Twenty-twenty was a landmark year when Masyerin Mohamad Nor received both the PAM (Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia) Gold Award in the Hospitality Category, and The Edge Malaysia-PAM Green Excellence Award for his work on the KLoé Hotel in Bukit Bintang. He would add another plum prize the following year, with the Kapas Condominium project winning gold in the Multiple Residential High Rise Category at the PAM Award’s 2021 edition. Add to all that are extensive features in leading publications, making Nor not just one of Malaysia’s most awarded architects, but also one of the country’s most popular.

Even as a young boy, Masyerin already had a knack for building, whether putting together Lego blocks and Meccano sets, or creating something out of materials from hardware stores. It wasn’t really a surprise when he took up architecture at the University of Tasmania, Australia, where he graduated with honours.

Right after his studies, the young Masyerin cut his teeth in a company based in both Kuala Lumpur and Paris, where he was involved in notable projects in Putrajaya. It wasn’t long before he started his own firm in 2004, Masyerin MN Architect, later known as Domaine Architects when his wife, Norashidah Wahab, joined the business.

Masyerin expanded his company’s client base through the years to result in a diverse portfolio that now include institutional buildings, boutique hotels, service apartments, condominiums, townhouses, private residences, hotels and corporate interiors. Throughout, the architect hewed close to his credo of combining modernity and local craftsmanship, and gained citations in the process.