CLOU Founding Director Jan Clostermann, recently presented his lecture ‘Social Space’ at the PAM (Malaysian Institute of Architects) Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Jan shared how architecture can create value beyond commercial function, shaping spaces that foster community and shared experiences. Drawing from CLOU’s work, he discussed strategies for reimagining retail and mixed-use spaces through multiple ground levels, indoor–outdoor continuity, and programmatic hybridity.

The lecture explores how architecture can balance economic with the desire for meaningful spaces, proposing a commercially viable and socially generative approach. Jan believes this concept is central to CLOU’s practice: good architecture grows from people coming together.