Multifarious Iskandar Malaysia Incubation Centre (MIMIC)
"Hybrid Theory"

By Lee Ping Fuan

Johor Bahru (the southernmost city of Peninsula Malaysia, the gateway to Singapore) is a city in decline, gradually losing its vibrancy and liveliness as a city to crime and bad development planning. Rerouting major traffic arteries in the city resulted in a "dead zone" in the middle of the city where less people visit now. Subsequent efforts to liven up the city via cultural streets and sporadic green pockets failed to produce visible results - they are really leftover, accidental spaces that were re-branded - lacking focus and purpose. The solution to this is obvious: create focused and purposed spaces for public use, e.g. a large public park area, an easily accessible plaza, or a pedestrian-only street in the heart of the city.

ISKANDAR Economic Region, as proposed by ISKANDAR Regional Development Agency (IRDA) aims to revitalize the state of Johor and Johor Bahru in particular. IRDA has separated their development plans into zones with distinct identities and distinct functions for "Live.Work.Play.Invest" - the 4 key criteria identified with successful cities all around the world. For a city to be truly alive, all four of these seemingly conflicting attributes must be present in the same location - creating a holistic environment for people to live their lives in.

The flagship of IRDA/ISKANDAR - this Incubation Centre must, above all else exhibit the spirit of integration, allowing Live.Work.Play.Invest to coexist in the same location. To achieve this, we'll have to blur the boundaries that separate the distinct spaces of Live.Work.Play.Invest, if not to entirely eliminate them - effectively creating a homogenous space where each type of activities can take place at once. It shall be where the coffee machine can be within two gentle pushes on a wheeled office chair, lazy chairs within plain sight just beyond the computer screen and hearing the occasional laughter from colleagues taking a breather at the pool table just a mere 15 steps away.

The plaza created at ground level could host the occasional bazaar, exhibition or be the venue for public screening of major sports games/events. At ground Level, the entire development is a vast expanse of informal meeting/gathering space for both the staff/personnel and the general public. At the same time, the rest of the site are made into a public park and the non-private areas of the building could be designated for public use, encouraging public access and allowing the public to fully utilize the entire development.