Tall & Urban News

Shared Office Spaces in Kuala Lumpur Skyscraper Revealed

The entrance lobby reaches 25 meters in height.
The entrance lobby reaches 25 meters in height.
25 November 2020 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Marble-clad columns and bronze detailing line the soaring entrance lobby that Ministry of Design has created for the YTL Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

It is one of several shared areas created by Ministry of Design in the Malaysian construction company YTL's new office skyscraper by Kohn Pedersen Fox, which combines all of its staff departments in one place for the first time.

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Alongside the giant entrance area, the studio has created an oak-lined cafe and three storeys of varied meeting spaces shared by 1,000 YTL employees.

"The brief for Ministry of Design was to design the public areas shared by these departments," the studio explained.

"As such, Ministry of Design sought to create a series of choreographed spatial experiences which aim to balance YTL's legacy of corporate professionalism with a future-forward attitude that embraces change."

The YTL Headquarters' entrance lobby is positioned at ground level and measures 25 meters in height.

Ministry of Design's goal was to enhance the "majestic" quality of this vast space while ensuring it was welcoming and human in scale.

To achieve this, the studio developed a restrained material palette, dominated by the soaring, white columns clad in Bugatsa marble that run the length of the lobby.

Floor-to-ceiling windows are positioned behind the columns to illuminate them and maximise natural light throughout the day, while making the space "glow like a lantern in the evening."

To obscure the height of the columns, each one is punctured by rectangular insets and bronze accents, while a cloud-like installation hangs between them.

Cushioned benches that mimic Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona chairs have also been slotted between the columns at floor level, framed by tall, gridded structures made from bronze.

The lobby is complete with a deliberately symmetrical lift area at its rear, accessed through turnstiles and framed by a statement bronze doorway.

This provides private access to YTL Headquarter's upper levels, including the office cafe, various meeting spaces and a function room by Ministry of Design.

Ministry of Design's development of the cafe and meeting spaces are intended as an extension of the lobby area, featuring a complementary material palette but with warmer tones.

In the cafe, this includes a rough, grey-granite counter with a polished black-granite worktop, set against a backdrop of bronze wall-mounted shelves and oak-lined walls.

For more on this story, go to Dezeen.