Malaysian architecture is very much influenced by her long history of the Malay civilisations, colonialism and the modernisation. Throughout the years, as a developing country, Malaysia has experienced economic booming that has brought many architectural advancements in the country.

As a tropical nation, the vernacular architecture in Malaysia has been shaped by the tropical surroundings, as well as the cultures and lifestyles of the Malays, the natives of Malaysia. The general tropical architecture perceived as a responsive and adapted to the surrounding environment and climate. The bioclimatic considerations have always been part of the architectural elements that emphasise the thermal comfort, durability and sustainability factors. These are coined in the very recent movement of green and sustainable architecture, which technically been adopted in the region for centuries!

This is the unique feature of the Malay vernacular architecture, that encompasses beyond the traditional house architecture, but also includes the mosques, palaces, urban and settlement design and public spaces. The Malay architecture has general features and characteristics but varies across the states in Malaysia. The similar Malay architecture feature can also be found in neighbouring Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, which are collectively known as the Austronesian architecture.

In Malaysia, you may find the collective Malay vernacular houses from various the Malaysian states in the same compound area known as the Malaysian Mini Park in Melaka, where the sample houses are built and displayed in an arranged setting. Otherwise, you may travel across the country and found many of this architecture are being kept and well-preserved in the real kampung (village) setting.

Apart from the indigenous architecture, Malaysia is also blessed with the culture derived from the Chinese Mainland and Indian subcontinent with the influx of immigrants from these two regions. Came as early as the 15th century, the Chinese culture, particularly from Southern China is mainly visible in major Malaysian cities. This is prevalent with the shophouse architecture in the urban setting, a hybrid architectural feat that embodies Chinese, colonial and tropical influences. They have also brought in the Buddhism religious architecture, in the form of temples, pagodas and statues.

The Indian culture in Malaysia is the predominantly Tamil culture of South India origin. They first came in as labours and traders during the British colonial era and have attributed to the religious architecture of Hinduism. This can be seen in many former plantation areas and town, with the famous one, would be the Batu Caves Temple, carved in a limestone cave located in the north skirt of Kuala Lumpur, dedicated to the Lord Murugan.

With the long colonialism history, much architectural heritage in Malaysia traced back to this period. Beginning with the Portuguese, Dutch and British, each colonial power has left their footprint in terms of architectural legacies. The remnants of the Portuguese and Dutch are prevalent in the historic city of Melaka, where many forts, buildings and churches were built. The architecture portrays the European colonial style with the tropical influence.

While the British set the longest period of colonialism until the independence of this country in 1957. Unlike in most other colonies, the British had introduced a peculiar colonial architecture that was inspired by the Mughal architecture in India, as well as the neoclassical and Art Deco styles. The Mughal style architecture is profound in Kuala Lumpur, as the many civic buildings in the old quarters are modelled after this.

Moved on to the 20th century, with the wave of independence, was a turning point for Malaysia, with the introduction of internationalism, in the wake of finding own identity through architecture. This can be seen in the 1960s with the much civic building have not only been built with the modernist approaches but had also imparted many regional and vernacular elements. This can be seen in many pioneer modernist buildings such as the National Mosque, Parliament House and the National Museum.

In the late 1980s to 1990s, many post-modernism buildings emerged in the country, along with the rapid industrialisation period. The epitome of Malaysian architectural scene was the construction of mega construction projects in the late 1990s, that saw the completion of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the new administrative centre of Putrajaya and the very own Malaysian icon, Petronas Twin Towers.

Today, many buildings are built and crafted the city skyline with various modern and contemporary expressions. This has included the green and sustainable architecture that promotes the effective and ingenious methods of design and construction process. Many buildings have adopted the movement and have continued imparted the local and vernacular essence into the building. 

Visit Malaysia 2015 - Year of Festivals is the extension of Visit Malaysia 2014. It is a year-long campaign organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia to boost the tourism sector as the country's second biggest economic contributor after the manufacturing sector.

Located right in the middle of tropical Southeast Asia, Malaysia boasts its position as among the top tourist destinations in Asia. In 2013, Malaysia was ranked among the top 10 of the world's most visited countries.

With easy connectivity and accessibility anywhere across Asia and the world, Malaysia is blessed with an abundance of attractions right from the mother nature to the society, culture and lifestyle, not forgetting her unique world-renowned food culture.

Geographically, Malaysia is divided into two parts, which are the Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) where the 11 federated states and two federal territories are located, and the other remaining two states and one federal territory on the island of Borneo, also known as the East Malaysia. Surrounded by major seas, Malaysia begged its own beautiful paradise of tropical islands across the country.

Socially, the multiracial Malaysia is inhabited by the majority natives of the region, the Malays and other indigenous races. Unique in anywhere across Asia, Malaysia is also home to a substantial minority of Chinese and Indian communities, along with several other Eurasians. The Malay Language, a closely related language to Bahasa Indonesia, is the national language. But being a former British colonial, English Language is widely used in the country.

Malaysia is a culmination of a variety of cultures and ethnicities anywhere across Asia, plus with her hot and humid climate and blissful tropical nature, along with a long history of colonial era, has led to the wealth accumulation of the food culture and architectural heritage. This had been kept and preserved for centuries, with many of them can be indulged and experience with you today!

Come, visit and enjoy Malaysia! Selamat Datang (Welcome).

The Kuala Lumpur Architecture Tour is a tailored and personalised tour guide service that offers you a different and a fruitful tour guide in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The guided tour  is specifically catered for the architecture and built environment fraternities or anyone else that fond of the architecture, built heritage and urbanscape.

The tour guide is exclusively guided by the local architectural professionals, who are ready to meet and explain any of your queries along the tour. The 158-year old city offers an array of architectural amazement from the vernacular charm and colonial heritage to the early modernist and contemporary marvels that are more than meet the eyes.

With more than 100 destinations in the city, feel free to select any of the pre-arranged tour packages that will meet your journey expectations. Or have something else in your mind? Tell us about it and we'll arrange it for you.

The trip can be done on one-to-one to the maximum of 12 people in a group. For more than 12 people, a special tour guide assistance will be provided.

The Kuala Lumpur Architecture Tour is currently available in Kuala Lumpur and its vicinity in the Greater Kuala Lumpur or also known as the Klang Valley in the central region of Peninsular Malaysia. The tour will be conducted in the English Language by our friendly tour guide.

The tour will be conducted in walking mode, as most destinations can be reached by walking along the pedestrians or with the combination of the modernised public transportation system of Kuala Lumpur, such as bus, commuter train, light rail transit (LRT) and monorail. Alternatively, you may also opt for chartered transportation, which is relatively reasonable and time-saving.

Upon request, the tour guide can also be expanded in other Malaysian cities such as Penang and Ipoh in the Northern Region or Melaka and Johor Bahru in the Southern Region of Peninsular Malaysia. The tour can also be conducted in Mandarin, Malay, Bahasa Indonesia, Arabic and French Languages.