Malaysian architect Shin Chang began transforming Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown after rapid urbanization and rising costs drove long-term residents and businesses into newer suburbs. Through his firm Mentahmatter Design, Chang and partner Penny Ng converted a neglected 1920s shophouse into ChoCha Foodstore while preserving its original mosaic floors and metal grilles. Within six months, crowds returned to the previously avoided area, helping catalyze wider transformations across the district. Today, the revived neighborhood features prominent restored landmarks such as REXKL and the Lee Rubber Building alongside contemporary galleries and coffee shops.
Key points
Adaptive reuse of historic buildings can successfully draw pedestrian traffic and modern…: Adaptive reuse of historic buildings can successfully draw pedestrian traffic and modern commerce back to declining urban districts.
Preserving original structural elements such as heritage grilles and mosaic floors honors…: Preserving original structural elements such as heritage grilles and mosaic floors honors local history while fostering commercial viability.
Grassroots resistance to infrastructure-driven displacement can serve as a catalyst for c…: Grassroots resistance to infrastructure-driven displacement can serve as a catalyst for community-led architectural regeneration.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
From turning a neglected shophouse into ChoCha Foodstore to helping transform the former Rex Cinema into REXKL, the Malaysian architect believes good design should bring people together.
Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown has become a hip destination, with speakeasies, art galleries and third-wave coffee shops nestled among traditional medical halls and kopitiams. Young people flock to REXKL, home to the maze-like BookXcess bookstore, while Else Kuala Lumpur, a member of Design Hotels, occupies the restored Lee Rubber Building, an Art Deco landmark dating back to 1931.
It was not always this way. Malaysian architect Shin Chang, who grew up in Chinatown, witnessed the neighbourhood’s decline from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. In an interview with CNA Luxury during his visit to Singapore for the Archifest Conference, Chang reflected on his efforts to bring new life to the neighbourhood.
By the 2010s, the neighbourhood had become home to shops selling imitation clothing, massage parlours and stalls selling DVDs and CDs. Budget hotels and bars had also sprung up, according to a 2019 report in The Edge Malaysia.
This strategic initiative seeks to mitigate supply chain risks by establishing domestic infrastructure to refine essential raw materials. Because global refining capacity is currently concentrated in only a few geographies, the move directly targets the nation's reliance on foreign processing hubs. Developing these facilities will bolster domestic supply security and spur private industrial investments over the coming decade.
The pharmaceutical giant's multi-billion-dollar approach targets a specialized developer in the expanding market for weight-loss treatments. This strategic bid represents an effort to secure Rhythm's drug assets, though people with knowledge of the situation note that critical terms remain unconfirmed. Stakeholders are monitoring whether the offer will progress into a finalized acquisition.
Delays surrounding an important vehicle contract have forced the defense contractor to recalibrate its medium-term financial targets. This latest reduction directly reflects the commercial fallout from postponed procurement timelines for critical military hardware. Investors and defense industry watchers now face adjusted expectations for the firm's growth through the middle of the decade.