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Why an issue dedicated to raw concrete you ask? What about this humble and commonplace material merits an entire magazine’s worth of content? As it turns out, a lot, basing on the wide spectrum of stories and insights we were able to gather across the region. Raw concrete is clearly experiencing a renaissance of sorts in recent years, with an increasing number of architects eager to revisit and explore the possibilities offered by this versatile finish. Many architecture fans and observers are eager to sound the horns and point to a return of Brutalism, that polarizing architectural style known for its copious concrete usage and hulking, voluminous forms. So, the question still stands: why this recent fascination with concrete and why now? Perhaps, the answer lies not with the material…

Puncak Templer or Templer Peak just outside of Kuala Lumpur is one of the loveliest sites on which to build a home. It is located on the fringe of Templer Park, 1200 hectares of forest reserve, home to the rare Hopea subalata tree, an endangered antelope called the Sumatran serow, and other threatened wildlife including the hawk-cuckoo, crested serpent eagle, spine-jawed snake, and the Malaysian crested lizard. The government made picnic grounds, fishing spots, and jungle trails available to tourists and families, so people might enjoy Templer Park’s tropical forest, multi-tiered waterfalls, and streams. Not interested To Cherng Yih Lee’s surprise, his clients who bought an 800-square meter lot at the upscale landed housing estate weren’t interested in the forest at the back of their property. Trekking and picnicking weren’t…

Not many architects consider structure as a form-giver. Many regard it instead as a form-follower. As one architect told me, he designs the form, and the structural engineer finds the way to hold the architecture up. For a senior layperson like me, that’s a startlingly fragmented way of thinking, considering only three generations ago, our master-builders or maestros served all three roles of architect, engineer, and builder. On the other hand, I grew up in a time when structural walls, bracing, columns, and beams were always concealed by plaster cladding and ceilings—people didn’t care to see a building’s guts and bones—so this may have contributed to the perception that structure has little to do with enhancing and experiencing architecture. It’s fascinating to see where changes in taste will take people’s…

For Jakarta-based architect Willis Kusuma, no material captures timelessness better than concrete. “I remember looking at the works of the great masters, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, who used concrete frequently and always marveled at how they arrived at structures that transcend time. They were constructed in the past but could well belong to the present too! I wanted that same quality for my building.” A chaotic site Before the runaway success that is Mister Sunday Café, there was a 250-square-meter lot on a crowded residential street in the throes of commercial reinvention. The local government had just rezoned Jalan Cikajang (Cikajang Street) to allow retail establishments, and in the mad rush to open establishments, shops and restaurants sprouted up higgledy-piggledy. The scarcity of parking space was a major issue…

Willis Kusuma’s body of work is populated by sharp, angular volumes and dark, tactile textures. For over three years, he honed his skills under the tutelage of infamous New York Five member and champion of the color white, Richard Meier. “Working for Meier taught me the importance of materiality and consistency in designing spaces. His penchant for the color white brings out what truly are the defining attributes of his work: compositional balance, a play on voids and volumes, precise, anchored lines, and finally, the use of light as material.” When Kusuma left Meier and moved back to Jakarta, he put the lessons learned to good use, as well as usage of the color white. He then came to a realization that would trigger a new phase of material exploration.…