School of Architecture, Building and Design

Bachelor of Science (Hons) Architecture

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC 2224)

Project 1: Theorizing Architecture

Architect: Ar. Wooi Lok Kuang

(Progression of being a successful Architect)

GROUP MEMBERS
Ahmad Farhan Shah bin Syed Amanullah

0303012

Yasaanth Krishnamoorthy

0304863

Preshant Rasu

0312813

Hans Hosea Gonza

0311772

TUTOR: Lam Shen Fei

ARCHITECTS PROFILE
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name

Ar. Wooi Lok Kuang

Place of birth

Kedah, Malaysia

Nationality

Malaysian

Religion

Buddhist

Marital status

Married

Hobbies

Drawing, Philosophy

Language

Mandarin, English

Favourite Childhood
memory

Living in a Village, he learned to experience

Malay culture and traditions

Influence of architecture
from family

He wished to be an artist, but his uncle

influenced him to be an architect.

ACADAMIC QUALITFICATION
Schooling

Primary and Secondary Schooling in Kedah

University

B. Arch (Hons) NSW, Australia

As a student he experienced huge difference
between and Malaysia and Australia. The teaching
and influence from the lectures created his way of
thinking towards interesting and simple
architecture that can prove a point in sustainable
designs. He was well motivated in his final years of
Undergraduate, which led him to do his Post
graduate.
M. Arch NSW, Australia
Issues of housing the low income group in Urban
Areas in Peninsular Malaysia. He knew his design
strategies and did a very interesting thesis on the
topic below.

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INSPIRATION AND ROLE MODEL
Mr Wooi inspirations were two Australian architects Bruce Rickard and
Richard Leplastrier. During his 3rd year of study in Australia he had the opportunity to
study under renowned Australian architects Bruce Rickard and Richard Leplastrier.
Rickard taught him about the natural warmth that timber gives to space and his
obsession with natural sunlight for a building helped shape his thoughts on the
importance of integrating nature with ones designs to achieve a sense of calmness
in a living space. Leplastier, whose love for wood began in his childhood when his
father used to build boats, believes that nature matters in the way houses are
designed and that timber should be used sparingly.

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PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION
September 1996- until now
Principal, Wooi Architect
Project involvement: Exclusive Bungalows, Cooperate Office Headquarter and Mixed
Development and Master planning.
March 1996-August 1996
Director of CSL Design S/B Malaysia
Project involvement: Resorts, luxury Condominium Hospital, Bank Corporate HQ,
Offices, Bungalows.
In charge of Architectural Department including concept, planning and project
implementation.
1991-1996
Senior Architect CSL Design S/B, Malaysia
Project involvement: Project Architect for 25 Storey High-rise Corporate Office,
Resorts, Bungalows and Renovation.
1989-1991
Architect Hoffer Reid and Coombs Architects, Sydney, Australia
Project involvement: Design and Implementation 565 Room Urban Hotel, Club
House and High-rise Apartments, Shopping Arcade.

1987-1989
Architect Assistant H. Stossel and Partners, Sydney, Australia.

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DESIGN APPROACH

To understand and analyze the clients needs first and then only put forward a
proposal that is appropriate to the needs.

To provide a design solution that is appropriate to the technology available,

with due consideration to cultural, social and environmental climatic aspects ,
as well as cost ,time and quality of the design.

To adopt the environmental friendly methodology in design , for example

maximise natural lighting, natural ventilation and thus minimize cost of artificial
lighting , air conditioning, maintenance and so on.

To proceed well thought out design that both the clients and project team will
take pride in the final outcome of the proposal

ARCHITECTURAL INTERESTS
It was in the essence of the site that Mr Wooi carefully designed is, by using
local materials readily available around the site to ensuring that the mountainous
cliffs of site itself provides his dwelling with passive shelter.
Mountainous cliffs of site itself provides his dwelling with passive shelter. In a
nutshell, Ar. Wooi suggests that instead of trying to reinvent the wheel with new
green rating systems, the architect should by first and foremost understand the
locality of the building. Understanding the site and determining the contextual locality
that could benefit the project should be the most important step of the design
process. In this instance, the locality in question is the Malaysian context, thus
authenticity is key. In a bid to reconcile architecture and the society, it is best to look
at the local architectural history. In this instance, the locality in question is the
Malaysian context, thus authenticity is key. In a bid to reconcile architecture and the
society, it is best to look at the local architectural history.

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MOST INFLUENCIAL ARCHITECTURAL STYLES AND BUILDING MATERIALS
USED
The first thing that strikes peoples minds when they see Mr Wooi architecture styles
is the predominant use of wood. Mr Wooi first interaction with wooden strcutes was
during his childhood most of which was spent living among Malays in rural Malay
village in Pendang, Tanah Merah in a rural Malay village in Pendang . Most of them
lived in wooden houses on stilts, which is actually the most natural way to life
comfortable in a humid tropical country like Malaysia. He also talks about the
traditional wedding feast where the village folks would sometimes tie a few pieces of
bamboo together using rattan to make tables for guest.

PROGRESSION OF BEING A SUCCESSFUL ARCHITECT

The Architecture from Mr.Wooi speaks a lot, which leads us to think and analyze his
designs thinking concept. As a successful architect, he understood the idea behind
the theories of Architectural design and concepts that has to be developed for the
client and to the requirements they request. As a sustainable designer he achieved
PAM awards, which puts him in a place of saving nature in Malaysia. The awards he
achieved definitely would be from the inspiration and his role models who showed
him the way of being and architect in this contemporary world.

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AWARDS AND OTHER EXPERIENCE
1993-1996
Invited as a guest critic occasion to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Institute
Teknologi Mara (ITM)
1999
Invited as a guest lecturer for one semester in Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur
Invited as quest critic to Lim Kok Wing Institute of Creative Technology (LKCT
School of Architecture)
2000-2003
Invited as a guest lecturer and external critic in Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putera
Malaysia & Universiti Islam Antarabangsa
Member of organizing committee for WCTE 2002 (World Conference on Timber
Engineering)
Speaker at Conference on Forestry and Forest Product Research (CFFPR) 2003
2004
PAM (Malaysian Institute of Architects) Awards for Excellence in Architecture for
Single Residential Buildings
2005
Speaker at Datum KL: 2005 (International Architectural Forum)
2006

Appointed as The Convener for PAM Awards 2006 International Award Cityscape
Architectural Review. Award 2006 (Dubai) Runner-up in Residential (built) category.

ARCHITECTS PROFILE
INSTITUTE POST
-

Chairman of Timber Interest Group (Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia) 2002-2003

Chairman of MTIB special committee for Specifying Timber for Building

Construction on behalf of PAM in 2003.

PAM representative to FRIM( Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) National

Committee on Use of Timber in Construction (NCUTC) 2002-2003

PAM representative to MTIB (Malaysian Timber Industry Board) technical

committee on timber 2004-2006 and 2006-2008.

Corporate member of Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) (Malaysian Institute

of Architects)

Corporate member of IPDM (Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers.

ARCHITECTS PROFILE
PROJECTS

PRINCIPLE / DIRECTORS

PRACTICE STATEMENT

Wooi Architect

He focused on design and details in all the

projects we decide to undertake. The
emphasis of our approach is on producing
architecture that is responsive to the local
context, including climate, site characteristic
and safe materials. So far, we have been
successful in completing a series of well
crafted bungalows

TEL
603 - 7782 5518

FAX
603 - 7782 1780

SELECTED PROJECTS

DIRECT FAX
603 - 5192 9082

1) Wooi Residence, Shah Alam

2) Lee Residence, Shah Alam
3) Ting Residence,

EMAIL
info@wooiarchitect.com

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WOOI RESIDENCE

ADDRESS

STATEMENT

3, Jalan Bukit Hijau Empat, 26/24D,

Seksyen 26, Shah Alam, Selangor,
Malaysia

The architect designed this house for his

own family, with a self contained studio on
the lower ground floor. Natural materials,
ventilation and daylighting define the
design, creating high quality living space
while demonstrating to clients the beauty
and efficiency of architecture that lies in
harmony with its surroundings. In section
the building hugs the steeply sloping site
with curved, load-bearing brickwork walls
and a simple timber-frame roof structure.
Local hardwoods are judiciously used and the

ARCHITECT
Wooi Lok Kuang
CLIENT
Wooi Lok Kuang Family

humble brickwork is exposed

COMMISSION
2000
DESIGN

SPACES

2000 - 2001

Home office, library, general studio,

bar, store, laundry, utility, workshop,
office, lap pool, deck, dining, kitchen,
porch, guest room, bedroom, sunset deck

CONSTRUCTION
2001 - 2003

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ARCHITECTS PROFILE
LEE RESIDENCE

CLIENT

STATEMENT

Francis Lee

The highly creative detailing and architectural

design of the house bear testimony to Woois
ingenuity and boldness to move towards the
exceptional. Also to be lauded is the owners
complete faith in their architect to fulfil their
brief to a tee. And the result speaks for itself;
an Honorary Mention in the Malaysian
Institute of Architects Awards 2010 under the
Single Residential Building Category, and,
more specifically, the ownership dream
fulfilled, and more.

ADDRESS
Kelab Golf Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz,
Shah Alam, Selangor
TYPE
Residential
NO. OF STOREYS
3
LAND AREA
10, 000 square feet
BUILT UP
12,000 square feet
CONSTRUCTION
4 years and 6 months

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ARCHITECTS PROFILE

TING RESIDENCE

TYPE

FACILITIES / SPACES

Residential

living, dining, kitchen, bedrooms, family room,

guest room.

FEATURE
STATEMENT

Curvature built around the contour

The curved line that is at the front face of the

living and dining area was designed following
the curvature of the contour. The organic
shape became the main body of the building.
The client wanted a house that will take full
advantage of the views afforded by the site
which is situated on a steep slope. The
access road at the toe of the hillside is
approximately 15m lower than the back
boundary, where the first buildable level is at
about 11m (for a three storey building) higher
than the road.

NO. OF STOREYS
3

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ARCHITECTS PROFILE

REFERENCES

Online References

(2002). Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) / Malaysian Institute Of

Architects http://www.pamdirectory.my
(2007). http://wooiarchitect.com
(1995).The Star Malaysia
http://www.thestar.com.my
(1999).Blogspot
http://msiaarch.blogspot.com
(2014).https://narokanjau.files.wordpress.com
(2014).http://esubijono.wordpress.com

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