The Row comprises of 22no.s of 1950’s shoplots on Jalan Doraisamy, Kuala Lumpur which were previously known as ‘The Asian Heritage Row’.
A boutique project management consultancy, Pocket Projects brought new owners together and designed a brief to give it a completely new lease of life.
The charm of this street was lost partly due to indiscriminate renovations and additions from the ‘90’s onwards, many of which did not respect the original architecture of the 1940’s residential units.
Studio Bikin worked on the North Block, which comprises of 12 shoplots on the northern end of Jalan Doraisamy. We liaised closely with Pocket Projects and the clients to meet the new requirements set in order to revitalize not only the buildings, but to entirely re-imagine its contents and programming.
We started by acknowledging the past life of the building and making the best of what was available.
The event space was almost re-built by the past tenant; hence we salvaged the space but added a new mezzanine, balcony and re-worked the circulation between the different uses.
A courtyard was introduced to bring natural light in and act as a buffer from the surrounding F&B outlets, yet allow some transparency between the different tenants and uses.
This transparency was key in defining the event space as the ‘mothership’ within the hybrid of spatial uses surrounding it, strengthening its role as a meeting point for multiple activities.
The new common toilet facilities were naturally lit and ventilated, which suits the tropical climate.
The back lane was re-activated by introducing both visual and physical connectivity from within.
The inherited forecourts that were of different levels in front were re-levelled and planters introduced to create a plaza that invites the pedestrian public into the development and bring back the pleasure of a high-street experience along the frontage of the shophouses.
A series of canopies and balconies along the length of The Row protects the visitor from the tropical elements, thus bringing back the function of the old five- foot-way, albeit in a contemporary manner.
Taking the cue of the traditional use of bricks and load-bearing construction method used in the original shophouses, we continued the use of local bricks throughout.
