       
Area: 9,484 sq. ft.
Location: Customs and Other Agencies Building, Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Johor, Malaysia
Design completion: 7th November 2000
Completion of design drawings: 18th August 2001
Appointment of contractor: 25th September 2000
Introduction
When Maersk Sealand moved from Singapore to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, we were given the task of creating a new image for its southern offices. The design challenge was to deliver a distinct identity appropriate to Maersk as a global shipping company and at the same time warm and futuristic. Three distinct companies actually occupy the area of 9,484 square feet. Whilst each had to be different, common elements threading through the three spaces link them as an entity.
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THE CREATIVE PROCESS
In planning the offices of Maersk Malaysia, we formed a new centre of gravity by creating "mass" in front of the entrance. An existing stair core was enlarged and re-modelled into a feature of the reception analogous to a ship's funnel. The "pod", oval on plan, encloses the many functions accessible to all members of the office: the pantry and bar, print and fax room, and paper storage.
The "pod" indeed has become more than a convenient grouping of facilities. It also became the focus of the office - a meeting point. Elsewhere, stand-alone objects define space and territory.
In developing ideas for the look and feel of this interior, we looked to technology transfer from the building industry and explored the notion of prefabrication.
Prefabrication was employed in the sense that enclosures forming interiors could be temporary and could be taken apart when no longer required. Every part forming an element would indeed be disassembled; so the detailing of those elements and the way they were supported between the floor and the ceiling became important considerations and ultimately gained their aesthetic.
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