Modular Regionalism

Living Tree

Design Studio 5: 

In the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, the loss of identity and public realm in housing environments are becoming more apparent. Modern high rises in other cities are facing a similar dilemma. Current design schemes of repetitive modernist glass facade and parking podiums in cities do not reflect the vibrant multicultural identity of the place. People are crammed into a plot of land and live together without a well-designed public realm in proximity. Housing choices are limited to maximise building efficiency. Hence, the current situation urges a new housing typology that reflects local identities, incorporates public spaces and provides flexible housing choices for people.

The project is inspired by traditional Malay houses in Malaysia that are well adapted to the local climatic properties and the needs of people. An incremental scheme, climatic considerations and public spaces are incorporated into the design to improve the living quality of the housing scheme. ‘Modularity’ enables the system to scale and customise to different sites accordingly, while ‘Regionalism’ enables residents to customise the housing configurations according to their culture and needs. The merged concept of ‘Modular Regionalism’ embraces modern modular building technology and incorporates vernacular architecture principles into the design to suit the current living lifestyle. This is to create a flexible housing typology that reflects local architecture identity.