This previously run-down waterfront shop-lot site on the embankment of the Miri River was given a new lease of life as the corporate offices for The Joinland Group.

We saw an opportunity to respond to the design brief by blanketing the street-front façade with a prominent exterior identity and transforming the interior space into an open yet intimate environment. The permeable façade creates an interplay of light, shadow and reflections both inside and outside the building throughout the day. Its louvered “fish scale” skin and stainless steel mesh reflects and refracts light and colour depending on sun direction while providing privacy and shade.

We saw an opportunity to respond to the design brief by blanketing the street-front façade with a prominent exterior identity and transforming the interior space into an open yet intimate environment. We introduced a layer of façade that seemingly interacts with both the inside and exterior spaces, creating an interplay of light, shadow and reflections both inside and outside the building throughout the day. The façade’s louvered “fish scale” skin and stainless steel mesh reflects and refracts light and colour according to the seasonal sun-path; while providing privacy and shade at certain intervals with the use of “fish scale” louvre panels.

Internally, we took cues from the traditional courtyard house and used a central atrium to visually connected the internal spaces both horizontally and in between floors. A glass staircase and glass elevator adds to the light and airy ambience, while providing easy circulation in between floors.

The view from the deck offers users an unobstructed view of the entire stretch of Miri River well into the industrial heart of Piasau, while at the same time highlighting the evolution of Miri city from a backwater fishing village to the oil and gas powerhouse it is today.

Text by the architect

PROJECT GALLERY