Women’s Aid Organisation
Shelter Home

A Regeneration of Refuge, Recovery and Resilience

CLIENT

Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) 

REGION

Kuala Lumpur

YEAR

Completed in 2022

GFA

530 m²

DISCIPLINES

The WAO Shelter Home is an initiative focused on the reconstruction of a damaged 1960s residence into a safe, nurturing environment for rescued children. Following a lightning strike and subsequent fire, the existing structure had deteriorated significantly, requiring extensive rebuilding. The project adopts a regenerative approach that retains and repurposes elements of the original house, while introducing new architectural layers that support contemporary childcare needs.

ARCHITECTURE

The design preserves portions of the original structure to house administrative functions, while new two-storey annexes accommodate residential zones. These components are organized around a shared central courtyard that acts as the social and environmental heart of the home. The planning prioritizes passive design principles, with building orientation optimized to maximize daylight while minimizing solar heat gain. Large openings at ground level are tempered through cross ventilation, convective airflow, and permeable screen walls, ensuring thermal comfort in a tropical climate.

All spaces, including wet areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and toilets, are naturally ventilated and daylit through operable windows and vent walls. This commitment to sustainable performance extends to the interior finishes. Low-VOC paints, environmentally friendly adhesives, and certified green-label materials, such as lightweight wall panels and mineral roof tiles, are chosen with occupant health and environmental responsibility in mind.

Working within a modest budget, the project embraces material reuse and upcycling as a purposeful design ethic. Rejected porcelain tiles, sample marble slabs, surplus sanitary fittings, and salvaged burnt roof tiles are reintroduced throughout the building. For example, the salvaged roof tiles are upcycled into a distinctive interior screen wall that provides both protection and symbolism.

Courtyards and residual spaces function as breathing pockets. Planting and hardscape are deployed with intention rather than decoration, framing views, filtering light, and introducing moments of pause within the spatial journey.  A restrained palette of tropical planting reinforces continuity and calm, while simple, tactile hardscape materials are allowed to weather over time.

Completed after a six-year journey and despite significant disruptions during the pandemic, the new 2 1⁄2-storey shelter stands as a quiet yet powerful expression of recovery and regeneration.

Awards

2023
American Institute of Architects (AIA) Award
Winner – Inclusive Design Excellence
2023
American Institute of Architects (AIA) Award
Winner – Honor
2022
Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) Award
Silver – Adaptive Reuse
2022
Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) Award
Commendation – Sustainable Development Goals
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