Studio Bikin was founded between partners Farah Azizan and Adela Askandar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2012. The design-led studio practice is established to enable both partners and their team to design and execute projects with a broad range of scales and typologies and also from the urban to rural context.
We aim to solve complex problems in creative ways that address social and environmental sustainability as well as the economic realities of each project. The resulting work reflects our approach thus increasing the studio’s range of commissions from private dwellings, boutique hospitality to commercial developments and interiors.
In 2013, they began Kedai Bikin, a sister company that seeks to be a curated retail platform for furniture pieces and complimentary home & living products, designed by the founders and other Malaysian designers.
Collectively, Studio Bikin and Kedai Bikin’s work have been featured in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philipines, Australia and the UK via various architectural, design and lifestyle magazines.
The studio looks forward to developing exciting briefs with their clients, deepen their level of exploration and research within each project to arrive at the best solutions and continue its growth within the field of design.
Farah Azizan obtained her BA in architecture at Nottingham University, UK and pursued her diploma in Architecture at the Architecture Association, London. Upon graduating in 2004, she worked for Tonkin Liu Architects, returned reluctantly to Kuala Lumpur and joined Seksan Design where she practiced landscape and architectural design for 6 years. Her key projects are Lone Pine, One Menerung, Sekeping Kong Heng, Resort at Luang Prabang and PJ Trade Centre.
Apart from working with Seksan Design, Farah was involved in teaching as guest critics to several local architecture schools. She has also created a few installations, namely Kursi Lapuk in the exhibition ‘Processing the City’, neon light installations in ‘The Last Call’, the Bombay Sapphire project with VWFA and her bottle-light installations in ‘The Light Show’ which she co-curated with Carolyn Lau and Lisa Foo. In 2012, she set up Studio Bikin with Adela Askandar.
Key projects Farah led in Studio Bikin are Hit & Mrs, Kong Heng, Ukay Heights, APW Bookmark & Uppercase, Kong Heng Villas, Desa House, Monterez House, and Lee Rubber Hotel.
Adela Askandar received her BA and masters in architecture from University of Cambridge, United Kingdom in 2002. She then trained at Lisa Shell design, a small architectural practice in London for 2 years, after which she obtained her professional qualifications at ARB. She returned to Malaysia and joined Unit One design consultancy in Kuala Lumpur, where key projects included Leisure Farm Villas (winner, WAN international residential awards 2009), Love Lane (winner PAM award 2006 for Adaptive Reuse).
In 2008 she gained experience in the education sector at TP Bennet Architects, London, working on a project under the ‘Building Schools for the future’ programme. Adela also sporadically taught alongside practice and enjoyed collaborations with other designers including Farah, which culminated in them formally setting up Studio Bikin in 2012. Key projects led by Adela are The Row, Plan B @ KongHeng, Jelutong House, Veil House, Silverlakes and Taman Tunku.
Her interests include activating interstitial spaces or forgotten buildings, moving towards a more collaborative approach with other specialists towards achieving client’s goals and a more circular economic approach within the building industry.
The studio collaborates with associates below depending on the project requirements:
ADELA ASKANDAR design (LAM Reg ID(SP)/A 98 . Interior Design consultancy services)
NANIZAIN Architect (LAM Reg SP/H88 . Architecture consultancy services)
MS Lee Architect (LAM Reg SP/L455 . Architecture consultancy services)
DEL SURIA Sdn Bhd (project management . branding . graphics consultancy)
Loo Jie Hsin (born 1986, Kuala Lumpur) received her BArch from UPM, Malaysia and has been part of the Studio Bikin team since 2012. Her key projects in the past are Jatomi Fitness gym fitout, offices, several private houses including the Monterez House. Jie Hsin has had extensive detailing and construction experience throughout the last 9 years that spans architectural and interior fitout works. Her current key project is the conversion of the Lee Rubber building into a boutique hotel on Jalan Tun HS Lee, Kuala Lumpur.
Lim Kok Cin (born 1989 Klang, Selangor) received his BArch from University College London, UK and upon his return to Malaysia, worked with DNA Architects in Kuching, Sarawak till 2014. He then joined Studio Bikin and worked on a number of private residential projects and was theh project architect for The Row. He has developed a sound knowledge of managing complex Alterations & Additions projects through his experience and is adept at solving design problems on site. His other key projects were Imbi Pocket parks, Sudut House and Taman Tunku.
Atikah Ahmad (born 1990) obtained her BA in Interior Architecture at UiTM Shah Alam, Selangor in 2013. She has been working with Studio Bikin since 2014 where she practiced both architectural, interior and landscape design works. She has developed a base of professional knowledge and experience by managing multi-disciplinary scope of works, in a variety of project types including retail, commercial, residential, hotels and offices. Her key projects include Desa House and APW Bookmark. Her key interior fit out projects include Monterez, Veil House and a NikoNeko Café interior.
Pui Mun was born in 1994 in Kuala Lumpur. She always had an interest in the creative industry and did her undergraduate studies in architecture at the Manchester School of Architecture. She came back to Kuala Lumpur to practice, where she worked in DP Architects and MLA Design. This led her to gain experience in both architecture and interior design work, after which she pursued her Part II at the University of Westminster, London. Upon returning, she joined Studio Bikin in 2020 as a project architect. Pui Mun’s projects include Lee Rubber Hotel and Hattori House.
Zuhairi obtained his B.Sc. Arch. at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in 2015 and Master of Architecture at University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) in 2020. After completing his Part I, he worked with MOA Architects where he was trained to be the core designer for the firm. Upon receiving his Master's degree, he joined Just Architecture where he practiced architectural design for another 2 years. His accumulated working experience involved projects from schematic to design development stages and liaising with different local authorities before joining Studio Bikin in 2022.