Contemporary office design isn’t just nowturning a corner from claustrophobic, hierarchical cubicles to open, egalitarian spaces – it’s already done that. This fit-out of the new office in Kuala Lumpur by SL Group Design (a member of the Steven Leach Group) goes further, tackling the modern workspace at a humanistic/cultural level.

The company has evolved over the past few decades, both as a company and a design partner, says Steven Leach’s lead designer on the project, Sara Shaib.

“It’s gone from an organisation of hallways and private cubicle/desk areas to one where staff work in adaptable creative idea-space environments, as well as co-shared workspaces and working in cafes and collaboration rooms. With this fit-out, we’re stretching the limits even further to enhance communication, a sense of belonging and teamwork.”

The new offices are in an ideal setting for a forward-looking global company’s local base. The modern fit-out covers one and a half floors in an existing five-year-old LEED platinum-certified tower surrounded by public amenities and with many other corporate office towers in the vicinity.

In this central setting, Client asked Steven Leach Kuala Lumpur to create a new intelligent workplace with components and defining characteristics that would create a distinctive visual and experiential brand language – all part of the Intelligence Workspace programme.

“We addressed this by creating a distinctive, inspiring personality that uniquely portrays a new office look that responds to and celebrates the location and diverse cultures in Malaysia.”