RADIA, Bukit Jelutong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Like the Jelutong tree, our concept for this project at Bukit Jelutong (the Jelutong tree’s hill), began with the seed of an idea, a heart, embraced like the kernel by a protective shell: a ring of buildings and blocks forming a complete neighborhood.

And just as the Jelutong leaf grows outward from the stem, and a fan arcs from the centre, our concept grew outward like a fan from the centre of the circle of which our site forms the northwest quadrant, surrounding this heart which became a beautifully scaled garden and plaza.

Our intention is to create a sense of belonging, a centre of civic life and community, truly a gathering place and focus for the entire Bukit Jelutong area and beyond.

To make community in our modern world, we must embrace both culture and the environment.  As such, the project extends the hand fan metaphor to the culture, climate and ecology of Malaysia.  A hand fan epitomizes the simplest way to create personal comfort in a tropical climate. It provides a gentle breeze and can create shade as well.  These ideas inspired us from the largest scale to the smallest detail: we want to create shade and breeze in a sustainable garden filled community that suggests a truly Malaysian experience and lifestyle.

LOCATION: Shah Alam, Negeri Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
CLIENT: Sime Darby Sunrise Development
PROGRAM: Offices, Shopping Center, Strata Retail, Residential
SCOPE: Master Planning, Architecture. Winner of the invited competition including BIG, Bennoy, DP Archi- tects, Hijjas Kasturi Associates
PROJECT TEAM: Laetitia Bernouis, Lucille Bock, Emmanuel Georgin, Hugo Kaici, Aurélie Quentin, Jirasak Maklang, Eleonora Milano, Emmanuel Moussinet, Maylee Razon
ASSOCIATE ARCHITECTS: [au]workshop (Fort Collins, Colorado)
ARCHITECT OF RECORD: GDP Architects (Kuala Lumpur)
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Grant Associates (Bath)
PROJECT AREA : 280.000 sq.m
COST: 380,000,000 Ringit (87 millions €)
COMPLETION: Under construction, 2017

AWARDS: Best Commercial High-Rise Development (Malaysia & Asia Pacific) at the Asia Property Development Awards