The Kuala Lumpur Architecture Festival (KLAF) 2020 is making its return next month in a big way.

Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) president Lillian Tay announced that this year, KLAF2020 would be held from Feb 15 to Nov 20.

“KLAF is a very big event for architects. Every year, around 2,000 people attend the conference.

“Last year’s KLAF was done in two weeks and it was very exhausting, ” she said.

KLAF2020 director Dr Tan Loke Mun said the premier event in Malaysia’s architectural calendar is put together to inspire Malaysian architects to come up with ideas to help stimulate the country’s architecture industry.

“KLAF demonstrates PAM’s commitment to driving excellence in the field of architecture as well as setting the standards for practice and education.

“KLAF2020 is designed with different focus areas that include sketches, education, heritage buildings, building sustainability and greening of Malaysia.

“This year, we are going for four major events, mainly in February, April, July and August, ” said Tan.

Its launch on Feb 15 will be in conjunction with PAM’s Chinese New Year open house. Tan said the public could look forward to an acrobatic lion dance performance by world-renowned troupe Kun Seng Keng at PAM building’s hanging gardens.

The public can also enjoy a tour of PAM’s green building and browse through a carnival sale of pre-loved items featuring more than 50 stalls at APW, Bangsar.

However, the star of the event is a talk on this year’s theme, “Beyond Architecture: The Architecture of Celebration” by architects Chong Yan Chuah and Tay Kheng Soon.

On Feb 16, KLAF2020 Beyond Heritage Conservation, a collaboration with Kuala Lumpur Urban Sketchers, will be launched.

To be held at REXKL, Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur from 8.30 am to 2 pm, there will be talks on heritage conservation by Cairo University Architecture and Urban Design professor Dr Dalila Elkerdany and PAM’s gold medallist Laurence Loh Kwong Yu.

An urban sketching session with 50 participants from Kuala Lumpur Urban Sketchers community will also take place.

The public is encouraged to take part in KLAF2020 by registering through the KLAF app.

Those interested in setting up stalls at KLAF’s pre-loved carnival can email prelovedisreloved@apw.my.