The city of Kuching, in Malaysia, is a beautiful riverside capital of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Kuching is defined by its historic waterfront, and the perfect introduction is to take a sunset stroll along the one-mile pedestrian promenade that follows the snaking Sarawak River. The city is known for its diverse cultural co-existence by being the most multi-racial city in Malaysia with citizens belonging to Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam in the majority. The city is also considered one of the cleanest cities in Malaysia and was once voted as one of the world’s healthiest cities to live in.
The historic roots of this place lie along with its trading post, built up by the family of Sir James Brooke, the first of the “white rajahs” who ruled Sarawak for a century. The architecture of Kuching city by architects in Kuching is dominated by Malaysian architecture‘s wide range of colonial, modern, and post-modern buildings. One of the most culturally rich architectural buildings is the Kuching City Mosque acting as the city’s most striking landmark with its golden domes. The evolution of the architecture of the city has been profoundly described by Ar. John Ting in his book “The History of Architecture in Sarawak before Malaysia”, where he covers the architectural history in Sarawak from pre-history to the period just before the formation of Malaysia. The book widely explores the effect of the changing relationships between Sarawak’s groups and sub-groups, including locals, migrants, and colonials, on the creation of architecture and settlements. This includes the backgrounds of the ideas behind pre-modern and modern building types, architecture, materials, construction, and settlements, and how these ideas changed over time.
Re-thinking The Future is a global platform for architecture and design. RTF along with our authors has curated a list of top architecture firms in various cities across the globe. Please note that the names are arranged in alphabetical order and are not ranked in any manner.
Aki Media | Architects in Kuching
Scope of services: Architectural designing, Urban designing, Interior Designing
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality, Transportation,
Mixed Used
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Eclectic, Quirky and Contemporary.
Website: www.akimedia.com
Aki Media has delivered multiple recognized and award-winning projects which have created a strong impact on the urban fabrics and have also transformed the way people live and interact with the built environment. A few of their achievements include The PAM Green Excellence Awards for University Technology Sarawak and Technology Park and SHEDA Excellence Awards for a total of 9 projects completed by the studio.
Alto Builders | Kuching Interior Designer & Contractor
Scope of services: Interior Design
Types of Built Projects: Restaurant, Villa, Office, Residence, Showroom, Hotel
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across the city of Kuching.
Style of work: Modern and Contemporary Design
Website: www.altobuilders.my
Alto Builders Sdn Bhd has been providing interior designing and carpentry services since 2013, gaining broad experience in handling numerous projects in Kuching. With an experienced team of contractors, carpenters, and other craftsmen in the trade, they deliver the most innovative and custom home designs, office renovations, and private house constructions.
Arki-Sigat Architect
Scope of services: Architectural, Interior and Landscape Designing, Town Planning, Project Management
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Modern and Contemporary Design
Website: www.arkisigat.com
Arki-Sigat is a full-fledged design consultancy studio that has been practicing in Kuching since 1996. The practice consists of innovative, dynamic, and creative personnel who strongly believe in a Complete Design Solution that satisfies the wide-ranging and unique needs of our clients from various institutions.
Arkiskape Sdn Bhd
Scope of services: Architectural Designing
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Industrial, Healthcare
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Modern and Contemporary Design
Website: www.arkiskape.com
Arkiskape Sdn. Bhd. consulting architects was established in 1979, with the primary objective of providing comprehensive architectural services in both the government and private sectors in order to meet the demand of the fast-developing state of Sarawak.
Arkitek KDI sdn bhd | Architects in Kuching
Scope of services: Architectural Designing, Interior Designing, Urban Planning, Project Management
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Industrial, Healthcare, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: They have projects built at various locations across Malaysia, predominantly Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Johor, Terengganu, Selangor, etc. They have various international projects across China, Abu Dhabi, and the Middle East too.
Style of work: Eclectic, Quirky and Contemporary.
Website: www.akdi.net
AKDI has been recognized both locally and internationally with many accolades, including the BCI Asia Top 10 Architects (Malaysia) Award for the past four years. The BCI Asia Top 10 Awards has successfully placed itself among the most coveted awards for the Asian building and design industry.
Arkitek Seniformasi
Scope of services: Architectural Designing
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Contemporary Design
Website: www.pamdirectory.my/
Arkitek Seniformasi Sdn. Bhd. started in September 2002, is a relatively young professional firm providing architectural, planning, landscaping, and interior design services. They have bagged awards like Kompleks Islam Sarawak, Jalan P.Ramlee Kuching – Winning entry competition organized by Majlis Islam.
Beyond Teamwork Sdn. Bhd.
Scope of services: Architectural Designing, Urban Designing
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Modern Design
Website: www.archbtwus.com
This studio works on designing architectural and urban design projects across multiple cities of Sarawak.
Design Network Architects Sdn. Bhd.
Scope of services: Architectural Designing, Interior Design
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: The majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak, Penang and other states across Malaysia.
Style of work: Modern Design
Website: www.designnetworkarchitects.com
Along with receiving multiple renowned awards from organizations like SHEDA, PAM, and MIDA, the firm is also committed to the continuing process of learning and education. The firm has a continuing program that allows young students and trainees to learn about the
First Alliance Architects (Arkitek Pakatan Pertama)
Scope of services: Architectural Designing, Interior Designing, Urban Planning
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Modern Design
Website: www.architects-app.com
APP strives to create a dynamic and expressive environment, through our research, study, innovative materials, and new technologies, while minding the economics and effective implementation of projects. The firm has been awarded the Australian Anne Butler Memorial Design Award in 1988 for overall outstanding design; The Bid International Star Award for Quality 2007 and; the Malaysian Construction Industry Excellence Award 2003.
IDC Architects | Architects in Kuching
Scope of services: Architectural Designing
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality, Healthcare
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Modern Design
Website: www.idc-architects.com
IDC Architects Sdn Bhd is an award-winning private architectural practice based in Kuching, Sarawak, and was established in March 2016. The firm is a two times PAM Award winner and three-time MIID Award winner, along with multiple other architectural achievements.
I. Jong Architect
Scope of services: Architectural Designing
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Modern Design
Website: www.pamdirectory.com
The firm focuses on developing modern residential, commercial and institutional projects in multiple cities.
JRC Architects | Architects in Kuching
Scope of services: Architectural, Interior and Landscape Designing, Urban Planning, Project Management
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Eclectic, Quirky, and Contemporary.
Website: www.jrcarchitecture.com
Established in 1989, the studio has grown from a husband-wife team to its present multidisciplinary practice that covers a wide range of large-scale projects. Since establishing his practice in Malaysia, the studio has designed several award-winning projects of varying scales from timber houses to stadiums.
Juliah Sabri Architect
Scope of services: Architectural Designing, Project Management
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Hospitality, Healthcare
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of
Sarawak.
Style of work: Modern Design
Website: www.js-architect.com
This firm is an architectural designing and project management firm with multiple residential, commercial and institutional projects.
Minwee & SML Architects: The Design Collective
Scope of services: Architectural Designing, Interior Designing
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Eclectic, Quirky and Contemporary.
Website: www.smlarchitectswk.com
The Design Collective comprises two practices established by Wee Hii Min, Arlene Chew, and Leong Glan Wen, three former colleagues who share ideas, manpower, and resources to create projects that are relevant to their contexts, desirable to inhabit, and affordable for the end-users. The studio has also received PAM committee awards in 2011 for Commercial Category.
NBL Architects Sendirian Berhad | Architects in Kuching
Scope of services: Architectural Designing
Types of Built Projects: Residential, Commercial, Hospitality
Locations of Built Projects: Majority of their projects are built across various cities of Sarawak.
Style of work: Modern Design
Website: www.nbl-architects.com
NBL Architects Sdn. Bhd. was established in January 1994 with design philosophy is to create buildings that are functional and architecturally significant, with no compromise on quality and at minimum cost. With over 50 years of accumulated practice, the directors of the company have acquired extensive experience in handling the design, documentation and supervision of building projects.
