KUALA LUMPUR (July 26): TKCA Architect from Malaysia won three awards for two of its submissions at the Creative Colour Awards 2024, according to a joint press statement by Creative Colour Awards and Nippon Paint on Thursday.

The submissions include SAMA Square, which won the grand prize called the Grand Prix Win and Best in Corporate and Commercial Exterior in the Architectural category, as well as the SkyBlox co-living housing, which won the Best Residential Exterior in the Architectural category.

Organised by Nippon Paint, the Creative Colour Awards is a global awards ceremony, which recognises projects that exhibit innovative and purposeful use of colours in spatial design. It also requires submissions that extensively used Nippon Paint’s colours and paint within their project. This year, the awards was held at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai, India, on July 5.

In the statement, TKCA Architect founder Rien Tan said, “We are deeply honoured to represent Malaysia at the Creative Colour Awards 2024, alongside other talents from around the world. We look forward to continuing pushing the boundaries of architecture and interior design, and harnessing the potential of colours to create spaces that inspire and benefit our communities.”

One of TKCA Architect’s submissions, SAMA Square in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, is a lifestyle-centric commercial development that integrates three main zones, namely the main market building, open street people plaza and retail village.

Tan said that colour plays a significant role in the design of SAMA Square. The statement added, “The purposeful use of various colours helps delineate different zones, and creates a lively atmosphere that reflects the vibrant urban character of the area.

“Bright colours on the translucent facades of the main market building contribute to a sense of openness and cleanliness, while contrasting colours in the open street people plaza and retail village highlight specific areas and amenities. This thoughtful use of colour fosters a sense of place, encouraging community interaction and engagement.”

SkyBlox, on the other hand, are cantilever prefab units that comprise 320 en-suite rooms with customised interiors, accommodating over 500 residents. The statement said the project employs prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction (PPVC) for all rooms, whereas the colour scheme includes yellow, dark grey, and light grey, with yellow used sparingly for decorative accents, creating focal points against the greys.

This year, the Creative Colour Awards had garnered 157 submissions from 11 countries and regions including India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and the Middle East.

Nippon Paint Holdings Singapore Pte Ltd senior vice-president of strategic innovation and marketing Gladys Goh said, “The Creative Colour Awards represents Nippon Paint’s commitment to celebrating and showing support for outstanding colour excellence through spatial design colour and coatings. We received outstanding submissions from all over the world, representing diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Despite the variations, one universal language unites them all: the language of colours. As a leading coatings and construction solutions manufacturer, Nippon Paint is committed to elevating the importance of colours in paints and coatings among industry experts and professionals. "We would like to congratulate this year’s winners, and we are excited for the next round of submissions for the Creative Colour Awards 2025,” Goh added.