Red Hill Gallery

[English text below] Red Hill Gallery tidak hanya dirancang sebagai sebuah galeri, tetapi juga sebagai pengalaman menjelajahi lanskap. Berlokasi di kawasan pinggiran kota tropis, proyek ini berangkat dari pembacaan terhadap kondisi tapak yang terus berubah akibat perkembangan kawasan permukiman.

Proses perancangannya diawali dengan eksplorasi langsung ke lokasi. Di tengah hamparan perkebunan kelapa sawit dan padang rumput bekas lahan peternakan, tim perancang menemukan sekelompok pohon karet yang tetap dipertahankan di tengah proses pembukaan lahan. Keberadaan hutan kecil yang dikelilingi perkebunan tersebut kemudian menjadi titik berangkat bagi konsep desain. Lanskap sebagai bagian penting dari pengalaman arsitektural.

Pengunjung memasuki galeri melalui jalur berliku berupa elevated walkway yang membelah hutan pohon karet. Di balik vegetasi, fasad merah bangunan sesekali terlihat, tetapi tidak pernah sepenuhnya terungkap. Bangunan sengaja dibiarkan muncul secara bertahap, membangun rasa penasaran selama perjalanan menuju galeri. Pengalaman ini menciptakan kontras yang kuat ketika pengunjung akhirnya memasuki ruang pamer. Setelah melewati jalur hutan yang teduh dan gelap, interior galeri menyambut dengan ruang serba putih yang terang dan lapang.

Narasi perjalanan tersebut berlanjut ke dalam bangunan. Perubahan ketinggian plafon, lipatan dinding, serta bukaan yang membingkai potongan lanskap menciptakan pengalaman ruang yang terus berubah. Sebuah koridor berliku menghubungkan berbagai fungsi di dalam bangunan sebelum bermuara pada courtyard yang menjadi pusat area kantor. Susunan ruang ini menginterpretasikan pengalaman menyusuri hutan, di mana setiap belokan menghadirkan orientasi dan perspektif baru.

Saat meninggalkan kawasan dari sisi selatan, bangunan akhirnya tampil utuh dengan latar hutan pohon karet. Bentuk massanya merefleksikan kontur perbukitan bergelombang di sekitarnya, sekaligus menutup rangkaian perjalanan yang menjadi inti pengalaman arsitektur Red Hill Gallery.

Red Hill Gallery

Red Hill Gallery was conceived not only as an exhibition space, but also as an experience of exploring the landscape. Located on the edge of a tropical town, the project responds to a site undergoing rapid transformation as agricultural land gradually gives way to residential development.

The design process began with an on-site exploration. Amid vast oil palm plantations and former dairy grasslands, the design team discovered a cluster of rubber trees that had been preserved during the land-clearing process. This small forest, enclosed by surrounding plantations, became the starting point for the architectural concept. Rather than treating the landscape as a backdrop, the project places it at the centre of the spatial experience.

Visitors approach the gallery via a winding elevated walkway that cuts through the preserved rubber forest. Behind the trees, the building’s striking red façade appears only in fragments, never fully revealing itself. This gradual sequence builds anticipation before visitors arrive at the gallery. The experience culminates in a dramatic contrast as the shaded forest path gives way to a bright, expansive white gallery interior.

The narrative continues inside the building. Shifting ceiling heights, folded walls, and carefully positioned openings frame fragmented views of the surrounding landscape, creating a constantly changing spatial experience. A zigzag corridor connects the different functional spaces before leading to a courtyard at the heart of the office. Together, these spaces reinterpret the experience of navigating through a forest, where every turn offers a new orientation and perspective.

As visitors leave the site from the south, the building is finally revealed in its entirety against the backdrop of the rubber forest. Its undulating form echoes the surrounding hills, bringing the architectural journey of Red Hill Gallery to a fitting conclusion.

Architecture Firm: FORMZERO, MOA Architects
Lead Architect: Cherng Yih Lee
Design Team: Desmond Lee, Justin Lee, Hung Sing, Tan Ewe Liat

Location: Seremban, Malaysia
Area:  1,160 sqm.
Year:  2018
Landscape Architect: HODA Design
Quantity Surveyor: Jurukur Bahan FPS
Interior Design: Luna Solutions
Structural Engineer: Perunding LNL
Contractor: PJD Construction
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: YF Perunding
Manufacturers: Acolia, Acotiles, Ban Hin Leong, Clean Colorbon, Jotun, Zacklim