RE-ROOFING THE CANOPY: Activating Idle Tropical Roofscapes | JUJURWORK

01. Urban Context and Strategic Activation

Occupying the concrete roofscape of the 1970s Hock Bee Bros Building on Jalan Besar, Jibungae KBBQ represents a case study in adaptive reuse by JUJURWORK. As the second food and beverage project within this structure—following the spatial model established by Ms Elliot at Hock Bee—the intervention participates in the ongoing architectural revitalization of Kuantan’s historic core.

In low-rise, low-density coastal cities like Kuantan, commercial rooftops frequently function as underutilized zones, detached from public circulation and reserved primarily for mechanical plants. Jibungae KBBQ addresses this spatial condition by reinterpreting the rooftop as an elevated civic vantage point. The site commands a clear view across the Kuantan River and its mangrove lines, contrasted against the traditional forms of the State Mosque and modern infrastructure landmarks: Menara 188 and the iconic Kuantan bridge. The design leverages this threshold, shifting the space from an abandoned slab into an urban observatory that records the city’s mixed architectural eras and coastal ecology.

02. Conceptual Framework: The Synthesis of Hallyu and Tropical Urbanism

The primary design challenge centered on transposing the high-density, informal sociology of downtown Seoul’s street culture onto an exposed, tropical rooftop in Peninsular Malaysia. Rather than employing direct historicist replication, JUJURWORK approached the project from a South-East Asian perspective, analyzing how Hallyu (the Korean Wave) shapes the regional imagination of urban Korea. The design synthesizes these global-local narratives by mapping them directly into three core spatial typologies that organize the restaurant's programming.

The first of these typologies is the Pojangmacha, an ad-hoc social incubator that draws from the functional setup of temporary street-side drinking tents that serve as democratic social equalizers in Korean urban centers. Characterized by modular layouts and flexible furniture configurations, this typology informs the unpretentious, highly adaptable seating arrangements at Jibungae. By mirroring this casual arrangement, the design establishes an informal environment that facilitates loose, unscripted social interaction among diners.

The second typology focuses on the Hanok, a representation of modernized structural heritage. This manifests as an open-air structural pavilion inspired by the silhouettes of traditional Korean residential architecture. Positioned completely open to the elements, the sweeping, upward curve of the traditional roofline is abstracted into a skeletal industrial steel framework. This architectural gesture serves as a spatial statement piece and visual anchor for the rooftop. The open framework modernizes the profiles of traditional upward rafters and Silla roof-end tiles, translating them into crisp, laser-cut metal sheets that interface heritage with contemporary fabrication, casting graphic shadows across the dining deck throughout the day.

The third typology incorporates bustling Korean streetscapes, establishing a cinematic backdrop using the dense, layered visual language of transit hubs and commercial alleyways in Seoul. By referencing the textured, sometimes gritty material language seen in South Korean cinema, the project moves away from clinical minimalism. It utilizes lightboxes, graphic overlays, and deliberate illumination gradients to construct an atmospheric environment that mimics the complex, neon-lit density of an authentic East Asian streetscape.

03. Spatial Choreography and Layout Strategy

The floor plan was strictly governed by original structural boundaries, circulation efficiency, and current fire-safety compliance. Guest arrival utilizes the building’s original 1970s concrete lift shaft, which was retrofitted and brought back online to handle vertical transport directly from the ground level.

The rooftop’s two original skylights were re-engineered to update the site's circulation path. The rear skylight was enclosed to act as a fire-code-compliant emergency exit. The central skylight, which extends vertically down to the building's mezzanine floor, underwent a radical structural alteration: its heavy masonry parapet walls and restrictive polycarbonate covers were removed, replaced by a flush, high-strength steel and structural glass floor. This architectural intervention unlocked a level transition between the front and rear zones of the restaurant. Simultaneously, the new glass deck functions as a multi-use floor space, acting as an elevated platform for live audio performances during events.

Programmatic allocation balances structural constraints with service logistics. To minimize load adjustments on the existing concrete slab, the commercial kitchen sits adjacent to the original masonry stairway, with its lightweight roof extending from the footprint of the old stairwell building. The reception and beverage stations extend similarly from the structural massing of the lift core.

The central axis is anchored by the double-sided hanok communal dining booth, placed at a controlled angle to guarantee that diners on both sides maintain direct lines of sight toward the river and Menara 188. This linear seating arrangement allows operational flexibility, where tables can be combined or separated depending on party size.

Along the front perimeter, custom double-sided booth seats incorporate integrated, vertical light fixtures that reference the functional design of public transit seating and urban benches. To mitigate an unfavorable visual connection with an adjacent, dilapidated rooftop on the northern boundary, JUJURWORK detailed a decorative architectural screen. Designed as a stylized city skyline with integrated mock LED signage, this element serves as a visual barrier while acting as a source of ambient illumination.

The floor directly below functions as an ad-hoc dining space, offering shelter during inclement weather and serving as a flexible event zone. This level also integrates a quiet surau (prayer room) fitted with a dedicated ablution area, providing private programmatic zoning within proximity to the main dining spaces.

The specification of loose furniture prioritized lightweight, high-durability pieces capable of enduring tropical heat, heavy humidity, and sudden downpours. JUJURWORK selected customized four-person stainless-steel bbq-tables and chairs fabricated from weather-resistant composite materials and powder-coated aluminum frames. This allows for rapid configuration changes to suit varying dining group dynamics, balancing structural resilience with operational agility.

04. Fabricating the Modernized Vernacular and Brand Palette

The primary logistical constraint was the transport and assembly of heavy structural elements onto an active rooftop while minimizing disruption to operational businesses on the lower levels. This led JUJURWORK to implement an industrialized pre-fabrication strategy, which simultaneously acted as the primary canvas for Jibungae's bold brand color palette of high-contrast orange, red, and black.

The central hanok pavilion highlights this modular engineering and color strategy. Designed as an open-air sculptural installation, the entire structure was broken down into twelve precision components consisting of six base units and six roof units. These were fabricated off-site from structural steel and finished in a uniform, high-saturation brand orange powder coat that cuts a sharp silhouette against Kuantan's sky. These components were craned onto the rooftop and assembled using high-tolerance slotting sleeve connections and bolted anchors.

Each base unit combines an integrated platform base, bench seating, and a vertical back panel cladded in ribbed, translucent polycarbonate sheets. The corresponding upper roof units slot directly into the vertical steel posts of the base, remaining unroofed to let the tropical sky pass through. To provide task illumination without interrupting the clean lines of the geometry, LED strips were installed along the underside of the curved roof rafters. This clarifies the abstracted, skeletal silhouette of the orange hanok frame against the sky while maintaining functional lighting levels for the dining tables below.

This vibrant structural orange is paired texturally with deep crimson reds and solid black accents across the broader space. The perimeter booth units follow a similar assembly logic, featuring integrated steel posts where custom-designed statement light fixtures are secured on-site post-wiring. The light poles, custom table frames, and industrial metal surfaces are powder coated in bright orange, which anchors the space and anchors the chaotic neon light elements. Meanwhile, punctuated hits of brand red emerge through the graphic lightboxes and accent paneling and metal balustrades along the northern skyline screen, weaving the brand identity tightly into the physical architecture.

05. Conclusion: A Holistic Vision for Adaptive Reuse

Jibungae KBBQ Rooftop Korean BBQ illustrates how a commercial project can align brand identity with structural problem-solving and urban activation. By coordinating Jibungae's graphic branding—such as the large logo mounted on the original lift shaft that projects reflections onto the glass skylight roof—with a disciplined architectural framework, JUJURWORK presents a model for adaptive reuse that addresses local economic activation on Jalan Besar through tectonic precision and contextual clarity.