This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 14, 2022 - November 20, 2022

Winner | 1 Lasam | Nurilim Sdn Bhd

During the hectic site visits in Kedah, Penang and Perak to review the finalists of The Edge Malaysia-PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia) Green Excellence Award, one site stood out for the judges — 1 Lasam in Ipoh by Perak-based Bonanza Venture Holdings (BVH) Sdn Bhd.

Located at 1, Jalan Lasam on a half-acre site next to an army camp, 1 Lasam is the group’s main headquarters. Decorated with exposed brick walls, concrete floors, marble and industrial finishes, the five-storey 30,000 sq ft site, which has a lush courtyard, exudes history, warmth and the old-world charm of Ipoh.

While touring the site, we were transported back to yesteryear; the walls are adorned with old posters and Perak-influenced memorabilia dating as far back as the 1800s, and antique bicycles, vintage typewriters and shelves of books take pride of place in the meeting and conference rooms. The company’s late founder Datuk Lim Keng Kay had a penchant for collecting antiques, which has led to the allocation of three gallery spaces in the building, which are now open for public viewing.

While its façade appears sharp, boxy and cantilevered, the site is softened by greenery, particularly lime trees, retained from a previous festive holiday. 1 Lasam was designed by Kuee Architecture and has a construction cost of RM5.2 million.

The site’s undeniable uniqueness, soul and clever use of sustainable materials have earned it The Edge Malaysia PAM Green Excellence Award 2022.

“There is a wall that has been retained from our old office; it is the one facing the army camp site in the conference room,” the affable Edwin Tan, CEO of Nurilim Sdn Bhd, tells City & Country via Google Meet. Nurilim is a subsidiary of developer Kinta Properties, a company under BVH.

Tan, who grew up in Ipoh, says: “The location of 1 Lasam [has special significance for] BVH, as it is where our late founder, Datuk Lim Keng Kay, used to live and he subsequently turned the place into his corporate office. Here is where it all started for the group.

“In 2014, we decided to build a corporate office at 1, Jalan Lasam. Owing to the mining and industrial background of the group, the idea of a green building came about. At that time, the Green Building Index (GBI) rating tool was still relatively new in Perak and there were no green buildings in the state.”

For several decades, BVH has been a pioneer in many businesses, especially in Perak. “The idea of building the first-ever GBI Platinum building in the state was to resonate with the continuous endeavour by BVH to be a leader in the community.

“As a developer, we are always looking at ways to learn new things and upskill. 1 Lasam and, similarly, our Ban Hoe Seng Auto — Honda 3S Centre in Bandar Baru Sri Klebang, Ipoh, which is a GBI Gold building, are among the ways in which we have experimented with green buildings,” says Tan.

The construction materials were carefully selected to keep the building as “raw” as possible and to reflect the group’s industrial past, says Tan. “For example, exposed bare concrete, fair-faced brick wall finishing, and marble table tops are to remind us of our past involvement in the cement, brick and marble industries.”

1 Lasam comprises ancillary workspaces such as conference rooms and the three gallery spaces. “The site has essentially achieved eight of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. Among these is achieving the third goal of good health and well-being, reflected in the zero use of formaldehyde waterproofing sealants and the placing of an outdoor smoking area 10m away from the building’s openings,” says Tan.

He adds that 1 Lasam has also met the sixth goal of clean water and sanitisation, whereby stormwater and rainwater are harvested while grey water is recycled, with no potable water needed for landscape irrigation. “This helps reduce 67.55% of our annual potable water consumption.

“In addition, 1 Lasam uses affordable and clean energy through the use of solar photovoltaic panels and has helped build sustainable cities and communities by making sure up to 37.1% of total material costs were sourced regionally.

“In achieving the 12th goal of responsible consumption and production, we are most proud that 26.4% of total materials used contained recycled content, and at least 75% of construction waste was diverted to recycling centres. Building materials were sourced regionally … We further monitor our energy and water usage in real time, and this is displayed in the building.”

1 Lasam used zero Ozone Depression Potential (ODP) products in keeping with the 13th goal of climate action. It has further achieved the sustainable development goals meant to protect life below water and on land, according to Tan.

“We have also made sure to use LED lighting throughout the building, as it consumes up to 90% less electricity than incandescent lighting, and to use a centralised air conditioning system with an inverter and zoning-controlled switches for energy and cost savings,” he says.

1 Lasam is not only sustainable in design but also functionality.

“At BVH, we take the practise of ‘reduce, reuse, repurpose’ very seriously. All business entities of BVH have, while making 1 Lasam a reality, contributed and repurposed various materials,” says Tan.

From repurposing broken, off-size marble waste as table tops and cement formwork as planter boxes, as well as turning old tree stumps into garden paths, old and discarded materials are given a new lease of life at 1 Lasam. “We have even refashioned an old snooker table into a meeting table. Plants at 1 Lasam are either propagated or transplanted from other properties in the group.”

In terms of design, Tan says there are limitations and challenges. “1 Lasam is adjacent to an army camp, which presented us with numerous constraints in terms of design and construction. To eliminate direct views of the camp as required by law, we made the west-facing wall double-layered and further installed it with dense louvres, which also worked to block out heat and sunlight in the evenings.”

The height of the building is also controlled for the same reason. “The team uses a floating box concept to maximise the external view. This subsequently evolved into a box-in-box geometry.

“The lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has been the greatest challenge to the realisation of 1 Lasam. The contract was awarded after the end of the first Movement Control Order in September 2020.

“One of the reasons we decided to start the project at such an uncertain time was to bring some business activity to the market. Its ground-breaking ceremony was held in October 2020 with completion expected some eight months down the line, but, as a result of numerous lockdowns, 1 Lasam was ready only this year.”

According to Tan, another current challenge is getting people to embrace green living. “We hope that, eventually, all users of the building will use the open area more and enjoy the building’s natural ventilation. The louvres installed in the courtyard were essentially aimed at cutting down reliance on air-conditioning. Also, we hope to keep waste, especially plastic waste, to a minimum by encouraging the use of reusable food containers and water bottles.

“The higher floors are lifted and supported by a bold V-shape column to allow for vehicle circulation on the street level. Like the V-shape land and V-shape column, V-shape balustrades were designed to emphasise the strong presence of our company name, BVH.”

A courtyard was also carved into the centre of the building to allow more light to reach into the office spaces. “Naco windows or louvres were installed at high levels of all office spaces for natural cross and stack ventilation throughout the central courtyard to reduce the use of air conditioning,” says Tan.

“The building was also kept as ‘raw’ as possible, with exposed bare concrete, red bricks applied with waterproofing solution, tinted glass framed by simple aluminium, exposed ceiling throughout and not a single drop of paint used.”

In the long term, the group hopes to bank on 1 Lasam’s appeal and strives to win more awards. “We are equally humbled as we are excited to be the recipient of numerous awards. In June, 1 Lasam was given the Silver Award in the Sustainable Development Goal Category by the Malaysian Institute of Architects and, now, The Edge Malaysia-PAM Green Excellence Award 2022 at The Edge Malaysia Property Excellence Awards 2022.”

“The response towards 1 Lasam from both our staff and members of the community has also been positive. Our staff find 1 Lasam to be a better, more comfortable place to work in. We have also received requests from various community groups to use our café and meeting spaces, some of which we have consented to on a goodwill basis to help further their cause.”

1 Lasam also houses non-profit organisations such as Ipoh Echo — the city’s community newspaper; Ipoh World — an education-based organisation that aims to promote the rich heritage of Perak; and Perak Academy, whose primary objective is to promote interest in the state by encouraging discussion, scholarship and research.

“It is our greatest wish that 1 Lasam will become more than just a landmark in Ipoh; that it will become an example of sustainability that others will want to emulate while educating the general public on what green buildings are and their importance,” says Tan.

The group hopes to increase awareness and catapult sustainability in the state. “We hope there will be more green buildings in Perak in time to come. We are open to sharing our experience with those who are interested and we are open to having more people visit 1 Lasam in the future.

“As a group, we hope to use what we have learnt and incorporate it into our future developments,” he says, adding the group has a land bank of about 610 acres for future developments.

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