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

MALIHOM

Malihom, Penang, is a study in tactile architecture (designed and developed by its architect-owner) that's realised through a fusion of the memories and craftsmanship of the Thai vernacular and a supreme consciousness of the freedoms afforded by the Modern Movement.

Amazing sunsets everyday.

A no-frills, no-quotation-of-the-vernacular in the flyaway, metal canopy that caps the lookout tower constructed in fairface brick.

Powder room set into the silo-like, viewing tower. Fascinating dovetailing of the timber door into the brick courses!

Cantilevered, checkerplate treads - a relaxed amalgamation of Industrialtech.

Waved sheets for rigidity.

Almost a total importation of the Thai rice barn.

A real quotation this time: the infinity pool, with Buddha sentinels and recycled railway sleepers (and raindrops on the water skin.)

A thoroughly enjoyable tea for my family, friends and me last December!

At the other end of the affordability scale compared to Adeline's Resort in Gopeng (see my earlier posting) but, ironically, born of the same architectural approach. There's much in the message here.