slanted profile tower, with landscape bridges/sky terraces anchoring the tower at its widest. These sky terraces let air and light into the naturally ventilated entrances corridors to the units and frame views out within its cavernous space. The amenities extend down to the podium roof, which houses childcare centres, playgrounds, and two 50m long swimming pools. The tower and podium secure a vital role as a microcosm of a larger mature urban context. Materials like aluminium panelling and steel edge-detailing are deployed to express a fresh aesthetic to the prevailing multicolour and plaster and paint Sentul experience. Details of metallic fins and edges are also incorporated to preserve proportions and geometry of the design.

Photo credit: Masano Kawana, RT+Q Architects