Sentul Works is situated in the expanding Sentul Park area in Sentul West, Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Built in 1904, this building boasts over a century of history. During British colonial rule, it served as the headquarters of the Federated Malay States Railway (FMSR).
For many years, this colonial-era building—with its distinctive brick and concrete arched colonnade facade—stood as a hollow shell, nestled beneath the ancient, dense tree canopies in the park. It remained in this state until the YTL Land Design Group took on its restoration.
The design team aimed to create a unique atmosphere where old and new coexist harmoniously, transforming the building into a modern office space symbolizing rebirth. The owner tasked the architects with ensuring that the renovation remained true to the original materials. Conceptually, the new elements should never overpower the old, but rather coexist gracefully—rooted in rich history and heritage, while expressing contemporary aesthetics.
The original layout of Sentul Works featured main spaces separated by a central double-layered corridor. To maintain this symmetrical layout, new office spaces with open floor plans now flank the corridor, surrounding a two-story atrium. On the second floor, corridors connect office areas on both sides, fostering visual connections between first and second-floor tenants while preserving privacy. The flexible interior layout allows tenants to customize the space according to their needs.
Above the solemn colonial form of the lower two levels, a new volume comprising the third and fourth floors rises. This steel-framed structure integrates seamlessly with the new floor slabs, yet remains detached from the original building. This approach posed the challenge of connecting old and new structures. The new volume is recessed inward relative to the original base, protecting and honoring the historic lower volume.
The new upper volume features an exterior clad in Corten steel, blending harmoniously with the exposed steel frame of the adjacent historic train workshop. The weathering steel facade lends a contemporary look while its warm, textured tones complement the rustic materials found in the surrounding heritage buildings.
The glass curtain wall at the center interrupts the continuity of the weathering steel facade, enhancing the design’s modern abstraction. This element resonates with the solemn, symmetrical colonial architecture below. Office tenants enjoy visual connections to the lush surroundings through windows integrated into the weathering steel skin, fostering a sense of tranquility with views of the greenery.
Deliberately, numerous balconies and bay windows have been incorporated into the new volume’s facade. These offer stunning views of the historic railway workshop to the north, the verdant park to the west, the iconic Fennel Tower by YTL Land to the east, and the sales gallery to the southwest. These architectural features add a layer of abstraction to the upper volume, contrasting yet complementing the dignified colonial language of the building’s lower section.
Project Drawings
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Mezzanine Plan
△ Third Floor Plan
△ Fourth Floor Plan
△ Elevation Drawing
Project Information
Architectural Design: O2 Design Atelier, YTL Land & Development
Area: 40,493 ft²
Project Year: 2021
Photographer: David Yeow
Lead Architect: Edric Choo Poo Liang, in collaboration with YTL Land Design Group
Design Team: Lim Min Syn
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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