Bujang Valley (Lembah Bujang) is said to be the oldest civilization of Peninsular Malaysia. Archaeological excavation works had been carried out in Lembah Bujang seeking for the uncovered footprints of the ancient Hindu-Buddhist civilisation. Many artifacts and remnants of the temples built in the era have been found, collected, documented and reconstructed by the authorities here.

My intention is to translate excavation into architecture. The history of the lembah bujang is fragmented like broken pieces and is for people to dig out the history and link them together. 

 

The vic is strongly engaged to the site by rotating the v and giving a way to the places where the artefacts and candi are located.  Orientation of the volume  is hardly arbitrary, but is determined by the views of the surrounding landscape and also the sun path. Because of the angle is not perpendcular to the eyes view, one can feel the spaces are fragmented.

 

The ground floor is divided by the axis that is main circulation. Public and private spaces are separated in the way that public spaces like cafe and gift shop is more open to the visitors while the public ones are concentrate in one area. The void here actually imitates the process of excavation and visitors are able to witness the happenings between two floors. It is where the public meets together for interaction.

 

There are three galleries in different sizes of which the hierarchy shows a change of feeling along the journey. The light comes in through the windows and wall painting a picture of the excavating process. Pierced brick walls do not only allow natural ventilation but also soft light quality.  The viewing deck is directly facing the candy batu pahat which is the most significant one among the rest. 

 

Skylights constructed on the ceiling suggest the natural light down the exposed concrete beam, further enhancing the beauty of the walls' texture and layers. As this place marks the end of the gallery, the ceiling is made higher to achieve a sense of enlightenment. From being clueless when enter the guiding, visitors become aware of the knowledge about budging valley. At the end of the journey, visitors learn to appreciate and preserve the root of archaeology.

Learning Outcomes:

• Learnt to design based on the unique character and conditions of the site context.

• Gained better understanding about spatial planning for a public building.

• Able to generate design through conscious consideration of section-plan relationship with various considerations.