Suria KLCC
About This Project
While to most Malaysians requires no introduction, it is home to the most iconic buildings in Malaysia and one of the best parks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Located in the heart of a the ever- bustling city of Kuala Lumpur, the park is a breath of fresh air for city dwellers around the vicinity, boasting over 1900 beautiful indigenous trees and a lush landscape, perfect for a jog or just to enjoy the sounds of water lapping. An oasis nestled within the concrete jungle, begets the idea of extending the experience.
The existing building- opened its doors in 1997 and till today, is still home to many luxury brands. Its floors covered in timeless beige marble, polished to perfection, outlined with a deep red border, that sometimes dots the main floor in some areas. On either side of its wings, sunlight streams gently in from the skylights above in the day, warming up the space while causing the brass details on shopfronts to glisten.
There was a need to amalgamate both worlds, the park and the mall but without being too intrusive, since the mall and the rest of its components were still intact the challenge was also to subtly differentiate the existing from the new.
The renovation included a sizable portion of the mall once home to an anchor tenant. The vacated space was carved rather organically to cater to smaller tenants. A subtle change was needed and so the same timeless beige marble was chosen but laid in a herringbone pattern without the red marble border. The existing white ceilings had coves in them, but the idea was to create a seamless flow. An undulating ceiling with soft cove lighting inspired by the fluidity and rippling of water now leads users into the new section. Gradually flowing and guiding its user to the center to the “source” of emission as soft undulating shapes radiate from the atrium forming the ceiling pattern, a form that extends through to the atriums above. The from rearranges and rotates on each level.
A small garden, filled with lush greenery greets the user in the center inviting them to sit on its built-in granite benches much like the park outside. Its form inspired by wild fungi often found on trees in the park, its multitude of layers create openings for landscaping while around the edges they peel off and form seating benches. The granite selected to match the existing stone outdoors further supplementing a seamless connection between the interior and the park.
The objective of creating a space that flowed well with both the existing interior and exterior meant that the space had to be indulgent but in 2 different ways. Apart from selecting similar materials to the existing mall, the chosen forms had to flow well. Curved organic forms that mimic nature were chosen for this, forming the curves of the custom squircle column cladding to the soft edges of the fascia, surrounded by soft off-white tones with hints of grey stone conclude the design intent.