Tepi Sungai Culture and Arts Centre, Malacca, Malaysia
Tepi Sungai translates as ‘Riverside’ in Malay, referring to the building’s location. The idea manifests as a museum exhibiting how each respective culture in Malacca expresses itself through the arts. The theoretical agenda of the multifunctional courtyard is to serve as the beating heart of the building. It is a cool, highly vegetated space which serves as a space for refuge, circulation and a location for performances, which illustrate the information visitors have discovered through music, dance and theatre. A variety of places allow users to pause, reflect and embrace the environment in which they find themselves.
The building is a statement piece, standing out amongst the crowd. Entirely constructed using a combination of CLT panels and glulam beams, it provides a modern interpretation of traditional construction techniques while reducing the use of environmentally unfriendly steel and concrete. Planters, located on the perimeter of the floor profiles, add a luscious aesthetic to the design, allowing it to fit in with the greenery in the surrounding context. Expansive overhangs are utilised for both amenity and aesthetics; calculated to span far enough to entirely shade the glazing from direct sunlight throughout the day.
