Sitting on a land size of just 150sq m, nestled amidst an old residential area of Kuala Lumpur, is a building that clearly stands out from its more down-to-earth neighbours.
"Ur-Mu was designed as a private art museum to promote Malaysian and regional art. I hold the view that a bankrupt nation is devoid of good art and architecture, and Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of modern Malaysia was in need of more venues to avoid that,” said Tan. "Resilience is an important part of our design philosophy, so the raw brickwork provides for easy maintenance. The use of raw and natural materials has long been a part of our architectural design palette, and we have been able to blend it well with modern steel and glass,” said Tan.With a build-up of 545.5sq m, Ur-Mu opened its doors to the public in May 2022. An unconventional greeting in the form of a Banksy welcome mat on the ceiling greets visitors entering the ground floor lobby.
The rooftop garden is named “Made’s Garden”, adopting Made Wijaya’s design philosophy of “embracing architectural ideals and the splendour of tropical flora coupled with breathtaking views that constitute the success of Balinese gardens”.