What were your initial impressions about the Kenny Heights project?
I found the landscape of the site interesting and I like the undulations of the place, it creates variety in the view. I rather prefer places in this kind of shape, rather than flat ones.

Do these villa designs reflect the architectural philosophy of Kengo Kuma?
Yes, absolutely. These dwellings have been designed to embody my philosophy: the unity of nature and architecture, the use of local materials and the importance of small, highly detailed projects, plus the ‘architecture of relationships’ that defines everyday life.

What role does small-scale domestic architecture play within a high-rise development like Kenny Heights?
These villas are designed to create a sense of pleasant human scale. Although you naturally find such scale within small architecture, it is vital that the human element is applied to bigger-scale projects. Without it, big developments tend to feel dry and sterile.

How does the planning of the houses and the land parcel help create a sense of community?
We have designed each house to demonstrate the co-existence of diversity and harmony, making each unit responsive to the site and the views, rather than simply repeat the same design over and over again. Of course, this kind of approach helps to build a sense of community. Another important element is the arrangement of roads, which are placed so as to lead people through the development, further enhancing the sense of community and unity within the whole of Kenny Heights.

How have you approached the climate and ecology of Malaysia with your designs?
Malaysia is a tropical climate, so it’s essential to create cross-ventilation within each house so that the wind can cool the space without the need to use mechanical air-conditioning. This is a very traditional way of working with the country’s weather, an approach that you will find in the local vernacular architecture. We’ve also shaded the facade with deep set backs so that direct sunlight doesn’t penetrate into the living areas and overheat them. The design incorporates these shading elements, making them an essential part of the facade. These apertures for wind and light are the key environmental elements of the design.

When working on a project of this scale, do you have any particular towns or places in mind? Is there a perfect example of new urbanism?
Personally, I have always been inspired by the architecture found within the traditional villages in Japan’s mountainous regions. In these small villages the architecture and planning adapts to the features of the steep landscape: nature and architecture are perfectly fused.

You once likened your architecture to sushi, describing the attention to detail needed to choose the best material from the best place at the best time. How does this philosophy apply to the villas being built at Kenny Heights?
I think the sushi simile is appropriate. For example, we are using wood from local trees for the interior cladding and the external decks, and it is these elements that bring the outside into the interiors, creating the sense of interacting with the landscape and the environment.

Kengo Kuma’s architecture is characterised by a deep understanding of the importance of regionalism and the styles, materials and forms that give life to communities and help integrate the new with the old. Based in Tokyo and Paris, Kuma has worked around the world, yet always chooses to work in harmony with local traditions, materials and forms rather than import an alien aesthetic. This has resulted in a gloriously eclectic oeuvre, moving adeptly from seamless hi-tech structures in urban Japan for both private residents and corporate clients like LVMH, to refined wooden pavilions that represent a modern interpretation of the local vernacular. At the core of his work is a rare understanding of the importance of craft, and how it can be applied to every material, including wood, stone, glass and plaster.

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