ARCHINESIA ASEAN Seminar 2025: Eleena Jamil (Eleena Jamil Architect)

Eleena Jamil is a Malaysian architect who founded her architecture practice in Kuala Lumpur in 2005. She studied at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, where she also briefly taught while completing her doctoral research. Her PhD, titled Rethinking Modernism, reexamined the modernist approach through the lens of everyday life and vernacular imagery.

Eleena is known for her honest use of materials and a strong commitment to sustainability. Through her work, she consistently advocates for architecture that is rooted in local context—culturally, socially, and climatically.

She was shortlisted for Dezeen Architect of the Year in 2018 and featured in 100 Women: Architects in Practice, published by RIBA in 2023. In 2021–2022, she received the Connections through Culture grant from the British Council Malaysia for her About Making project, which explores craft and architecture through a multidisciplinary lens.

Eleena regularly shares her architectural thinking at international institutions such as GSAPP, Columbia University, and North Carolina State University (NCSU). She currently serves as an adjunct professor at the National University of Malaysia (UKM) and Taylor’s University. Her 2024 book, An Essence of Place: Making Local Architecture, brings together her ideas and works, highlighting the importance of designing with a deep sensitivity to place, spatial experience, and both social and ecological sustainability.

Education
2005 Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy, Welsh School of Architecture, United Kingdom
2001 M.Phil Masters of Philosophy, Welsh School of Architecture, United Kingdom
1995-1996 B. Arch in Architectural Studies, with Distinction, Welsh School of Architecture, United Kingdom
1991-1994 B.Sc. in Architectural Studies, First Class Honours, Welsh School of Architecture, United Kingdom

Experiences
2005-present Principal of Eleena Jamil Architect, Kuala Lumpur
2002-2004 Project Architect at Hijjas Kasturi Associates, Kuala Lumpur
1996-1998 Architectural Assistant at Capita, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
1994-1995 Practical Trainee at T.R. Hamzah & Yeang, Kuala Lumpur

Exhibition
2023 Reconceptualizing Urban Housing, Palazzo Mora, Venice Biennale
2019 Green, Green & Tropical at Archidepot Tokyo
2017 Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival
2014 Space Time Existence, Venice Biennale

Awards
2021 Habitus House of The Year 2021 – Award for End-lot House (Australia)
2021 Iconic Awards 2021 – Innovative Architecture for End-lot House, Winner (Germany)
2020 Rethinking the Future Award for Bamboo Terrace Homes, Winner (online)
2018 Architect of The Year, Dezeen Awards 2018, Shortlisted (United Kingdom)
2017 Firm of The Year Award for Sustainable Architecture by American Architecture Prize Awards Program, Shortlisted (USA)
2016 American Architecture Prize 2016, US, The Bamboo Playhouse, ‘Installation & Structures Category’, Honourable Mention (USA)
2016 LEAF Award 2016, UK, The Bamboo Playhouse, Best Sustainable Development, Shortlisted (UK)
2016 Plan Award 2016, Sepang House, Finalist (Italy)
2015 World Architecture Festival 2015 Singapore, The Bamboo Playhouse, Kuala Lumpur, ‘Small Projects Category’, Shortlist
2015 World Architecture Festival 2015 Singapore, The Spiral Pedestrian & Cycle Link, Kuala Lumpur, ‘Infrastructure Category’, Shortlist

Book
2024 An Essence of Place: Making Local Architecture

About ARCHINESIA Week #6 “The Making”
ARCHINESIA Week is an annual event organized by ARCHINESIA since 2017. This year, it returns for its sixth edition, taking place from July 2 to 6, 2025. As part of IndoBuildTech 2025 Part 1, ARCHINESIA presents six interconnected programs: ARCHINESIA Academy #10, ASEAN Round Table Discussion, Architecture Seminar, ASEAN Seminar, ASEAN Architects Book Exhibition, and the IMAJI Books Pop-Up Store.

Carrying the theme “The Making,” this edition explores the layered and interconnected processes that shape architectural practice across Southeast Asia. The Making invites us to reflect—not just on what we build, but on how and why we build. It celebrates architecture as an ongoing act of thinking, shaping, and reimagining the world around us.

About ARCHINESIA ASEAN Seminar “Making Space & Place”
The ARCHINESIA ASEAN Seminar is one of the most anticipated annual events for ARCHINESIA’s readers and audience. This session brings together architects from across Southeast Asia to share their thoughts and ideas around a focused theme. For this edition, ARCHINESIA invites four leading architects from the region: Ling Hao (Linghao Architects, Singapore), Eleena Jamil (Eleena Jamil Architect, Malaysia), Adi Purnomo (mamostudio, Indonesia), and Kulthida Songkittipakdee (Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee | HAS design and research, Thailand). The discussion will be moderated by Kamil Muhammad of pppooolll, Indonesia.

This year’s topic, “Making Space & Place,” responds to the growing challenges faced by architects and designers in an increasingly urbanized world—where the demand is not only for beautiful spaces, but also for ones that are inclusive, sustainable, and grounded in their local context. While space refers to the tangible, physical dimensions of architecture—its form, structure, and function—place speaks to something deeper: the human experiences, memories, and identities that give meaning to space.