Jimmy Lim
Jimmy Lim Cheok Siang, born 1944, Penang, Straits Settlement, 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. 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.In 1978 Lim began his own architecture firm, CSL associates, which is now called Jimmy Lim Design. His 1984 design for the CY Chiew house won the PAM House Award in 1984, and 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 which was designed for Swiss businessman Rolf W. Schnyder, the Menara Prudential office tower in Kuala Lumpur, and Resorts World Awana in Genting Highlands. In 2012 he received the SIA-Getz Architecture Prize for Emergent Architecture in Asia for sustainability. Lim was president of the Malaysian Institute of Architects,, and received their gold medal for lifetime services to the architecture profession. During his career Lim taught as an adjunct professor at Curtin University and the University of Tasmania.
As of October 2024 Lim remained active as an architect. Lim is an advocate of natural design and the use of wood in construction. Lim also advocates prioritising interior over exterior design.