Studio-Asean

When someone wants to embark on their dream home, office or shop in terms of design, what or who do they turn to? We have come to realisation that the architect is definitely not an option in this situation. Architects in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and the Klang Valley in general has built this rather augmentated profile of handlers of large scale projects. This is not entirely the fault of the architectural cohort, rather the manner that a developing country is inadvertently set up in the face of racing towards progress. In Australia, more familiarly, Melbourne, architects usuallly deliver creative, intricate and inspired houses, retail and institutional architecture. These include renovations and extensions. Look up firms such as 'Austin Maynard', MODO, Sibling Architecture, BLOXAS, 'Freedman White', '6 Degrees' and let google provide plenty of other options and opinions on the overcrowded talent-per-capita situation. The key word here is, inspiration, to

At Inception. 7 years ago, I came back to Malaysia after having spent 9 years in Melbourne to complete my degree and masters in architecture at the University of Melbourne. Initially I was overjoyed that I could contribute in a profound way as an architect in my own country. In Melbourne, I taught architectural design at one of the top institutions, the University of Melbourne and had worked in the top architectural firms from Sydney and Melbourne. My time living in the 'world's most livable city' had definitely made me acutely aware of the positive effects and value of good architecture and good design to our lives daily. Unfortunately, my personal journey of discovery on the role of an architect here is rather abysmal. And for the next several blog posts, I will try to explain my views on why it is not worthwhile to practice as an architect in Malaysia. Along the way, my exposé will be aimmed at helping people in Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur and the klang valley surroun