On the evening of the 25th of March 2022, SL+A was set to receive the silver award in the Design Excellence – Professional Entry for the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers REKA Awards 2021
The 2021 MIID REKA Awards for Design Excellence
Since 2013, the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers (MIID) has sought to educate, promote and foster better ties between the public and professional members of the field. MIID has bestowed many awards and accolades onto both local and international interior designers through yearly competitions that serve to spark conversations and to cultivate deep appreciation for the creativity and inspiration that is demonstrated through interior design.
A successor to its predecessor, the MIDA Awards, the MIID REKA Awards aims to elevate the state of the interior design profession. This annual event exemplifies excellence in design and recognizes those who truly embody ‘REKA’, which means “to create” or “to design” in Bahasa Malaysia. There is a strong focus on building up local content in design, detail and material while recognizing the environmental, social, physical, and cultural impact of the projects. As such, it makes sense that the organisation has three main award categories for participants to enter their submissions: Design Excellence – Professional Entry, Design Excellence – Student Entry, and Industry Excellence Entry. The scope of the submissions was intentionally cast very wide – any individual or firm with a project, a research paper, or even a product can enter into the competition for consideration.
For the 2022 event, SL + A was thrilled to be accepted into the Corporate Offices category for Design Excellence – Professional Entry. Our team was invited to attend the awards event at the Connexion Conference & Event Centre in the Nexus, Bangsar South. The team graciously accepted the silver award for their work on the Tropicana Gardens Office Tower and shared with judges, peers and esteemed guests the concept behind the design.
Our designers worked closely with the client and imagined a luxurious but calming office for relocating the main headquarters and providing an inspiring new workspace. The SL + A team went above and beyond to fulfil wishes of creating a space that included sleek modern touches which also embodied the client’s love for Japanese culture.
The end result of the project was a space that was filled with a subtle recurring motif of white gravel, stone, leaves, bamboo, and water in honour of the traditional Zen Garden that originated from Japan.
A space that stimulates deep thought and peace is created by imagining nature in celebration of the essential elements. Such symbolism is evident from the countless mirrors placed throughout the space to imitate water; dual-coloured carpets mimicking the swirls in a Zen Garden’s white gravel; the use of timber as focal points for its likeness tobamboo; as well as subtle ceiling patterns that resemble leaves.
In addition to the Tropicana Gardens Office Tower award submission, SL + A also received news that our project involving Phillip Morris was shortlisted and received recognition for the office category. Certifications and awards from MIID are a testament to the incredible work that our team consistently produces in our pursuit of providing creative solutions in design. The stunning results in the Tropicana Gardens Office Tower project leaves no doubt as to how SL + A proves once again how our fresh take on interior, architectural and sustainable endeavours keeps us at the forefront as a leading design consultancy in East Asia.