Though it won’t open its doors until July, a new convention center near Kuala Lumpur’s airport won a regional design award and is up for a global one as well.
The Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA is the brainchild of designer Amir Hamzah, of HIJJAS Architects + Planners (the same firm behind KL’s Shell Tower and Putrajaya Convention Center), who worked to incorporate cultural themes important in Malaysia into the design.
Though the entire property was built to suit Islamic law — including separate male and female swimming pools, gyms, and spas — our first thought when we looked at the renderings was “modern American megachurch.”
The designer, who also built Saudi Arabia’s famed Al Haram Grand Mosque, said he was influenced in the design by Kufic script, the Alhambra in Spain, and the lancet-style archways of Turkey and Iran.
Seems the look is resonating with the design community though. The property has won “Best New Hotel Construction and Design” at Asia Pacific Property Awards’ Malaysia. And now the hotel and convention center is up against properties from around the world for the global win, to be announced in London in December.
Images courtesy of Mövenpick.
