Jimmy Lim Explained

Honorific Prefix:Professor
Professor Dr. Ar. Jimmy Lim
Nationality:Malaysian
Alma Mater:University of New South Wales
Birth Date:1944
Birth Place:Penang, Straits Settlements
Awards:Aga Khan Prize
Practice:Project Architects
CSL Associates (now Jimmy Lim Design)
Spouse:Winnie Cheah
Children:Lim Wei Ling[1] Lim Cho-Wei

Jimmy Lim Cheok Sang,[2] born 1944, Penang, Straits Settlement (now part of Malaysia), is an ethnic-Chinese Malaysian architect.

Early life and career

Lim was born in Penang in 1944. He has stated that he was interested in architecture from an early age due to the renovation activities of his grandfather, and due to a visit to the Kek Lok Si temple. In 1959 he left Penang for studies in Sydney, Australia, where he attended boarding school. In 1964 he began studying at the school of architecture of the University of New South Wales.[3] Lim remained in Australia for 13 years before returning to Malaysia in 1972 to work as an architect for the Project Architects firm. His first project in Malaysia was a semi-conductor plant in Subang for Motorola.[4]

In 1978 Lim began his own architecture firm, CSL associates, which is now called Jimmy Lim Design. His design for the Salinger House won a Aga Khan Award for Architecture during the 1996–1998 cycle of that prize. Other prominent designs of his include the Schnyder house (AKA Precima House) which was designed for Swiss businessman Rolf W. Schnyder, the Menara Prudential office tower in Kuala Lumpur, Resorts World Awana in Genting Highlands, and the TY Chiew house. In 2012 he received the SIA-Getz Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia for sustainability.[5] Lim was president of the Malaysian Institute of Architects, (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia, or PAM), and received their gold medal for lifetime services to the architecture profession.[6] [7]

Lim is an advocate of natural design and the use of wood in construction.[8] Lim also advocates prioritising interior over exterior design.[9]

Lim Guan Eng defamation lawsuit

In December 2013 an article quoting Jimmy Lim entitled "Guan Eng has failed, says NGO", about what he characterised as the destruction of Malaysian heritage in developments schemes carried out under the government of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, was published on the Malaysian online news portal Free Malaysia Today. The article was particularly critical of the 2009 demolition of the 200-year old Kampung Buah Pala, and stated that Lim Guan Eng was indifferent to the fate of Indian communities.[10] Lim Guan Eng then sued Jimmy Lim as well as other parties alleging defamation, and in August 2013 received a decision at the George Town High Court in his favour ordering the defendants to pay RM300,000 in damages and RM30,000 in legal costs. This decision, however, was overturned in 2016 on appeal to the Malaysian Court of Appeal, on the grounds that the article taken as a whole was not defamatory. Judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, the chair of the court, described the article as "written in a temperate tone".[11]

Personal life

Lim is married to Malaysian educator and Professional Violinist Winnie Cheah who founded Symphonia Fantasia String Ensemble.[12] [13] His daughter Lim Wei-Ling founded Wei-Ling Gallery and Wei-Ling Contemporary[14] in 2002 and 2011 respectively and runs the Malaysian heritage NGO, Badan Warisan, that he co-founded.

Notes and References

  1. News: Chan . Eric Ian . The Career U-Turn That Changed Lim Wei Ling's Life . 6 January 2022 . Unreserved . The Malaysian Reserve . 22 September 2018.
  2. News: Wang . Haibo . 马来西亚华人建筑师获颁"亚洲新锐建筑奖"(图) . 6 January 2022 . Chinanews.com.cn . China News Service . 23 October 2012 . Chinese.
  3. News: Wilson . Lewis . Double Vision: Culture, Context, and Climate . 6 January 2022 . IGS Magazine (Asia-Pacific Special Issue) . Autumn 2020 . 78–93.
  4. News: Rafee . Hanah . A master of his craft . 6 January 2022 . The Edge Malaysia Weekly . 5 September 2016.
  5. News: Jimmy Lim wins SIA-GETZ Architecture Prize . 6 January 2022 . The Edge Weekly . 19-25 November 2012.
  6. News: Azuar . Azalea . The way forward for Malaysian architecture . 6 January 2022 . The Malaysian Reserve . 2 October 2020.
  7. News: Jimmy Lim (Asia's Most Influential 2021) . 6 January 2022 . Tatler Asia . 2021.
  8. News: Sundar . Nandhini . The sustainable timber . 6 January 2022 . The Hindu . 18 March 2016.
  9. Book: Lawson . Bryan . What Designers Know . 2012 . Taylor & Francis . 9781136349003 . 57 . 6 January 2022.
  10. Book: Springer . James H. . Malaysia's Canvas: The Blistering Saga of a Flash in the Pan Art Revolution . 2018 . Gerak Budaya . 9789670311586 . 208–209 . 14 July 2022.
  11. News: Reduan . Hidir . Court quashes RM300k award for Guan Eng over defamation suit . 14 July 2022 . New Straits Times . 23 May 2016.
  12. Book: Khoo . Salma Nasution . Hayes . Alison . Zimbulis . Sehra . Giving Our Best The Story of St. George's Girls' School, Penang, 1885–2010 . 2010 . Areca Books . 9789675719042 . 197 . 6 January 2022.
  13. Web site: Symphonia Fantasia String Ensemble . Facebook . 2023-09-13 . www.facebook.com.
  14. Web site: Wei-Ling Gallery . 2023-09-13 . weiling-gallery.com.