Muzamil Mutalib

advisor

City University Malaysia

Malaysia

Lecturer specializing in Interior Design and Architecture, with a strong passion for blending… more

This project offers a nuanced and poetic response to one of the most complex conditions in urban design the street corner. It thoughtfully repositions this edge condition not as a point of congestion or compromise but as a powerful site of architectural intervention and social potential. By crafting a building that transitions from the intensity of city life to a centered core of calm, the proposal masterfully balances the public private continuum in a way that feels both modern and humane.

The design concept centered around a decompression courtyard exemplifies spatial sensitivity. The move to pull apart volumes and create an interstitial zone at the heart of the scheme fosters community while promoting mental and spatial relief. It’s a simple yet profound gesture that activates the site’s center rather than merely responding to its periphery. This spatial choreography, from urban edge to inner sanctum, is what transforms the project from housing into home.

Technically, the project demonstrates clarity in section and elevation. The strong horizontal datum separating the commercial plinth from the residential program above elegantly distinguishes civic engagement from private life. The material palette, with warm cladding treatments juxtaposed against more restrained tones, reinforces this layered approach to scale, function and identity. The project's massing is assertive yet considerate, integrating well into the city fabric while offering a distinct identity through well-defined balconies, communal circulation paths and a carefully scaled podium.

Above all, this work asserts that housing is not merely about accommodation it is about belonging. The architecture here champions the right to comfort, identity and connection in the urban setting. It sets a high standard for how future housing can offer not just shelter but sanctuary, through thoughtful typology and inspired form-making. A commendable and deeply resonant contribution to the evolving narrative of urban living.