Kompleks Pejabat Damansara (KPD) is a low-rise complex consisting of five identical blocks of a government office enclave built in the early 1970s, with an approximate lettable area of 172,900 sqft, surrounded by lush landscaping.This enclave, comprised of existing modernist structures, is undergoing urban rejuvenation to remain sustainable and relevant in keeping with the rapid modernisation of the Pusat Bandar Damansara neighbourhood.
The revitalisation program for this enclave by Selangor Properties Berhad (SPB) began with a design brief to repurpose the first existing 4-storey structure of 3,700 sqm into a signature adaptive reuse project.The goal is to convert the existing office spaces into a boutique retail component, acting as a catalyst for future redevelopment projects within the KPD enclave.This project provides opportunities to transform a forgotten space into a living area that enhances connections and the well-being of the community, offering sustainable urban spaces with better socio-economic and health outcomes.
Due to its adjacency to the new Semantan MRT Station, the immediate concern was the lack of street-level public interaction with the KPD enclave, resulting in disconnected pedestrian traffic flow.Consequently, the existing concrete and vent-block fencing, blocking any access, was quickly removed.The Five @ KPD now presents itself to the main street before an open esplanade of raw concrete with inserts of granite stones and recycled timber, raised from the Jalan Dungun foot traffic of Jalan Dungun, revealing a now difficult-to-miss urban space that activates inclusivity and flexible activities, bringing people together in edifying ways, both individually and collectively.
The Five @ KPD has quickly transformed into the gateway to a thriving street plaza at Jalan Dungun, funnelling pedestrians into the entire KPD complex.In this context, the rejuvenated overflowing plaza onto the street sidewalk offers a safe and pleasant walking location, drawing people to stop and enjoy patronizing the business services.This improves urban vitality and promotes people’s health, happiness, and well-being.
The ethos of transforming the interior functions and spaces while maintaining the external façade is unique to The Five at KPD project.Few exterior works were adopted to translate the change of building use while keeping the historical reference of this enclave intact.However, the roof parapet design was simplified to bring a fresher and more contemporary edge to the building.
Firstly, the original building introduced a new volumetric double-height black glass box that projects out of the existing white cubic box, creating a stark contrast and interest in the new façade frontage with a new functional aesthetic.The curation of a public art piece includes the “umbrellas” deck at the forecourt of this building, added as a public sculpture at the plaza.
Secondly, some of the existing concrete fins and ledges were removed to allow natural light in and improve retail visibility from the streets.Lower retail floors have converted the existing ribbon windows into double-storey curtain wall elements that convey a re-purposed retail component of the building, allowing improved visual permeability.The adaptation of a few additional terraces and canopies extended from the original 4-storey white cubic volume creates alfresco opportunities.
The Five at KPD sits on a gently sloping site that allows the creation of multiple access nodes to allow seamless but orderly public access, maximizing visibility to the newly curated retail components within the building.Existing rigid office walls were demolished and replaced with lightweight walls to adapt to different retail necessities, and dimensions, and maximize spatial flexibility.
Internally, within this existing deep building footprint, a central atrium is cut within the lower floors, revealing vertical openness to encourage guests to transit across the floors and increase retail permeability. This atrium reveals the brutal architecture in its web of exposed columns, beams, slab, and engineering services against a soft, durable terrazzo floor finish.Subtle interior colours are only accentuated by thematic colour accents for wayfinding signages, as well as horizontal and vertical circulation areas.Shops, restaurants, and cafes revolve around the atrium as the new centre of gravity, creating a new sense of openness and establishing a visual connection between floors, encouraging guests to visit the upper floors.
Since its completion, further adaptive reuse projects have trickled into the remaining blocks of KPD, and this enclave is set to become a major destination retail and carefully curated F&B hub in this thriving Damansara neighbourhood.
