AKAK Design Solutions
Serambi school, seen from the south-east
Education · Greentown, Ipoh · Concept design

SerambiA school of verandas around shaded courtyards.

Lot 94582 courtyardsGrid 5 m
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The actual project model

Six layers,
one idea.

A family of roofs, a shaded frame and the spaces in between.

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01 / The idea

A school that teaches in the shade.

The serambi is the deep veranda at the front of a Malay house: half inside, half out, a place to receive guests, sit together and watch the day. This project stretches that threshold into a whole school.

Two laman form its outdoor rooms. Teaching wings, staff spaces and the balai gather around them; verandas, an east gallery and a west kaki lima connect everyday movement. The kolong opens beneath part of the laboratory wing, linking the two courtyards.

An architectural redesign of the final-year Ipoh International School studio brief. Unbuilt concept project.

8,094 m²Site area recorded in the group study
3 levelsGround, first and second floors
5 mTypical structural grid
One family of roofs. Two outdoor rooms.South-east aerial / design preview
02 / Read the site

The place becomes
the brief.

Greentown’s road edges, sun and prevailing breeze inform the plan. The original site study was group work; the design responses are developed here.

01 · NOISE

70 dB to the north

The group survey identifies Jalan Dato Seri Ahmad Said as the loud edge. The padang faces that road, with teaching spaces set farther south.

02 · WIND

From the south-west

The study records south-west and southerly winds, strongest June to October. Courtyard gaps and the kolong offer possible air paths.

03 · SUN

Make the shade

East–west wings reduce exposed ends. Deep eaves, screens and canopy trees address seasonal sun on the occupied edges.

Site facts: group study, Lot 9458. Interactive analysis layers use OSM context and indicative models; each diagram explains its basis.

03 / Design development

Told in diagrams.

Follow the decisions from the site to the roof. Open a drawing to read it at full size.

Read the diagram portfolio PDF ↗
04 / The architecture

A route around
the laman.

The veranda is more than circulation. It is a sheltered edge to sit, look into the gardens and move between teaching and shared spaces.

A place to pause between lessons.Laman 1 / day design preview
The serambi begins at arrival.
The kolong keeps the ground floor open.
05 / Rooms and connections

Read the plan.

Three occupied levels, connected by verandas and cores. Select a level, then enlarge the sheet or open its PDF.

Arrival, administration and the library occupy the south. The open kolong connects the laman; dining and shared facilities anchor the balai.

Ground floor PDF ↗
06 / Life inside

One school.
Many kinds of day.

Explore the furnished rooms one at a time. Large views keep the spaces readable; only the room you select loads.

01 / 10
Ground / G02

The library

Reading tables, low book stacks and window seating make a shared place to study and gather.

Design preview

These views come from the furnished 3ds Max project. They are design previews; selected final renders are still to be produced.

07 / Material and identity

Warm materials.
School colours.

Rendered walls, timber screens, clay tones and colour at everyday touchpoints. Wajik diamonds recur in joinery and graphic details.

Renderwalls and quiet surfaces
Timberscreens and joinery
Tealschool identity
Mustardlearning spaces
Terracottabrick and accents
Sagelandscape and soft finishes

Reference photographs: Pexels. Material references: ambientCG, CC0. Image credits ↗

The project, together

A veranda is a place.
A school can be one too.

Read the diagram portfolio ↗Return to the interactive gallery →

Serambi / Ipoh International School redesign. Concept design. Original site study developed as a group project; the cited pages are retained unchanged.

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Scroll to inspect the sheet. Press Esc to close.