BÖN Estates Gallery

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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BÖN Estates Gallery

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Firm

STARCH DESIGN

Type

Residential › Apartment
Commercial › Office Showroom
Hospitality + Sport › Restaurant

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2017

SIZE

10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

Strategically located at an intersection between Jalan Maarof and Jalan Penaga, BÖN Estates Gallery embraces the vibrancy of Bangsar and indulges visitors to an invigorating experience through harmony of the five senses. Inspired by teachings of Tibetan culture, BÖN Estates cultivates balance, harmony and longevity in creating homes and lifestyles which unite modern innovations with natural elements. Built upon this philosophy is their principal project, The Estate, as an epitome of Bangsar South’s holistic, elevated lifestyle.

Showcasing this project is the BÖN Estates Gallery, artfully designed to offer property owners and visitors alike an experience that both stimulates and harmonizes the senses. By engaging with local designers, Karen Mok (interior decorator) and Ng Seksan (landscape architect), a more collaborative process came into play. Standing three storeys high, it serves as a showroom, office and lounge, each function allocated their own floor. Through purposeful spatial planning, the design efficiently makes use of limited space and clearly demarcates public, private and service areas.

Of its exterior, the gallery presents a warm, elegant aesthetic through use of aluminium louvers, perforated and coloured, complemented by tall, thin greenery of a similar visual language. The façade plays into elements of repetition and variety in materials, sizes, and placement of louvers, anchored by a chamfered strip of alucobond coping which cuts through the overall verticality and brings focus to the main entrance and water feature. Landscape is also used to provide a & ‘refreshing’ transition from busy Bangsar as well as a visual barrier between that and the homely ambience of internal spaces.

Upon entering, visitors are shown through the relatively grand reception area, double-volumed to accentuate a warm welcome and featuring a luxurious material palette of timber, marble, metal and concrete. Strips of polished and unpolished marble floor tiles against that of granite, flanked by an indoor water feature, full height glass panels and a series of timber veneer louvers creates an indulgence to the senses.

Designed with flexibility in mind, the main lounge and café area can be re-organized to host events and activities, thus making use of limited space and adapting to a variety of functions. Property owners are given the option of having a laidback chat at the café or a confidential discussion in a more private section nearby. To add
space and provide natural ventilation, large glass doors open up to the alfresco area,
bringing the outside in. One experiences a smooth yet clearly-defined transition between public and private areas, attributed to the use of floor-to-ceiling pivoting glass panels housed in a wall of grooved concrete blocks.
The gallery’s mezzanine level houses both discussion and office spaces designed to various degrees of privacy. In terms of material palette, timber and steel are emphasized to create a warmer, homely environment, contrasting to the robust concrete and marble below. Enclosed by rigged glass panels, a private meeting area
can be improvised via folding doors of the same material. Beyond the partition is a public discussion area and office space for BÖN staff which overlook the main lounge and café area, lined with custom-made mild steel railing. Thus, an audio-visual connection is articulated between spaces above and below.

Advancing further into the interactive showcase experience, visitors are treated to a gallery-like dis-play of The Estate at the first floor. Rendered perspective images mounted on a railing display system overlook the garden area, creating layers of verticality against a softer, fresher backdrop of greenery. Another element which allows The Estate to be showcased in a more exclusive setting is the hotel lobby display, placed across an energy efficient projection area and nestled between the garden and planter boxes.

Perhaps the most immersive experience this gallery has to offer lies upon the unit’s showroom area. Situated at the uppermost floor, visitors and property owners alike are presented with an in-depth display of The Estate’s elevated lifestyle amidst the vibrancy of urban life in Bangsar South. Allocating the entire floor towards the recreation of this showroom unit allows for a greater sense of isolation and separation from the busting environment below and beyond. It is this unwavering ambience that offers visitors the rare opportunity to fully indulge in the spatial, visual and tactical experiences of such a project- an experience that invigorates the senses