| Lake Kenyir is the largest artificial lake in Southeast Asia and served as the site to our design problem while studying abroad. Located on the eastern coast of Malaysia, Lake Kenyir is an extremely underdeveloped, rural area and is a struggling tourist destination, in need of a spark to ignite the area as an attractive spot. We were asked to design a project that would entail a particular program appropriate to the context that would immediately attract tourists.
The approach was to attack the problem in the present condition and the future, which led to the inception of a sports and recreation center. Like most people are, Malaysians are die-hard sports fans, and very good athletes themselves. Their most popular sport is soccer, in particular futsal, a derivative of soccer played on a smaller court with fewer people. The project celebrates futsal, as sports have become a religious activity to many. The building is situated on top of a hill on site, in a symbolic fashion, much like the Parthenon. It consists of outdoor futsal and badminton courts as well as indoor recreational activities such as table tennis, billiards, and martial arts. This venue creates a facility for the local Malaysians to engage and participate in. It becomes their local destination for all things sports. This is the immediate effect.
Being a bit more ambitious, the project also features bleachers and housing units around the perimeter of the outdoor courts, intended to accommodate a number of spectators for organized events. Each housing unit has a direct view of the futsal court, thereby redefining the court as essentially the backyard.
The main feature of the project is the augmentation of landscape that forms the green roof. John Wooden once said that, “Sports do not build character, they reveal it.” The intention behind the form was a similar approach: the building emerges out of the landscape, in a way revealing itself to the site. The green roof is seamlessly integrated into the landscape, and features a running track that also functions as an observation deck.
The project’s success lies in the fact that it serves an immediate solution for the local demographic but also projects future usage and development. Sports are a universal phenomenon that has permeated various cultures. This project’s utilization of such a dynamic program and the way it is situated seamlessly in the landscape will enable Lake Kenyir to become a hot tourist destination.
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