Growthnet Project, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Part 1 Project 2002 Tim McginleyAlison Darvill University of Huddersfield | UK The GrowthNET project is a design that starts from a simple plan and radiates out to form a seemingly complex organisation.The project starts from a central node, established from the urban grid and natural geometry of the site. The main cultural influence on the area is that of Islam, so five lines with a 72 degree angle relationship to each other, splay out from the central node, representing the five pillars of Islam. Each line has a standardised length value, at their termination new nodes are generated from which five more lines radiate out. This is an allusion to the way internet connections are established. The spaces and services of the building are consequently organised by this geometry, however the nature of a pentagon arrangement causes the design to have an organic appearance.The strength of the design lies in its ability to sustain its own growth without the need to employ outside heavy plant, whilst reusing most of its waste water and waste from outside sources such as old shipping containers and oil drums.The calculations for future growth would be simulated by the central computer control room at the top of the central node, the birth place of the original project. From here the young digital businesses housed within the business community could explore there own evolution in the project. Another later phase in the evolution of the building, once the business, learning and recreation communities have become established, would be the addition of a live-in community. Inspired by the cover art of thrift shop sci-fi books, manga comics, Tron, William Gibson, Ridley Scott, the work of Archigram and their Japanese counterparts the Metabolist Group, and a warped sense of humour; Tim’s work embraces a culture of constant change and aspirational growth. The resultant building of prefabricated components is in constant flux, providing its own set of visual instructions, de-mystifying its construction, and declaring a strident tectonically sophisticated language. The project demonstrates a developing exploration of which the result is obsessive, fetishtic, and above all…fun!