Nik bin Wan Omar Yusoff is recorded as a Malaysian student in 1963 entering the Third Year cohort of the five-year Diploma course at the Architectural Association (AA), in London. For his final year’s studies (1965-66), Yusoff elected to join the programme of the AA Department of Tropical Studies, where one of his projects was for an Entertainment Centre in Jurong, Singapore, completed with his Tropical Studies classmate, John Nutsugah. By 1970 Yusoff had returned to Malaysia and was employed as a Technical Lecturer at the Technical College, Kuala Lumpur (now Universiti Teknologi Malaysia). Three years later he became a partner at the practice of Akitek Bersekutu Malaysia, joining Hijjas bin Kasturi, Ong Guan Teck, David Joyce and Tan Toh Hock in a unique, collaborative practice which combined Malay, Chinese and European partners. The practice flourished and quickly developed into one of the most significant in the country, taking on major educational projects, hospitals, residential buildings and commercial and institutional offices. They were also closely involved in drawing up a number of masterplans for new townships, including six new towns in the Pahnang Tenggara in the mid-1970s. Their Tanjong Jara Beach Hotel project became the first building in Malaysia to be awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (1983). Amongst their other important works are a a 28-storey headquarters for the Employees Provident Fund, in Kuala Lumpur (c1981), the Sri Mara 25-storey complex in Kuala Lumpur, a high-rise, multi-purpose complex in Kauntan and projects for the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, including their Radiotherapy Extension. . In 1979 Nik Yusoff held the position of President of Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia.

Sources

• Architectural Association Student Register, 1945-71. AA Archives
• Architectural Association Diploma Roll, 1966. AA Archives
• Architectural Association Council Minutes, 18th July 1966
• Maktab Teknik, Kalendar, 1970-71, Kuala Lumpur, 1971
• Freeman Fox and Associates, Akitek Bersekutu, Tahir Wong, Alan Turner and Associates and Roger Tym and Associates, ‘Summary Report: Six New Towns in Pahang Tenggara, ad associated reports and working papers’, Freeman Fox and Associates, 1978.
• ‘Multi-purpose complex rising at Kauntan, Malaysia; Architects: Akitek Bersekutu Malaysia,’ Asian building and construction, June 1979, pp15-21.
• ‘Tanjong Jara Beach Hotel; Architects: Akitek Bersekutu Malaysia, consultant architects: Wimberly Whisenand Allison Tong & Goo,’ Southeast Asia building materials and equipment, May 1981, p94-109
• ‘Apartments: Seri Raja Chulan condominium on the Changkat Raja Chulan; Architects: Akitek Bersekutu’ Majalah arkitek, vol. 7, no. 5, 1995 Sept./Oct., p. 31-34.
• Arkitek Bersekutu Malaysia, website. Accessed 14th November, 2025: https://abmalaysia.tripod.com/