The headquarters of PAM - the Malaysian Institute of Architects - contains offices, training facilities, a conference hall, and a variety of exhibition galleries. A café, bookstore, and gallery are located on the ground floor; a prayer hall and technical facilities are housed in a sub-basement; and the roof is a terrace for communal events. The 10-storey building (including basement and roof) is organised around a central atrium that is naturally lighted and ventilated; the stepped atrium provides double- and triple-height areas for exhibitions and meetings. The steel and concrete structural elements, like the interior walls of exposed concrete or hand-crafted bricks, are deliberately left exposed as a demonstration of building techniques.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
