Archetech Issue 22 2016 | Page 70

The Capers RT+Q Architects The Capers is a mixed residential development comprising two 36-storey towers and two 5-storey blocks of residential apartments, rising from the piano nobile of a landscaped carparking podium. It is located amidst the suburban sprawl of Sentul, 5 km north of the Kuala Lumpur city-centre. It occupies 4.3 acres amongst various other land-parcels within the larger Sentul Masterplan. It is developed by YTL LAND under the leadership of Dato Yeoh Seok Kian -mastermind, risk-taker and visionary. Archetech - Page 70 THE AESTHETIC IDEA The search for architectural form began from an interpretation of the site: its flat terrain and geography, and its rugged landscape of greenery and parks. The organic form of the towers drew inspiration from the soft billowing 'lalang grass' and weeds that grow wild in the area. The meandering and free form of The Capers complement, in a counterintuitive manner, the shapes and rigorous geometry of the other tower blocks of Sentul, developed previously by YTL. While The Capers is a 'relative' amongst other YTL residential developments in Sentul (like The Tamarind, The Saffron etc), its playful semantics and naughty aesthetics can also be enjoyed literally as a caper -- a prank -- amidst the austere urban conditions of