Ministry of Design creates shared office spaces in Kuala Lumpur skyscraper

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.

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.

Above: the YTL Headquarters skyscraper. Top image: the office's entrance lobby

"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."

Marble-clad columns and cushioned benches line the entrance lobby

The YTL Headquarters' entrance lobby is positioned at ground level and measures 25 metres 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.

The marble is offset by bronze accents throughout

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".

The lift lobby is highly symmetrical

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 cafe features a rough grey-granite counter

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.

A central spiral staircase is enclosed by slatted bronze

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.

Oak has also been used to line the walls and ceilings of the meeting spaces, which cater for small and large, private to non-private gatherings.

Ministry of Design achieved this through the combination of communal tables and open areas, alongside enclosed meeting rooms and acoustically-private spaces.

The staircase connects the cafe to the office spaces

In the open, shared meeting areas, the oak walls form a backdrop to black powder-coated lighting fixtures and seating upholstered with neutral Saum & Viebahn textiles.

Silver mink marble flooring lines the floor, while black Nero Marquina and elegant white Calacatta marble are used across the tabletops.

Oak lines the walls of the shared meeting spaces

The private meeting areas are complete with softer furnishings and finishes, including brown-leather chairs, carpet floors and timber tables.

The meeting spaces are complete with a statement spiral stair at their heart, which connects them to the cafe. It is lined with leather handrails that are enveloped by slats of powder-coated bronze and positioned on top of a bed of black gravel.

The private meeting spaces feature softer furnishings and carpeted floors

Ministry of Design is an architecture and interior design studio that was founded in 2004 by Colin Seah. Its headquarters are in Singapore, and it has two more offices in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.

Other recent projects by the firm include an all-white co-living space called Canvas House, a futuristic sports store in Singapore Airport and a robot training facility lined with metal and tube lights.

Photography is by David Yeow.

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Project credits:

Ministry of Design team: Colin Seah, Joyce Low, Ruth Chong, Kevin Leong , Damien Saive, Namrata Mehta, Fai Suvisith, Justin Lu, Zhang Hang, Maggie Lek, Kaye Mojica, Richard Herman, Rais Rahman, Tasminah Ali and Azilawanti Wati
Architectural design: Kohn Pedersen Fox
Associates design: Syarikat Pembenaan Yeoh Tiong Lay Sdn Bhd
Architect of record: Veritas Design Group
Lobby art: Leaves by Studio Sawada Design Co Ltd

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Virtual Design Festival named event of the year at the IBP journalism awards

Dezeen has picked up two more awards this week with Virtual Design Festival winning event of the year and Dezeen's founder Marcus Fairs receiving the digital leadership prize at IBP's annual journalism awards ceremony.

The prizes come a day after Dezeen won two awards for Virtual Design Festival and another for the Dezeen Day conference.

International Building Press (IBP) judges praised Dezeen for demonstrating "ambition, imagination and creative flair with varied and engaging content" for Virtual Design Festival (VDF), which was the world's first online design festival.

Running from 15 April to 10 July, VDF featured over 500 pieces of content including live talks, performances, cultural collaborations, student shows and product launches. The content has received over 1.75 million page views and two million video plays.

Dezeen founder Marcus Fairs received the digital leadership prize at a virtual IBP Awards ceremony

"With a reduced team and on a modest budget, the organiser put in place a wide range of virtual events, which spoke straight to the interests and concerns of its community," said the IBP Awards jury.

"They quickly and clearly identified where the need might be for sharing information and speedily pulled in an array of impressive, high-profile collaborators."

Marcus Fairs honoured for digital leadership

Fairs was awarded the digital leadership of the year prize for his role in hosting Dezeen's inaugural podcast series Face to Face and launching VDF, in particular the live interviews he conducted daily with top architects and designers as part of VDF's flagship Screentime series of talks.

"Marcus Fairs’ infectious smile shone through all 50 – yes, fifty – interviews he conducted with architects and designers as part of the innovative and highly profitable Virtual Design Festival, and he has even more reason to smile as winner of this award," the jury said.

"Little wonder that Dezeen continues to show impressive growth, turning even the Covid-19 pandemic into an opportunity."

Dezeen's chief content officer Benedict Hobson collected the event of the year award

The awards were presented to Fairs and Dezeen's chief content officer Benedict Hobson at a virtual ceremony on Thursday hosted by British broadcaster and radio presenter Nick Ferrari.

Dezeen receives five awards in a week

The IBP awards are the latest in a haul of accolades Dezeen has received this week.

VDF claimed both the digital initiative of the year and the special coronavirus response prizes at the Professional Publishers Association's annual awards for independent publishers on Wednesday.

Dezeen Day conference was separately honoured at the Conference Awards 2020, receiving a bronze award for best new conference

Dezeen Awards is also shortlisted in three categories at the Awards Awards: best awards event by a publisher; best judging process; and best sector-specific awards event.

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Muuto, Miniforms and Archier present products at Dezeen Showroom

Danish brand Muuto, Italian furniture company Miniforms and Australian design studio Archier are among the latest brands to present products at Dezeen Showroom this week.

Furniture including sofas, lighting and home lifts have been added to Dezeen Showroom, which is an affordable space for brands to launch products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience.

Read on to see the latest products:

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Linear System Series by Thomas Bentzen for Muuto

Danish designer Thomas Bentzen has designed Linear System Series for Muuto, which can be tailored by users to create customised workspaces.

The collection, which features tables, lighting, screens and trays, has been designed for use in workspaces, hospitality settings and educational buildings.

Find out more about Linear System Series ›

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Pelleossa chair by Francesco Faccin for Miniforms

Italian furniture brand Miniforms presents the Pelleossa chair designed by Milan-based designer Francesco Faccin.

Faccin updated the wooden chair by adding a handwoven rushed seat, which has been woven in a checkered pattern between the wooden frame.

Find out more about Pelleosa chair ›

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Ghisolfa by Raffaella Mangiarotti for IOC Project Partners

Italian architect and designer Raffaella Mangiarotti has created the Ghisolfa sofa and chair collection for Italian office furniture brand IOC Project Partners.

Thick quilted material has been used to create comfortable seating as well as acting as an acoustic buffer, while the high back and sides foster privacy for the sitter.

Find out more about Ghisolfa ›

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Ultralight partition wall system by IOC Project Partners

The office furniture brand also showcases Ultralight, a partition wall system designed for flexible working in offices.

Its demountable design enables areas of an office to be easily transformed into private spaces or meeting rooms.

Find out more about Ultralight ›

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Aritco HomeLift by Aritco

Swedish elevator manufacturer Aritco presents Aritco HomeLift, which features a lit-up wall that displays a curated selection of Scandinavian artworks.

The lift can be custom made in 11 colours, including champagne, anthracite grey, jet black and sage green.

Find out more about Aritco HomeLift ›

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Aritco HomeLift Access by Aritco

The company has also released Aritco HomeLift Access, a residential lift that features an updated drive system which facilitates a smoother ride for its passengers.

The customisable lift, which can be made in over 200 colours, is available in various dimensions to suit the requirements of different households.

Find out more about Aritco HomeLift Access ›

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Aritco 4000 lift by Aritco

The Swedish brand also presents the ultra-compact Aritco 4000 lift, which is the company's smallest model to date.

The lift has been designed to suit any residence, including those with scarce space, and can accommodate up to two people.

Find out more about Aritco 4000 ›

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Nook Pod by Nook

Nook showcases its Nook Pod, which is a gabled private working pod composed of a pitched frame with enclosed benches.

The pods have been created as a response to the changing needs of office environments due to the coronavirus pandemic. The structures have been designed to provide extra space as people return to work.

Find out more about Nook Pod ›

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Highline pendant light by Archier

Australian brand Archier presents Highline, a slender brass pendant light that measures 1.8 metres long and 25 millimetres wide.

The body of the light is available in either satin or antique patina brass, which has been selected for its unique ageing qualities to make the colours appear unevenly over time.

Find out more about Highline ›

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Capital bronze pendant light by Archier

The Australian design studio also showcases its Capital pendant light, a long bronze light with a ribbed profile.

The light is available in three designs, which can either protrude from the ceiling, sit flush with the ceiling or is completely recessed.

Find out more about Capital ›

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About Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience.

As well as benefiting from exposure to Dezeen's three million monthly website visitors, products featured on Dezeen Showroom will be included in our Dezeen Daily newsletter sent to 170,000 subscribers and benefit from Dezeen's incredible SEO.

Dezeen has the highest SEO ranking of any design website with a domain authority of 87, according to SEO analytics service Moz, meaning products listed on Dezeen Showroom are more likely to be found by searchers, while links from Dezeen Showroom to your site will be more valuable than from any other design site.

Posts will remain on the Showroom section indefinitely and will not incur renewal fees once the initial payment has been made for the listing.

For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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Pelleosa chair designed by Francesco Faccin for Miniforms

Dezeen Showroom: designer Francesco Faccin has created a version of the Pelleossa wooden chair with a rushed seat for Italian furniture brand Miniforms.

Milan-based designer Faccin has updated the Pelleossa chair, which was first introduced by Miniforms in 2013, by adding a handwoven traditional rushed seat.

The rushed seat is handwoven in a checkered pattern

Rushes from the canna indica plant were woven in a checkered pattern between the wooden frame, which is available in ash or oak.

"Rushing a chair is like a sport, so the artisans say," said Miniforms.

"A Pelleossa seat takes an hour and a half, about the same time as a football match, but instead of feet running around a field, here it is the hands that do the work."

Pelleossa is available in ash or oak wood

Two makers work on the rushing simultaneously, passing the material back and forth.

"The energy is palpable," added Miniforms. "The weave is built up with a rapid, regular rhythm. Rushing has strong physical connotations, and if you don't wear gloves, it will leave marks on your hands."

This traditional method creates a chair that will last for decades. Pelleossa is also available in a version with armrests or as a simple stool.

Product: Pelleossa
Designer: Francesco Faccin
Brand: Miniforms
Contact: press@miniforms.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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New Architecture Writers calls for applications from aspiring BAME journalists, critics and curators

New Architecture Writers, a free course for black, Asian and minority ethnic people interested in a career in architecture media, is seeking applicants for its 2021 programme.

The year-long, part-time programme, which is based in London and is supported by the Architecture Foundation and the Architectural Review, is open to BAME applicants under 30.

Applicants should send a short CV plus 500 words of original writing before the deadline of 6:00pm on Friday 10 December 2020. Application details are on the New Architecture Writers website.

NAW was launched in 2017 to nurture black and minority writers because "we couldn't find many established writers who weren't white," said the programme's co-founder Tom Wilkinson, who is history editor at the Architectural Review.

Top: a New Architecture Writers live event. Above: NAW logo

Many of the programme's 17 alumni have since embarked on careers in the media, in architecture and in teaching. Former members have formed the Afterparti collective of architecture writers and curators.

Diversity in architecture media is "getting better, but it seems to me there is still a glass ceiling," Wilkinson said.

While the architecture profession has come under fire for its lack of diversity, Wilkinson said the architecture media also remains overwhelmingly white.

"If you look at the established architectural media, there are very few POC in the top positions," said Wilkinson.

"Class is also a big barrier to getting work in the media. A lot of that is down to connections, which is one of the things NAW was set up to foster."

Wilkinson spoke to Dezeen about the NAW programme and the progress it has made since it was launched:

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Marcus Fairs: Why did you set up NAW?

Tom Wilkinson: Phineas Harper [now director of Open City] and I were both working at the Architectural Review at the time and wanted to commission more POC writers but we couldn't find many established writers who weren't white, so we thought we'd try to do something about that.

Marcus Fairs: The NAW programme has been going since 2017. What has changed since then?

Marcus Fairs: The lack [of non-white architecture writers] that provoked us to start NAW has received increasing attention in the years since, which has benefited us to some extent. People are more interested in what we're doing, more aware of their own shortcomings, and many have got in touch to offer various kinds of support, for which we are grateful.

There is also a growing number of other groups focusing on race and ethnicity in architecture, many run by POC, which is great. However, one of the reasons these issues have started to attract more mainstream attention is because of state brutality against black people. And the resulting attention has sometimes been clumsy, or worse, exploitative and self-interested. So at times, it has been a somewhat bitter success.

Marcus Fairs: What has NAW achieved so far?

Tom Wilkinson: I'm extremely proud of our past members, all of whom have done interesting things as part of the programme, and have continued to do so since. I think our greatest achievement has been bringing them together and giving them a space to develop their ideas and skills as a group.

With regards to the events and the publications that the members have put together, that was all down to them. I don't want to attribute their achievements to our administration of the programme: we just provide a framework.

Marcus Fairs: How many people have done the course and how has it helped them?

Tom Wilkinson: We have 17 alumni in total. They have gone on to work at Dezeen [programme alumnus Siufan Adey is a content producer at Dezeen]; to further study; to practice; and to teach at Central Saint Martins and the AA, among other places.

Thomas Aquilina, who was part of the first cohort, now runs the programme with me, and it is certainly better for his involvement. I'm reluctant to attribute their successes to the programme since they are all ambitious, talented people who would have gone far in any case. But I hope it's helped them to improve their writing.

Marcus Fairs: Given that the rise of digital media and video, podcasting, social media etc, why is the NAW course so centred around writing? Is this focus a bit old fashioned?

Tom Wilkinson: This is a good point. We have hosted workshops run by podcasters and broadcasters such as Tom Dyckhoff and our members have made works in other media as a result. I do think it's important to remember that writing is still at the heart of all these media, however. Podcasts and videos are pretty hard going without a good script and writing well for social media is a skill, too. In a way, it's the ultimate transferable skill, whether our alumni continue in journalism or not.

Marcus Fairs: From running the programme, have you spotted any particular barriers or biases preventing greater diversity in the media?

Tom Wilkinson: If you look at the established architectural media, there are very few POC in the top positions. Priya Khanchandani [former editor of icon magazine] was an exception. Class is also a big barrier to getting work in the media. A lot of that is down to connections, which is one of the things NAW was set up to foster.

I think we do well in that regard: our members get to spend time with the prominent editors and journalists who run our workshops, and these days we have people getting touch with commissions fairly regularly, too.

Marcus Fairs: Is the programme popular? Are there lots of BAME writers wanting to break into architecture media or is this not really something they consider as a career?

Tom Wilkinson: In both of its previous iterations the course has received more applicants than we had room to take on, which I'm both pleased and regretful about. It's encouraging that so many people want to join the programme, and we'd like to offer more spaces but there's a limit to the size of group we can run on our current model.

Regarding the ultimate aims of our members, I'm not sure how many of them aspire to journalism as a career – and given the state of the industry, that demurral seems sensible. We are clear in our call for applicants that we are not only looking for aspirant journalists in any case. This is born of the conviction that the media would be improved if more people wrote besides professionals.

Marcus Fairs: How would you describe the current architecture media landscape in terms of diversity?

Tom Wilkinson: I would say it's getting better, but it seems to me there is still a glass ceiling. If I was going to be optimistic, I'd say I hope that's generational.

Marcus Fairs: What can be done to improve diversity in architecture media?

Tom Wilkinson: Editors could try looking beyond the usual names, on the principle that it's better commissioning work from underrepresented writers rather than paying established voices speaking on behalf of others.

Marcus Fairs: What should architecture publications do to ensure they're more diverse, both in terms of their employees and what they write about?

Tom Wilkinson: Hire black and POC writers to write about other topics beyond identity and discrimination. Get non-white people involved in editorial decisions. I may be biased, but I think the Architectural Review is taking steps in the right direction in this regard with its recent editorial statement.

Marcus Fairs: Should architecture publications be pushing the profession to be more diverse and if so how should they do this?

Tom Wilkinson: I think the media do have a role to play here by promoting non-white architects but in the end, firms have to shape up. Looking from the outside it seems to me that the dominant culture of practice is inimical to people who are not white, who are not rich, and who don't have social capital. Rather like the media, in those regards.

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