24 May 2008
a quest for malaysian architecture
ok, I’m fed up with these complains. I’m sure you have heard them sometimes;
- architecture in malaysia is different from overseas, here architects are just cad monkeys. they just follow whatever the client wants.
- over here architects have low salaries than those overseas. imagine a fresh graduate with only rm1600 starting pay..while outside you have lots more
- in university you’re taught how to emphasize on design, but in architectural workplace you’re just creating functionalistic buildings
- malaysian architecture restricts creativity with so-called law of economy. money wins, or is it?
few sad facts about malaysian architecture.
1. most malaysians do not know who is the most famous architect in malaysia. or worst, they don’t even know who the hell is frank gehry. fyi, frank gehry designed the bilbao museum that is now globally famous (yet, malaysians don’t even care about it)
guggenheim bilbao. world-famous (excluding malaysia?)
2. most recognized buildings in malaysia are designed by foreign architects. do you know that?
our great petronas towers are designed by american cesar pelli (sorry, argentine american architect, thanks narmi)
our famous klia, by japanese kisho kurokawa
3. so what is majority of malaysian architects are doing? they’re designing three of the most sad buildings in malaysia.
a) designing sad, boring shoplots. that looks the same all over malaysia. now, is that architecture or a sad building?
b) the long, depressing terrace houses that all look the same in brochures. that makes us feel more to escape from it rather to live in it. residents buys the idea to live in it, developers take all the money, and malaysian architects? just do it.
c) ok, now prison-like apartments. painted a little bit red here and there to look different, but still that you can see everywhere in urban areas of malaysia and you think to yourself: “hey it’s my friend’s condo… oh nope, it just looks like it.”
so, we all got to stop complaining about malaysian architecture and, I am going to start a quest to revolutionise malaysian architecture. so folks, start appreciating architecture, and also critise it! don’t just take it like youre still in high school.
now what you should DO;
1. if you have a chance to commision an architect (just assume youre the owner), don’t let him simply do it. demand your home/project to be a work of art, tell him it’s boring! and ask him to redesign it! remember, great artists need great clients.
2. money. tell the architect the budget earlier and keep it. don’t simply cut the budget in the halfway of the design process! it’s like when you are served the meal and you refund a part of the meal just to save money. so, look at your menu for price first then savour it completely!
3. appreciate the architecture. if you are buying a completed house, ask who is the architect. determine if he is famous or not. or better, don’t buy a complete house. ask your architect friend if there is any plot of land for you to build a home. you might even get it cheaper, without the money going to the developer’s pocket!
4. if you saw the same architect’s work outside, go like this;
you: hey, do you know that new shopping mall downtown is going to open soon?
your friend: yeah, it’s kinda cool and we going to have a new shopping mall^^
you: well, the very same architect designs my house!
so, spread the word. start a quest for malaysia! let us be proud of our modern culture. and put these nice little banner on your blog 
An architectural student from malaysia, studying in Curtin University, pursuing his Master in Architecture. Contact at yang(at)yangsquare.com
Yang, what you had written in your blog is it come from your own ideas? If so, you are so awesome..hope to have a very creative and innovative architectural friend in the future..all the best to you
Kkian
May 25th, 2008 at 9:08 ampermalink
Isn’t cesar pelli an argentinian architect?
narmi
May 25th, 2008 at 9:28 pmpermalink
nice article yang..anyways..i do agree with ur point..but there are great malaysian architects its just that malaysians are not aware of them..heh..
and the majority of architects whom u talked about in ur post outshines this small group of magnificent, brilliant architects..
thats just my opinion though
cheers !
Irdzra
May 25th, 2008 at 10:15 pmpermalink
pssst~!
The KLIA is designed by Akitek Jururancang (M) Sdn Bhd(the place i’m working now~!) in association with Kisho Kurokawa. its 100% made by malaysian~!
Plus some more~!
Mid Valley City phase 1 is malaysian projects~! Also from Akitek Jururancang Malaysia…..
what do you expect ?
rafie
June 9th, 2008 at 12:16 ampermalink
[...] remember the last time I mentioned we need to revolutionise malaysian architecture? well, here is my second step. it appears there is no general knowledge on who is the most famous [...]
most famous malaysian architect - architecture enlightens life
June 20th, 2008 at 12:34 ampermalink
erm…i agree wif dis bright ideas young boy a.k.a Yang…u huv awesome n innovative thinking,man…but,how cud u apply ur thinking to our Culture thinking?
EJ
June 30th, 2008 at 4:39 pmpermalink
congrats… 3rd prize in exhibition huh? N i enjoyed looking at your website, it keeps me fresh de whole day.
Huei
August 14th, 2008 at 5:07 pmpermalink
That tower on your homepage. Is that London’s Swiss Re Tower (30 St Mary Axe)?
Tim
August 28th, 2008 at 11:15 ampermalink
Great sites. Makes me wanna know more bout’ archi. Ganbatte for ur future planning!! Actually i’ve got a question for u. There’s a boy whom actually got an interview for degree of architecture. What should he prepared himself for the interview? Any suggestion??
Neo Grades
October 8th, 2008 at 1:02 pmpermalink
Hi there,
I was just browsing the internet and I ended up on this forum. I just want to point out something here. I am an architect and currently works in Australia. A few facts that you should know; that as an architect regardless of where you live, is one of those professions that doesnt get paid well enough. Its not just in Malaysia but even in western countries, like US, Australia and so on. Its true that what you get is not much as what any foreign architect earns, but if you think ahead a bit more, the living cost in western countries are much higher than say in Malaysia.
Architecture is by far one of the most expensive degree that one can obtain in University. It takes like 5 years and then another 2 to 3 years of work pratice plus exam until you can be called a licensed architect. Even after that your average salary when compared to other profession is still lower. The term cad monkey does exist also in Australia and in the western world. Unless you are the principal or the owner of the architectural firm, you will never earn the so called “big cash”. That’s the sad but a true fact of our profession. The other thing that, its very hard to get the work/life balance right if you work in architecture. And I am sure, its not just happening in Malaysia, its happening pretty much every where. Just go check in google and enter a keyword like why architect get low salary or etc. You will then see that,there are alot of forums out there from US, Europe, and so on that discuss about this issue. Its a global issue mate. I have been in this Industry since 2001 so its been like 7 years for me and I know I don’t get paid enough. So if you are in to money, architecture is clearly not a profession to choose. Its still possible but requires a lot of hard work, time and dedication if you want to be a successful architect equivalent to Frank Lloyd Wright, Renzo Piano, etc). And to be honest in every generation only few are able to get that far. Its ironic isnt it.
here is some link that can broaden your mind a bit
http://www.architectmagazine.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1006&articleID=471543&artnum=1
Mario
October 9th, 2008 at 6:26 pmpermalink
yes, i totally agree with you, i been working in a architecture firm at kuching half years ago as a design architect, and now i`m studying at the same university as u, haha,meanwhile, i had facing the same problem as u mentioned, even my boss (registered architect) practicing this kind of so-called malaysian architecture culture, moreover, i always argue with my boss and those draftman, most of the time they sai they have the difficulty to generate out my design in 2d, and my boss always said: “wei li u r crazy lah, this kind of design cost a lot u noe, the client will reject it u noe?” but u noe wat, both of us produced our own design and shown to the client and at the end the client chosen mine, so for those architect out there, dare to teach ur client wat is architecture all about, don just comercial lah low cost lah, sien ah….(i`m going to show them this post)
Wei Li
October 26th, 2008 at 6:20 pmpermalink
Hi all you there. I have a challenge for a creative architect. I have thiis plot of land which I am looking to have an inner courtyard. A bit like riad designs in Morocco or in malaysia., peranakan style of architecture. Any creative person, who is interested do e-mail me to discuss further.It is not m’sian architects who are not as good as foreigners. They are just not given challenging opportunities.So en mass, the boring stuff,some a bit afraid to be honest or think it rude to be critical. welcome constructive criticisms lah. Ya, some lazy, so not willing to challenge their creativity.
Ori
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:50 ampermalink
i’m an architecture student from uitm n i’m pretty agree with u..seriously i never thought that situation in today’s malaysian architecture culture hehh~~
tgdanish
December 6th, 2008 at 11:22 pmpermalink
I think that you are still very naive in your thinking although your complain is very common among the architect around malaysia. About the creativity part and design and budget, A good architect is not just good in design and design it your own way, A good architect is a person that can cope with many different situation. In budgeting part, who say that low budget can’t be creative, in my working expreience the tighter the budget the more creative i’m, using of cheaper material but produce great design. that what i called creative and innovative. if you just stay there mumbling and complaining like the rest of the architect then you will just be like them goes on and on and achieve nothing much. And another thing young that is you need to learn to respect, if you respect your client, trust me your client with respect you, you give them time, they you give you time, they tell you the need you give them the better one that is great architect….
God bless you,
By Another monkey CAD
another cad monkey
December 9th, 2008 at 8:59 pmpermalink
Malaysians are generally not architecturally and artistically cautious . . . . this needs to change
Derick
March 4th, 2009 at 9:35 pmpermalink
[...] so, my knowledge in architecture has substantially increased. therefore, I think my opinion towards malaysian architecture I wrote few years back isn’t really valid anymore. therefore, I’ve decided to update my [...]
a quest for malaysian architecture - architecture enlightens life
March 6th, 2009 at 8:38 pmpermalink
you re ok! but still needs more experiece frm a student in naija
walexymilla
April 20th, 2009 at 6:41 pmpermalink
yeah…you are da man….we really need to look back at some very boring building in our country…we need some marvelous building as a pride and symbols, so that we gain our confidence back….people keep talking about foreign architect, and we must change this. I really hope out there lots of people have this kind of thought, and start to revolutionize the modern concept of malaysian architecture…..cheers
mieke
June 11th, 2009 at 4:58 pmpermalink
Hi Bro,
For those two example (KLCC and KLIA), of course it has fascinated budget. Thus any architects won’t feel any harm to design it in most fascinating way. What say you?
Budget Budget Budget…. For those big big project, their client is our country. For a normal residences house? of course less budget.. can’t blame our architects but their clients and whether buyer is willing to pay for high price..
K-Man
June 14th, 2009 at 11:22 ampermalink
In this articles. It’s hard enough to do decent forecasting in “future” architecture way of thinking, let face the reality, we have people all around the world looking for jobs and unfortunately they made a wrong decisions were not because they want to, they have no choiced..
very single human in this earth offcourse including all people in this architecture forum should be optimistic towards the fact no architects will be paupered if they would have skills and sense of design, whilst still capable to run a project from inception to completion.
but having said, we as a prodessional architect designer regardless of level, background and age..bear in mind we know our skills over supply and demand.. Demand for architects will not go away with design. The ability to pay higher wages might be compromised but the willingness to get the design wanted or needed depending on circumstances won’t go away,that’s usually because qualified architect tend to see architects without the ability to fully understand or rationalise the social factors that will always lack of support the demand side(high paid architects) whatever affect the wider skills has on the supply side.(survive architects)..
Well, I personal believes if you stay where you are without taking for granted and fight for right (if necessary) over a decade you would possibly be one of those famous architect in malaysia when time goes by..
Anyway, I’m happy to see more articles like this, suggesting points of view for research.
good luck and cheer to you!
Jackie
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:29 pmpermalink
Love your blog!
Fellow 3rd year architecture student from UWA, Perth.
Anuar Azahari
August 18th, 2009 at 8:44 pmpermalink
the sad thing is that most of us think that the alternative to the 3 types of buildings u just mentioned is the iconic (expensive!) one-off privately-owned buildings like those of frank gehry and norman foster, which are feasible for few, rather than the more subtle yet more sustainable and architecturally-rich spaces such as those of the many sustainable housing and mixed-use development in Europe. art is beyond skin-deep… Does Malaysian architects know the likes of Kenneth Frampton or Juhani Pallasma whose writings are a staple amongst European architectural circles including 1st year students? Few even realize the deep philosphy behind the seemingly simple Mies’s glass box and “form follows function”
working in an award winning architectural office in london which specializes in sustainable housing made me realize that indeed, sustainability is art… the great skill architects require in this age of great waste is to prove that artistic depth does not need to suck the lives of the poor…
Another thing which got me thinking: my boss is one of the group of private consultants in one of London design panels and the Olympic panel, like foster and richard rogers, yet he has less than 5 workers and is barely making much profit!… I wonder when is the Malaysian politicians going to be humble enough to consult real designers in planning out our messy country. (Hiring the same one big company for several projects, like a factory, seems more for the sake of convenience or economics rather design consultancy)
wani
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:42 ampermalink
this is cool man,gotta love wut u hv here.
amattmexes
September 16th, 2009 at 9:27 pmpermalink
i was so down after my presentation and i want to read something on the internet and i end up on this website…and i just wanna say that I AM TRULY AGREE WITH U THAT MALAYSIAN ARCHITECTURE IS BORING…..all of my projects that i done are almost represent the culture in Malaysia…(it’s not my idea..the lecturer want it to be traditional)…and of course as an architect u have to think big…but in the end the same form of building ends up in your presentation..just because the lecturer didn’t like modern kind of building…and guess what…i prefer a modern ..creative …and something different from Malaysia boring building…=.=”’
p/s: LOve ur blog…^^
kezz
October 20th, 2009 at 2:28 pmpermalink
cool..i do not disagree with ur statement..why in malaysia they paid hsalary is much more lowest than other country/instead we learned almost the same for entire world?could anybody who know which architects/developer company can pay me rm2500 and above for my fresh graduate?
ilam
March 29th, 2010 at 3:29 pmpermalink
Yang, yes, I agree that we should see the break through in our country…, however, the fact always comeback on the $$ Cost.
How much the market can afford on the housing for the expensive materials, like F. Gehry’s, Sir N. foster or Z. Hadid’s design? Beside that, the land cost are so high now due to development force in the city.
However, I also agree that a good design does not necessary to have expensive materials. We (the architect and the developer with the flexibility of the current regulations and understanding of local authority) should be more creative and innovative to develop the product other than the typical link houses and “pigeon holes” housing.
1. if you have a chance to commision an architect (just assume youre the owner), don’t let him simply do it. demand your home/project to be a work of art, tell him it’s boring! and ask him to redesign it! remember, great artists need great clients.
- Believe me, some of the Malaysian Architects can do more than that if the Client willing to pay according to Scale of Minimum Fees. (I believe the foreign architects are being paid more than the minimum scale). Of course, the client (or the house buyers indirectly) must be willing to pay extra for the unique building, ie 20% of normal construction cost.
2. money. tell the architect the budget earlier and keep it. don’t simply cut the budget in the halfway of the design process! it’s like when you are served the meal and you refund a part of the meal just to save money. so, look at your menu for price first then savour it completely!
- value engineering, it is part of the process. The inflation is going up everyday. We cannot run away from that. However, we must be clever to chose what to be remained not to lose the original concept.
3. appreciate the architecture. if you are buying a completed house, ask who is the architect. determine if he is famous or not. or better, don’t buy a complete house. ask your architect friend if there is any plot of land for you to build a home. you might even get it cheaper, without the money going to the developer’s pocket!
- Yang, in fact, the good design because if the Architect is famous or not. Secondly, buying a land and building your own house not necessary will be cheaper, due to economy of scale. Building a house is not as simple as you think. Yes, I agree that as developer and as a business, they will make sure they will have profit. However, you cannot imagine how much more you have to pay other than construction and land cost, ie consultant fees, authority charges, your own time, or sometime you will need to hire a project manager as well.
4. if you saw the same architect’s work outside, go like this;
you: hey, do you know that new shopping mall downtown is going to open soon?
your friend: yeah, it’s kinda cool and we going to have a new shopping mall^^
you: well, the very same architect designs my house!
No comment on this.
Aconda
April 3rd, 2010 at 11:06 ampermalink
Correction:
- Yang, in fact, the good design NOT because if the Architect is famous or not.
Aconda
April 3rd, 2010 at 11:08 ampermalink
Hi architects! From my point of view the real architect should have entity on the designs & must convince the client, however I still agree with yang architects in Malaysia look for business meaning follow what client wants.
Example frank gehry withdrawn from the project to build a Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem is because financial disagreements & have to redesign maybe not according to what he want.
Cheers,
Wannabe architect
Wannabe architect
July 28th, 2010 at 10:37 pmpermalink
hey, where is serina hijjaz? she’s a malaysian architect too y’noe?
soulwrappin
September 3rd, 2010 at 3:04 pmpermalink
malaysian architect lacked originality,they prefer the easy way out by bringing in foreign design and influence such as balinese,moroccon,english etc.they should create a malaysian identity based on their upbringing based on a malaysian context in history and culture.many malaysian architect are aloft and arrogant,thinking they know everything and client is so naive about design. Malaysian residential houses design key theme is “FLAUNTING, SHOWY, PRETENTIOUS, EXHIBITIONIST”.The house physical structure eventually takes over the owner’s identity, presence and existence.At the same time, I am not saying they were wrong in their design choice. Perhaps,we need to take a glance at house design by Geoffrey Bawa,Anjalendran, to name a few.
fiverockerunion
November 30th, 2010 at 12:56 pmpermalink