Kuala Lumpur’s neglected historical buildings find new life as creative spaces
A generation of risk-takers is finding new uses for decaying spaces in the Malaysian capital, reviving forgotten corners of the city and creating new communities
Restaurants, cafes and small businesses have made a former printing factory, renamed APW Bangsar, a trendy spot on the fringes of Kuala Lumpur’s affluent Bangsar neighbourhood.
Similarly, 2 Hang Kasturi, on a busy road junction, is garnering attention – and not just for its outstanding art deco facade that is juxtaposed with the modern glass-and-steel high-rises of downtown Kuala Lumpur.
Another creative hub, the Zhongshan Building in Kampung Attap, is less conspicuous, tucked away on a small pocket of land beside a major highway. Although only a stone’s throw from Chinatown, it’s unlikely most long-term residents of the Malaysian capital know where it is.
All these projects are helping regenerate some of the oldest parts of the city, and make them safer and more attractive for tourists and residents. The projects are unlocking the potential of the spaces they occupy, reviving the local economy and building a vibrant community.
Designed by renowned architect Arthur Oakley Coltman in 1938 to house the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation headquarters, 2 Hang Kasturi fell into disrepair over the decades. Last year it was revitalised, reopeningas the hub of creative arts festival Urbanscapes. It also hosted the ninth World Urban Forum earlier this year.
It now serves as the Kuala Lumpur office of urban regeneration body Think City, tasked with reviving the oldest part of Kuala Lumpur. The location of 2 Hang Kasturi at the busy intersection of Jalan Hang Kasturi and Lebuh Pasar is fitting, since it was here, at the confluence of the Gombak and Klang rivers, that the city was founded in 1857.