Cover Japanese architect Kengo Kuma at Pool in the Sky in Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur Midtown
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma at Pool in the Sky in Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur Midtown
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In an age of digital dominance, Japanese architect Kengo Kuma’s latest project, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur Midtown, is an antidote to urban alienation
Artificial intelligence and digital technology increasingly dominate daily life and shape our cities. Amid such alienation, Kengo Kuma believes there is a growing need to reconnect with nature.
“These urban, artificial spaces may be stressful for working individuals, as they are very unnatural for humanity,” he observes. “Walking in natural spaces is becoming rare in big cities, as these intimate places disappear, and the human need for natural experiences intensifies.”
Above Kengo Kuma believes there is a growing need to reconnect with nature
Kengo Kuma believes there is a growing need to reconnect with nature
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Kuma’s response is Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown, a 410-room hotel resembling a forest walk. It offers a vision for urban hospitality that honours local traditions while creating spaces for connection and eliciting a sense of wonder.
“Malaysia is undergoing urbanisation, and its technology has reached a cutting-edge level,” he says at the hotel’s official launch in August. “In this situation, I want to bring intimate, natural space into the city, so people can experience nature in their own space.”
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Into the woods
Inspired by Malaysia’s rainforests, the façade features offset vertical columns alternating between glass and aluminium to represent diverse flora and fauna
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Unlike Kuma’s Hyatt Centric City Centre, which is “submerged into the cityscape”, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown is designed as an “independent monument”.
Inspired by Malaysia’s rainforests, the facade features offset vertical columns alternating between glass and aluminium to represent diverse flora and fauna. Crowning the structure is the Pool in the Sky, an infinity pool on the 32nd floor completing the forest allegory as a bird’s nest—“a floating paradise” with skyline views.
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The double-volume lobby features wooden ceilings inspired by the textile weaving of songket
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The vertical ecosystem continues into the double-volume lobby, where rice paper screens filter tropical light and wooden elements create intimacy. “I hope guests feel like they are stepping into the forest, where each space evokes childhood memories of playing outdoors,” Kuma says.
“The main lobby differs from most hotels,” he adds. “Instead of marble, it is covered by materials that exude warmth: rice paper, wood, and special lighting, elements that create intimacy within the grand space.”
Read more: Embracing warm minimalism: Beyond austerity in interior design
Weaving traditions
Above Rice paper, wood, and special lighting create intimacy within the grand space
Rice paper, wood, and special lighting create intimacy within the grand space
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Malaysian craftsmanship and cultural traditions take precedence here, tempered with Japanese sensibilities. Patterned aluminium panels, inspired by the pewter industry, were created with the help of local craftsmen. At the entrance, yamato-bari–layered wood panels–cladding forms vertical louvres controlling light and shadow.
See also: A history untold: The timeless allure of Malaysian batik
Inside, the textile art inspired by songket is reflected in the wooden ceiling, where Kuma’s frames emulate weaving. Rice paper screens on wide columns, imported from Japan, add warmth and a tropical feel. Vibrant batik-inspired colours infuse public and private spaces, a departure from Kuma’s restrained palette.
“We collected many songket and batik samples, and incorporated these designs into the wool carpets in strong reds and greens,” Kuma shares.
The lightness of being
Vertical lines in Midtown Brasserie creates a lighter, floating image”
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Central to Kuma’s design philosophy is the Japanese concept of ma, designing with absence through negative space. Vertical lines throughout the guest rooms allow the interplay of light and shadow, creating a “lighter, floating image”.
“Enclosed volumes give heaviness, and the ‘emptiness’ between the lines maintains lightness,” Kuma explains. “In Japanese traditions, we dislike separation, preferring flexibility by avoiding solid partitions. Likewise, every partition here is lightweight and moveable, thus achieving the same openness.”
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The road not taken
Partitions are lightweight and moveable, achieving the same openness and flexibility seen in traditional Japanese designs
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Much of Kuma’s career was forged during Japan’s post-bubble slowdown. When Tokyo’s construction boom ended in 1991, Kuma worked almost exclusively on modest rural commissions for nearly a decade.
“From 1991 to 2000, I didn’t do projects in the city. I only worked in the countryside,” he recalls. “It was a tough period, but also the most beautiful for me.”
Read more: Pritzker Prize laureate Jean Nouvel brings his visionary poetics to Not A Hotel Yakushima
The shift instilled an appreciation for traditional methods that now defines his practice, Kengo Kuma and Associates. “I had time to work on each small project and learned many things, particularly in using natural materials that are central to my practice today.”
Above The Pool in the Sky on the 32nd floor is reminiscent of a bird’s nest–“a floating paradise” with skyline views
The Pool in the Sky on the 32nd floor is reminiscent of a bird’s nest–“a floating paradise” with skyline views
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That decade reshaped his philosophy and informed his advice for younger architects in an era in which AI threatens to homogenise design.
“Don’t follow me,” Kuma laughs. He stresses resisting templates and finding one’s path, recalling his stance towards Japan’s architectural giants–Tadao Ando, Itsuko Hasegawa and Kisho Kurokawa. “I didn’t want to follow them; I wanted to find my own method, and it is important for the younger generation as well: don’t follow the senpai,” he adds with a gentle smile.
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Credits
Photography: Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur Midtown
Celeste Goh is a senior writer covering architecture and design. Based in Malaysia, she reports on emerging architectural and home design trends, as well as insights by local and international architects and interior designers.
Previously, she covered men’s lifestyle, fashion, music and entertainment.
