Malaysian-born architect in Sydney wins awards for former convent-turned-hotel

KL-born Yong, who also lives in Surry Hills, says he never contemplated the opportunity of reimagining the former convent into something so special. Photos: Terence Yong Architecture

As a young child, Terence Yong was exposed to building sites and professionals as his father ran a family-owned property development and building business in Bentong, Pahang.

Then as a teen in the 1990s, he witnessed the country’s rapid urbanisation – and, with it, the construction of skyscrapers – that took place under the then prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad’s Vision 2020.