The inaugural Kuala Lumpur Architecture Week 2025 (KLAW 2025) officially kicked off on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with a vibrant city walkabout led by Mr Nga Kor Ming, Minister of Housing and Local Government. He toured specially curated installations across Petaling Street in Old Kuala Lumpur (once the colonial administrative district west of the Klang and Gombak River confluence) to mark the launch of this week-long celebration of architecture, arts, and heritage.
KLAW 2025, an initiative under ARCHIDEX 2025 – Asia’s leading architecture business event held under the umbrella of the annual Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival (KLAF), marks the first time in Malaysia that a major trade exhibition is co-branded with the city to create impact beyond the confines of a convention centre and stimulate the visitor economy.
With ARCHIDEX 2025 taking place across two iconic venues, MITEC (21-24 July) and KLCC (23-26 July), the KLAW 2025 bridges the event experience from business-to-business (B2B) to business-to-consumer (B2C), bringing visitors from the exhibition floor into the streets of the city.
Mr Nga commended the initiative, stating: “The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) is proud to give its full backing to this transformative initiative.
“With the launch of AREC and the 24th edition of ARCHIDEX this coming Wednesday, we are setting the stage for Kuala Lumpur to further cement its reputation as a regional leader in design and sustainable urban development. ARCHIDEX remains the largest architecture and building materials exhibition in Malaysia, welcoming over 50,000 participants from 110 countries this year.
“This momentum coincides with Malaysia’s role as ASEAN Chair, and to ensure KL Architecture Week establishes itself as a leading brand for our capital. I have allocated RM30,000 to the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM). This is our commitment to promoting Kuala Lumpur’s unique blend of innovation, heritage, and global appeal,” he added.
‘Festivalising’ the city through design
With the theme “Reviving the City’s Heartbeat”, KLAW 2025 sets a new benchmark in ‘festivalising’ architecture — transforming Old KL, Chinatown, and surrounding areas into a living gallery of immersive experiences. Visitors are invited to explore public installations, art, sketching walks, and curated food and beverage experiences, many of which highlight the often-overlooked charm and stories of the city’s historical core.
This includes:
- Four urban installations along Old Chinatown, created in collaboration with young architects and local businesses:
- Installation 1: “lepaX” (at REX KL) by Ar. IDr. Ts. Afi Muhaimin Jamalludin and Ar. Ahmadkhairul Sabirin bin Ahmad Rosli, explores structure and space by reimagining scaffolding, typically used for construction, as both sculpture and a place to pause. It celebrates simplicity, transparency, and the spirit of adaptive reuse.
- Installation 2: “Twist Potato” (at Pik Wah Café & Bar) by Ar. Beh Ssi Cze and Ar. Firadaus Khazis transforms an overlooked void into a playful, light-filled retreat. This installation experiments with shape and contrast, inviting quiet reflection through organic form and material.
- Installation 3: “ngo-kha-ki” (at Four Points by Sheraton Kuala Lumpur, Chinatown) by Ar. Quan Hwai Teng is inspired by the traditional five-foot way of shophouses—spaces once vital to the community, now reinterpreted with urban urgency. The installation frames the past and present, echoing social interaction, climate response, and cultural continuity.
- Installation 4: “Prism of Merdeka” (at the pavement opposite Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock) by Ar. Rien Tan and TKCA Architects reinterpret the triangle as a spatial metaphor for challenge, ambition, and identity. A procession of angular portals forms a symbolic corridor of time that charts the layered history of Petaling Street. It concludes a striking vista of Merdeka 118, Malaysia’s tallest tower, positioning heritage and progress in dialogue.
- A live Sketchcrawl with KL Urban Sketchers, with selected artworks exhibited at ARCHIDEX KLCC.
- The KL Old City Sketch, a 10-metre hand-drawn panorama capturing the city’s shifting architecture and character through
Connecting communities, boosting the visitor economy
KLAW 2025 exemplifies how a business event can evolve into a citywide movement that supports community connection and economic spillover. By drawing a portion of ARCHIDEX’s expected 56,000 international and local visitors into the city, the initiative aims to stimulate economic activity across sectors — F&B, retail, hotels, transport, and culture — while branding KL’s old quarters as a rediscovered creative and lifestyle destination.
Datuk Vincent Lim, president of C.I.S, joint organiser of ARCHIDEX, said: “With ARCHIDEX and DATUM drawing in thousands of professionals, KL Architecture Week adds an experiential layer — encouraging them to stay, explore, and return not just for business, but for the city. It’s about making Kuala Lumpur part of the event, and the event part of Kuala Lumpur.
Laying the foundation for future editions
The KLAW 2025 is part of a long-term vision to create an architecture-driven urban festival that celebrates Malaysia’s design identity and city story. As ARCHIDEX continues to scale — with over 850 exhibitors across two venues this year — the KLAW 2025 opens a new chapter in how exhibitions can bring value back to the streets, small businesses, and communities.
Located in the vicinity of key landmarks such as Menara 118, KLAW 2025 positions the Old City as a bridge between KL’s past and its future. Its success this year sets the foundation for potential future partnerships with exhibitors, city makers, and creatives to build even larger editions and deeper public engagement in the years ahead.
For more details on activities and locations, visit https://archidex.com.my/ or follow ARCHIDEX on social media.
Source: ARCHIDEX (Press Release)