Living Infrastructure

In an age of digital dominance, Japanese architect Kengo Kuma's latest project, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown, is an antidote to urban alienation

- By Celeste Goh

Artificial intelligence and digital technology increasingly dominate daily life and shape our cities. Amid such alienation, Kengo Kuma believes there is a growing need to reconnect with nature.

“These urban, artificial spaces may be stressful for working individuals, as they are very unnatural for humanity,” he observes. “Walking in natural spaces is becoming rare in big cities, as these intimate places disappear, and the human need for natural experiences intensifies.”

Kuma's response is Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown, a 410-room hotel resembling a forest walk. It offers a vision for urban hospitality that honours local traditions while creating spaces for connection and eliciting a sense of wonder.

“Malaysia is undergoing urbanisation, and its technology has reached a cutting-edge level,” he says at the hotel's official launch in August. “In this situation, I want to bring intimate, natural space into the city, so people can experience nature in their own space.”

INTO THE WOODS

Unlike Kuma's Hyatt Centric City Centre, which is “submerged into the cityscape”, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown is designed as an “independent monument”.