Ar. Chong Chee Keong is a project director at ZONE Architect with 13 years of experience. He discusses two challenging projects he was involved in - a boutique hotel in Kuala Lumpur and a medical center for KPJ Hospital. For the hotel, he had to redesign the concept after the client requested changes. For the hospital, he had to redesign the structure after the operator came in and get the layout approved by three parties. As an architect, his responsibilities include designing according to briefs and regulations, presenting designs, corresponding with other parties, and overseeing construction to ensure compliance.

1. ZONE
ARCHITECT
The Boutique Hotel and KPJ hospital Sunga
Penchala
June 2015
An interview with Ar. Chong
Chee Keong

2. +
The ZONE Architect 1-2
Introduction to Ar. Chong
Chee Keong 3-4
2 Projects involved 5-6
Roles and
Responsibilities 7-8
PAGE 5
PAGE 1

3. THE ZONE
ARCHITECT
Background & History
ZONE Architect is an
international architecture
and design consultancy
firm that has been
established for 27 years,
since 1989. Their
headquarter is located at
Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. Besides that,
they also have other
branches at Ipoh, Johor
Bahru ,Mynmar and Abu
Dhabi.
They have successfully
delivered projects that are
worth more than RM3
billion and have undertake
projects in Australia, China,
Cambodia, Indonesia, India,
Malaysia and the United
Arab Emirates (UAE).
Currently their office in Abu
Dhabi has carried out
projects in Dubai, Abu
Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah,
Ajman as well as in the
Sultanate of Oman.
1

4. Company Structure
Principal and Associate
Directors
Mid-Level Management
Team
Design
Managemen
t
Construction
Contracts
Marketing
Our team is made up of 50 personnel at KL HQ, who are all
rigorously selected and trained to perform at peak level. We ensure
the team members are part of a continuous training and
development program to keep up with the latest building
techniques. At Myanmar, the branches are in charge by others SOC,
which have around 10 personnel while the Abu Dhabi branch is in
collaboration with the Kuala Lumpur HQ.
2

5. INTRODUCTION
to Ar. Chong Chee Keong
Q1: What is your biggest challenge as an
architect ?
To interpret the brief and make it workable in the industry.
3
Ar. Chong Chee Kong has 13 years of professional
experience after graduating from University Malaya,
including his 2 years in ZONE and has gained strong
analytical skills in problem identification and
implementation of effective solutions. Besides, he is well
versed in most aspects of housing and commercial
developments; and building regulation in Malaysia. He
strives for continued excellence and advancement, and
always presents himself in a professional manner.
Ar. CHONG CHEE KEONG,
Project Director

6. Q2. How do you describe
your university life as an
architecture student?
Try to participate and
and meet more people
people outside of the
the course instead of the
of the same people in it
in it because there is no
is no end in architecture
architecture if you just
just keep perfecting your
your work causing you to
you to be less sociable.
.
Q3. Is becoming an
architect your first
ambition ?
STPM did not prepare me for
my ambition so I was just
focusing on getting good
grades. After that,
architecture seemed great
because I was qualified and
thought it was fun and did
not need to study much.
Initially, I also thought that
my drawing was good.
Q4.How important is
your university
education to your career
now?
University was a time to
explore concepts and is
less serious compared to
actual work .
“ Architecture is
actually very funny ,
you never have an
end to the projects.”
- Ar. Chong Chee Kong
4

7. Throughout his 12 years of experience as a project architect, Ar.
Chong Chee Keong has worked from preparing schematic design,
developing design, preparing tender to managing and
administering building contract. Among the projects he has
handled, he stated that the challenging ones are the proposed
private medical center for KPJ Hospital in Sungai Penchala and
proposed 3-star hotel, Boutique Hotel at Jalan Yap Ah Shak, Kuala
Lumpur.
Regarding the Boutique Hotel, Ar. Chong was in charge of the
preliminary plan. When the preliminary plan was almost
completed, and he was waiting for the submission and approval.
He had done the tender drawings already and he was ensuring
whether it was constructible. Ar. Chong said that when they
wanted to call upon the calling tender, the client wanted them to
redesign it, saying that they wanted a different typology. He then
had to redesign the whole concept by starting from the sketching
process.
BOUTIQUE HOTEL, Kuala Lumpur
By Ar. Chong Chee Keong
5

8. For the hospital project, when he was involved in it, it
already has a preliminary layout. After the hospital
operator came in, he and his team have to redesign the
whole structure. The layout has to be approved by 3
parties. Not only the layout, they also need to
emphasise the cost and deal with the Quantity Surveyor.
After finalising the layout, they have to complete the KN
submission. Right now he is waiting for the client’s
instructions as they are still negotiating the cost.
Private Medical Center for
KPJ Hospital , Sungai Penchala
Proposed by Ar. Chong Chee Keong
6

9. Ar. Chong designs a tender
drawing that is constructible
starting from a sketch. When
the client wants a design of a
building, they will brief him
first on what they want.
Then, the he has to
investigate the site and then
designs according to the
regulations and laws of
planning requirements. He
has to communicate with
the council to update them
on the design information.
whole thing will be sent to
the KM. Also, he has to
choose the materials for
the building construction
as well. If the client is not
confident with the
materials chosen, a
discussion will be held and
a proposal will then be
sent to the suppliers.
7
ROLES &
RESPONSIBILITIES
Of Ar. Chong Chee Keong for the pass 12 years
After the first design, he will
then have to present it. If
the design is accepted, he
can then proceed. However,
before construction starts,
the design has to be sent to
a quantity surveyor to
calculate the total
construction costs. After
that, the plan and elevation
has to be sent to a planner.
Finally, the
BEFORE
CONSTRUCTION

10. Hs job does not end directly after
the completion of construction. He
has to revisit the site to observe the
views and know the location of
access and the slope. He also need
to assess the condition of the
building to ensure that it is in good
condition. His work continues until
after the building work. Part of the
payment due to the builder – the
retention – is held back for up to
twelve months and is only paid
out on the architect’s instruction,
after any defects have been
rectified by the contractor.
Remember that the architect’s
Opinion on Compliance with
Planning and Building Regulations
is subject to work not being
changed during construction.
DURING
CONSTRUCTION
He has to go through the contract
and ask the contractor to submit
all the compliance materials. A
sample model also has to be made
for reference. Then, he will be
involved in site visits and
meetings, overseeing the
construction and signing off on
various pieces of work. He will be
negotiating with contractors and
dealing with and resolving any
problems that arise.
AFTER
CONSTRUCTION
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11. ABOUT US
Group Leader : Shum Li Sze
Group Members : 1. Tan Jia San
2. Ng Ji Yann
3. Phares Phung
4. Ong Von Wan
5. Ngu Xian Le
Tutor : Pn. Hasmanirah Mokhtar
9

12. FNBE
MARCH INTAKE 2015