Titiwangsa’s Tropical Fruit Pavilion opens as centrepiece of KL Architecture Festival 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming today launched the Tropical Fruit Pavilion at Titiwangsa Park, a key attraction of the year-long Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival 2026 (KLAF 2026).

The launch features 12 interactive pavilions located within a section of the 114-acre park behind the WNB Aquasports building.

Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM), KLAF 2026 aims to activate the city through public installations, exhibitions, dialogues and conferences.

“The pavilion today and also KLAF, it represents a distinctive and thoughtful contribution.

“Exemplifying how architecture can transcend conventional boundaries and be meaningfully integrated into public spaces, allowing people from all walks of life to engage with design in an open and inclusive setting,” Nga said.

He also said the pavilion has the potential to become a benchmark for Malaysia’s annual architectural pavilion showcase, similar to the United Kingdom’s renowned Serpentine Pavilion, held annually in Hyde Park, London.

Rooted in Malaysia’s tropical heritage and seasonal landscape, the Tropical Fruit Pavilion translates cultural references into spatial installations that explore identity, ecology and public life through architecture.

The programme features seven curated pavilions developed with KLAF 2026 partners, including BlueScope and Nippon Paint, among others.

It also includes five winning proposals from the Titiwangsa Pavilion competition, showcasing emerging designers reinterpreting Malaysia’s tropical heritage through contemporary architectural expression and public engagement.

“The Tropical Fruit Pavilion is conceived as a spatial reading of Malaysia’s tropical identity, reinterpreting culture, heritage, and landscape into an immersive public architectural experience,” said KLAF chief curator Ar. Rien Tan Kwon Chong.

Among the installations on display is The Sanctum, a pavilion constructed from recycled wooden pallets arranged in a spherical form resembling a giant sepak takraw ball.

Another pavilion takes inspiration from the traditional gasing, allowing visitors to pull a rope to set the structure spinning.

The KLAF Tropical Fruit Pavilion will remain open until December 2026.

The exhibition also serves as a lead-up to the DATUM Conference 2026, which will be held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) from July 29 to August 1.

Further information on the festival is available at klaf.my.