Menara Binjai: Tower of Sustainability

Menara Binjai Logo Visuals

When we were called in to develop branding and communications for a green building project by Khor Joo Saik, a Malaysian private investment company, we were ecstatic. Principle reason? We’re passionate about being green and sustainable. We’re always on the look out for green projects whether big or small to be involved in. So this was certainly a huge green opportunity.

Enter Menara Binjai, a 35-storey Grade A corporate office tower, certified Gold by Green Building Index (GBI) of Malaysia and BCA Green Mark of Singapore. Located right smack in the heart of KL, Menara Binjai was initially named CSS Tower – initials for the ambitious man who started the project, the late Dr. Chua Seong Siew. The site which Menara Binjai is built on was the family home of the Chua family since the 1930s. The legacy continues with the current generation of the Chua family, who also own the landmark Coliseum Cinema and Cafe.

Taking on the project meant an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the dynamic Chua family, project manager KJS, award-winning architect Veritas Architects, official leasing agent Jones Lang Wootton, 3D visualization company Primedia (who also developed the sleek website); and our PR partner Jireh Consult.

The starting point, to state the obvious, would be to develop the logo identity then work outwards from there. Clearly inspired by the building design, we explored several executions for the initial logo concepts. Our goal was to find a middle ground between contemporary, corporate and natural, green. It had to represent progress and sustainability. It needed to be professional, appealing, recognizable.

We were very close, even in our preliminary round of presentations. However, the tweaking and further refinement of the final options took nearly two months. As they say, “The journey is the reward.”

Here’s the final logo.

Menara Binjai Final Logo

From the logo, we quickly moved into creating the marketing collateral, press ad and other communication materials. Priority went to the marketing brochure, visual elements onsite including hoarding and site banners. We had anticipated challenges with the production of the brochure as we, naturally, opted for eco-paper (sourced from Fine Paper Takeo). Eco-paper is always very tricky to print on due to its absorption characteristics and reaction to ink. Nonetheless, after much testing internally, the end result exceeded expectations. Hats off to the boys at Five Stars Press.

Menara Binjai Brochure Cover

Menara Binjai Press Ad

Site Hoarding

To complement the website and overall marketing efforts, we recently assisted in setting up a Facebook page for the project. More great things to come as the building construction goes full steam towards completion in Q4 2011.

Have feedback? We’d love to hear from you.