The Clan Helps Rejuvenate Former PJ Factory into PJ Collective, a Social Wellness Centre

Independent Malaysian agency The Clan has unveiled the brand identity for PJ Collective, a social wellness destination created through the rejuvenation of the former Kong Brothers Engineering Works in Petaling Jaya.

The project began under the working title Project 51A. Following a competitive pitch won by The Clan, the agency developed the name, positioning and identity for the master brand before extending the concept across its key experiences: The Collective Courts for pickleball, Recollective for recovery, and Collective Training Club for gym, personal training, physiotherapy and mobility.

At the centre of the identity is the letter “C”, designed to represent a magnetic pull around a solid gathering point. A surrounding ripple symbolises the effect of people and experiences radiating into the wider community. The design system gives each part of the destination its own role while keeping every experience visibly connected to one collective idea.

The brand was shaped around the building itself. The 50-year-old steel fabrication factory has been retained and renewed as a contemporary social wellness hub, preserving its industrial character while introducing premium courts, training and recovery facilities under one roof.

This approach positions the project as part of Petaling Jaya’s continuing story, rather than as a venue transplanted into the neighbourhood.

“PJ Collective was always intended to bring different parts of wellbeing into one shared experience. The building gave us a chance to preserve a piece of Petaling Jaya’s history while creating a place where people can play, train, recover and spend time together. The Clan understood that this had to feel like a community from the beginning, not simply a collection of facilities,” said Janell Tan, Co-Founder of PJ Collective.

The Clan’s remit grew beyond brand strategy and identity to include sub-brand naming, corporate identity guidelines, website design and copy, wayfinding, signage, merchandise and communications planning.

“We loved the idea of rejuvenating an old building in an older part of PJ and helping the neighbourhood move forward with a new stride towards fitness. The brand had to hold on to the character of the place while giving people a reason to gather again,” said Sam Lai, Head of Art at The Clan.

“We became so engaged with that purpose that we converted part of our fee into PJ Collective memberships, giving our own people wellness credits to use across the space. It made sense for the agency building the collective to become part of it,” said Casey Loh, Creative Chief at The Clan.

The brand direction moves PJ Collective away from being known solely as a sports venue, positioning it instead as a holistic social wellness experience where people can play, train and recover as part of the same community.