Hot Air Transformations: Kuala Lumpur
Hot Air Transformations: Kuala Lumpur
Led by Professor Erik L'Heureux this is a 12 credit point studio offered to all Masters of Architecture students.
Hot Air Transformations: Kuala Lumpur Travelling Studio Overview
This travelling research studio positions fieldwork as a central mode of architectural inquiry. Over nine intensive days, inclusive of travel, students will document and analyse a selection of 20th-century, tropically calibrated buildings in Kuala Lumpur—a megacity at the geographic and political centre of ASEAN and a critical hub within Southeast Asia. These works, constructed during or in the spirit of Merdeka, have recently been vacated, deactivated, or are now poised for transformation. Large-scale adaptive-reuse candidates include Maybank Tower, the Dayabumi Complex, and the Malaysian House of Parliament, among others, and will be studied in relation to the background buildings and the surrounding urban and natural fabric that shape the city.
Students will investigate these architectural vessels to understand how a high-density megacity at the heart of Southeast Asia might work productively with the pressures of a tropical climate and a warming world through adaptive reuse, low-carbon systems, and urban regeneration. Field documentation—photography, scanning, and measured surveys—will capture the climatic cultures and architectural cultures embedded within each project. Preliminary life-cycle assessments will be developed and validated through on-site observation and subsequently tested through 3D modelling and material forensics.
Engagement with Kuala Lumpur’s design and architecture communities, together with colleagues at Monash University Malaysia, will situate the research within contemporary equatorial discourse. Good food will accompany all activities. Umbrellas and sunscreen are strongly encouraged.
Itinerary:
Under development
Contacts:
Priscilla Adeline, Admin Officer, Priscilla.adeline@monash.edu
Bernadette Wilson, Department Manager, Bernadette.wilson@monash.edu
| Dates / Deadlines: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Year | App Deadline | Start Date | End Date | |
| Sem 1 | 2026 | 2-Mar-2026 | 11-Apr-2026 | 19-Apr-2026 | |
| Information Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Course Level | Masters of Architecture |
| Awarded Credit Points | 12 |
| Program Type | GST - Global Study Tour |
| Program Duration | 10 days |
| Leading Faculty | Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture |
| Minimum WAM | 60% |
| Eligible Monash Campus | Monash Australia |
| Funding Available | Monash Abroad Travel Grant |
Indicative costs
- $1500 -1800 approx
- Students can book their own flights
- Group accommodation is booked for you
- 30% of non-refundable deposit due 2 March 2026
- 70% of deposit due 30 days prior to departure
*Monash students will be enrolled into the relevant 12-credit point unit and charged standard fees according to their verified funding status. This fee will appear on your Monash Fee Statement.
Travel insurance
If you are an actively enrolled Monash student and participating in an approved international program, you will be provided with complimentary travel insurance. You will automatically be covered once your application has been approved and your enrolment updated to reflect your study overseas.
Under this policy, travellers will also receive access to 24/7 emergency assistance provided by Global 24 Emergency Assistance and limited coverage for personal travel days.
Visas
Monash Abroad cannot provide advice regarding visa requirements. If you require a visa to enter the destination (e.g. you are an International student), you will need to contact the relevant Embassy or Consulate General in Melbourne for advice. Monash Abroad can issue you with supporting documentation to lodge your visa application, to request that, please complete this form. Please note, these requests take approximately 3-5 business days, but may take longer during peak periods.
Centrelink support documents
For the purposes of maintaining your Centrelink benefits during your overseas program, complete this form so that Monash Abroad can produce a letter of enrolment for you. Please note, these requests take approximately 3-5 business days, but may take longer during peak periods.
Important Note:
The Monash Abroad Travel Grant and OS-HELP loan (if applicable) will be only be paid to you when all Monash Abroad requirements are completed by you and your Faculty has enrolled you into the relevant unit(s). Therefore, these funds should not be considered as your primary source of funding to pay program related deposits and balances.
Monash Abroad Travel Grant
Monash students studying in Australia who are enrolled into a credit bearing unit for this program will be assessed for eligibility to receive a Monash Abroad travel grant.
Student Loans
If you need help with study-related expenses, please refer to the student loans website and talk to a student adviser at Monash Connect.
Travel Scholarships
Please refer to the travel and placements scholarship website for more information.
| Dates / Deadlines: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Year | App Deadline | Start Date | End Date | |
| Sem 1 | 2026 | 2-Mar-2026 | 11-Apr-2026 | 19-Apr-2026 | |
How to Apply
Step 1: Submit an application for this program
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Step 2: Selection
The Faculty will review all applicants after the deadline to assess eligibility to participate in this overseas. Please note that this generally takes one to two weeks after applications have closed.
Step 3: Enrolment and travel approval
If you are accepted into the program, you will be issued with an outcome email and you will be enrolled into the associated unit. You will also receive an email alert with additional Monash Abroad tasks for you to complete:
- Passport and Medical Details form
- Travel Approval Request Form
- Mandatory pre-departure module.
Once you have completed these tasks, Monash Abroad will approve you for travel. You will then have access to the travel insurance coverage and be issued with any relevant grants, loans and/or scholarships.
Important note: you must have a valid passport that does not expire until at least six months after the program end date.
| Dates / Deadlines: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Year | App Deadline | Decision Date | Start Date | End Date |
| Summer A (Nov-Dec) | 2023 | 30-Jul-2023 | Rolling admission | 01-Dec-2023 | 10-Dec-2023 |
Eligibility
Places are limited and applications will be assessed on a competitive basis. To apply for this program, you must have:
- a WAM of 70% or above
- completed 48 credit points however, students with lower credit points may be considered if there are special circumstances
- submitted a 500-word personal statement as part of your application*.
* The Personal Statement should respond to the following:
Why would you like to undertake the unit?
What do you hope to learn in the unit?
What newsrooms and site visits are you most interested in visiting?
Have you been involved in MOJO and internships during your degree?
Please also be aware that you must have completed the following gateway units: ATS1089 Fundamentals of Journalism and/or ATS1090 Practice of Journalism.
At all times Monash University embraces and celebrates true diversity. We strongly welcome applications from our students living with disabilities, who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, students with caring and/or parenting responsibilities, who identify as LGBTIQA+, people of colour, and those whose identities intersect with more than one of the above.
How to Apply
Step 1: Submit an application for this program
Click here - Select "Monash led programs" as the program type.
Ensure that you respond to the above prompts in the "Personal Statement" portion of the application form.
NOTE: The Faculty cannot assess your application without the inclusion of a personal statement.
Step 2: Selection
Assessment will be undertaken by the relevant faculty by reviewing your personal statement, WAM, year of course and that you have met the enrolment requirements.
Step 3: Enrolment and travel approval
If you are accepted into the program, you will be issued with an outcome email and you will be enrolled into the associated unit. You will also receive an email alert with another two forms for you to complete:
1. passport and medical details and
2. Travel Approval Request Form.
Once you have actioned both of those forms, Monash Abroad will approve you for travel. You will then have access to the travel insurance coverage and be issued with any relevant grants and scholarships.
Important note: you must have a valid passport that does not expire until at least six months after the program end date.