The V

The project brief was to design a museum of early education in Penang. The museum will house physical & gallery, mini café, library, and exhibition space. Penang’s early education history is a long process of growth and evolution. It has been through war, fire, and colonization. This long & exciting journey inspired my design to be evoluting, dramatic, and organic.

There are already museums around the area, and usually museum contents are deemed to be boring. Thus, the need of designing something fresh and attractive is crucial. The challenge was to create a uniquely attractive museum that provokes visitors to explore the space, enjoy the content of the museum, and discuss exciting issues.

The design approach is to confront the site, issue, and topic through antagonisms. The overall shape is going against Palladian & 1970s modern style buildings at the sides and confronting the usual formal take on the topic of 'Early Education'.


The facade is designed to be attractive and sustainable at the same time,
evoking visitors’ curiosity upon entering the building. The curvy horizontal emphasis along the facade serves as a dynamic yet elegant visual to the visitors. Inside, visitors will be greeted with exciting & organic spaces made of steps and angled columns, elegantly designed to be thoroughly explored.

Facade, floor plates, and support structure are designed with innovation and efficiency in mind by embedding a system in a system. By using this method, the design responds to the issue of building sustainability through the use of building technology advancement.


In this case, the museum design is being sensitive towards the site, issue, and topic when it's pushing boundaries through questions, discussions, and innovations.

Brian Novanto
Diploma - Design Studio 3

Design Studio 3 - Grandmother Stories

When Mr Ian and Mr Keith asked us to sketch what we think is the most memorable part in both our house and our grandmother's house as the first task, it only took me one second to figure them out.

The window on the left is in my sister's room, not my room, but I always adore it the most. In the morning, the see-through gordyn frames the beauty of morning light and waves to the soft flow of the early wind. It is very memorable because I always look to it every morning and it is beautiful. The sad part is I hardly ever sit by the window, enjoying the beauty of it.

The picture on the right is the view from the inside of the house facing the main gate of my grandmother's house, which is located in Chinatown and is about 70 years old. It is very memorable because every Chinese New Year, the big family would gather at the house, all the sons, daughters, grandchildren, relatives, and friends; and the door becomes one wonderful beauty. A lot of shoes and sandals would pile up by the door, scattered, picturing the togetherness of the family at that particular time of celebration.

The window is a beauty by itself, looking all good with its design without being used, but the door is even more of a beauty: the door ties our memories of every Chinese New Year celebration we've had together all these years, a memory that will be cherished, timelessly.