This document summarizes a student project to study the architectural and urban language in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) area. The project aims to understand the styles, materials, massing and other elements that define the architecture in KLCC. Specifically, it will document sketches, photos and videos of landmarks like the Petronas Towers and analyze how they represent the late modern and postmodern styles that blend Islamic motifs with modern designs. The expected outcomes are an ability to interpret the urban and cultural aspects of KLCC and represent their research findings through a creative production.

1. Program: Bachelor Of Science (Hons) in Architecture
Module: Representing Place (CLS60103)
Title: Study of the architectural & urban language in the heart of Kuala Lumpur
Name: Ting Jin Rong 0318269
Lee Yen Chei 0320568
Wong Yan Ce 0320906
Ooi Kai Yang 0315663
Lecture: Ar. Prince Favis Isip
Site: Area of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Introduction
The increase of population in Malaysia expand the possibilities of the form of human
habitation through the exchange of cultures of different diversity and have changed the
skyline of Malaysia today. The exploration to one the significant landmark in Malaysia is
a must for architecture students to learn about its history, the architecture, and its
surrounding context that includes the urban design and operation.
Main research questions
What is the architectural & urban language of KLCC?
1)What is architectural & urban language?
Just like language itself is used to communicate, architectural and urban language
communicates through a shared vocabulary that helps designers to reduce complex
ideas into short phrases. Terminology allows a designer or even average person to
understand and communicate well visually and verbally to produce successful solutions.
Moreover, it helps to create better understanding of aesthetics as architectural language.
Some of the significant vocabularies, such as Style, Form, Materials, Massing, Scale,
Texture, etc.
2)What is the architectural & urban language in KLCC area?
Style
Being a young country with rapid growth in economy, foreign countries also affect the
architectural style in Malaysia. Especially in Malaysia today, the KLCC area is the central
business district of Kuala Lumpur. So, there are a lot of new and tall buildings around
that area that are affected by the style of late modernism and post modernism.
Architects began to fuse the modern style with the style of our own. Buildings such as
the Petronas Twin Tower is resembled by the Islamic geometric motifs. But the all glass
shell of the building represents the post - modern style taking on the old traditional
motifs.

2. Massing & Scale
As Malaysia is moving towards a developed status, KLCC area is packed with many
buildings around. In fact, KLCC is known as the ‘City Within A City’. It is a concept that
describes as complexes of one or several building, consisting of various functional space
or buildings that could shape a community or system from within.Designed to be a city
within a city, the 100-acre site hosts the tallest twin buildings in the world, shopping mall,
hotels, office buildings, a large scale park, hotels and public facilities such as mosque,
etc. Even so, the area is divided into several plots of land each with different specific
purposes and various stages of construction in accord to the KLCC master plan.
Material
The most common materials used for high rise buildings in KLCC are high strength
concrete and steel. For instance, the Petronas Twin tower are constructed largely of
reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found
in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion. Utilizing high strength concrete
resulted in cost saving, balance material supply in the Malaysian market, minimized the
member cross sectional areas, and maximised the usable space.The building materials
chosen is always compatible with the local construction landscape and environment in
Malaysia.
Objectives
1)Explore the urban-related issues of KL area and the built environment.
2)Promote character in townscape and landscape by responding to and reinforcing local
distinctive patterns of development and culture.
3)Understanding city spaces through mind mapping such as paths, edges, districts,
nodes and landmarks.
4)Reinforce a sense of place and develop self-directed and analytic skills in planning,
conducting and presenting architectural research
5)Responding to local building forms and patterns of development in the detailed layout
and the design in area nearby Kuala Lumpur City Centre.
6)Explore the use of local materials, building methods and details is a major factor in
enhancing local distinctiveness for learning architecture and urbanity.
7)Explore the general pattern of heights in the area, views, vistas and landmarks.
Significant
1)To understand the architectural elements of the buildings around KLCC area.
2)Increase the awareness with the physical surrounding and enhance analytical skills in
analyzing it contextually
3)To ensure the urban architecture in KLCC is in harmony with form, function and
decoration of respective buildings.

3. 4)Understanding how the urban structure and its style represents the spirit of KLCC.
5)Appreciate our national landmarks.
Methodology of the project to be carried out
In order to make our site visit a fruitful one, we had a discussion on the methods to
collect and collate as much data as possible, relating to the architectural and urban
language of Kuala Lumpur City Centre area.
1) A4 sketchbook which contains a documentation of our experiences leading towards
the architectural language of the buildings.
2)A photographic book with annotations to provide visual experience for the viewer.
3)A video recording of our visit to show case the interaction of the architectural and
urban language and its built environment.
Examples:
Figure 1: Sketches on the ornamentation Figure 2 : Massing of the site
Expected Outcomes from this Project
1) Able to analyse and interpret the urban and cultural facets of the city in relation to
architecture and the built environment such as Kuala Lumpur.
2) Able to analyse and study the architectural and urban language of the buildings.
3) Produce a creative production to visualize and represent our research outcomes.
Terminology
1)Style: A distinctive manner of expression or fashion at a specific time in history. In
architecture,historical styles are often designated by a specific name such as Baroque,
Victorian, or the International Style, to name a few.

4. 2)Materials:Both exterior and interior building materials should be selected based upon
their appropriateness for the building type, durability, impact on the environment, climatic
conditions, and the prevailing architectural design and character of the installation.
3)Massing: refers to the general shape and size of a building.
4)Late modernism: Architecture in which the images, ideas, and motifs of the Modern
Movement were taken to extremes, structure, technology, and services being grossly
overstated at a time when Modernism was being questioned.
5)Post modernism: A late-20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and
criticism that represents a departure from modernism and has at its heart a general
distrust of grand theories and ideologies as well as a problematical relationship with any
notion of “art.
6) ‘City Within A City’: It is a concept that describes as complexes of one or several
building, consisting of various functional space or buildings that could shape a
community or system from within.
1) Petronas Twin Tower
2) Concert Hall
3) Suria KLCC Retail
Complex
4) Maxis Tower
5) Esso Tower
6) Mandarin Oriental Hotel
7) KLCC Park
8) Mosque

5. List of reference
1)Jim Leggitt / Drawing Shortcuts. (n.d.). Retrieved April 08, 2016, from
http://jimleggitt.typepad.com/jim-leggitt-drawing-shortcuts/sketchup-models/
2)Manhattan Skyline Sketch. (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2016, from
http://illustratedmaps.info/manhattan-skyline-sketch/
3)L. (2014). Architecture Stock Images - Renderings, Sketches and Drawings of
Buildings, Landmarks & Monuments. Retrieved April 09, 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bftsiOwIgpQ
4) Understanding the Language and Elements of Design. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2016,
from https://www.wbdg.org/design/respect_design.php
5)Architecture of Kuala Lumpur. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Kuala_Lumpur
6Ellis, J., & Harris, B. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2016, from
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-urban-architecture.htm
7) Kuala Lumpur - The Skyscraper Center. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2016, from
http://skyscrapercenter.com/city/kuala-lumpur
8)Petronas Towers. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Towers