This development involves adding new teaching spaces to Juasseh Vocational College, an existing educational institution established in 1984. It forms part of a nationwide initiative to transform vocational education, and one way to achieve this is by improving existing facilities. Like all 104 such colleges found nationwide, Juasseh College consists of a series of single- and two-storey blocks containing classrooms and workshops for teaching practical skills courses, such as automotive, construction, mechanical, electrical, and computer studies, to 16-, 17-, and 18-year-olds who have completed their secondary education. Located in the small township of Juasseh in the Kuala Pilah district—approximately a two-hour drive south of Kuala Lumpur—the college stands as a key landmark in the area, drawing students from across
Malaysia.
The improvement exercise revolves around expanding the campus by adding eight new blocks strategically placed around the existing structures. These new buildings are placed in previously underutilised peripheral and interstitial spaces, identified early in the design process. Their arrangement was guided by educational needs and formal planning requirements, ensuring coherent integration with the original campus layout in terms of both circulation and pedagogy. Out of the eight blocks, one stands alone, while the others are grouped into three clusters organised around courtyards.
The architecture of the new blocks adopts a distinct industrial language, setting them apart from the existing buildings, which are characterised by plastered masonry walls and double-pitched roofs. The design approach of the new blocks reflects the hands-on, technical nature of the courses being taught within the campus, providing a didactic framework that demonstrates how the buildings were developed and function in a tangible way.
Each building is an assemblage and composition of common building materials used
predominantly in their basic state, without the additional layering of finishes or adornments. Structural columns and beams are reinforced concrete and left exposed, protected only with a layer of clear waterproof coating. These elements stand in visual contrast against the painted non-load-bearing walls, emphasising the skeletal framework of the structure. In the workshops, ceilings are omitted, exposing the roof structure’s curved steel I-beams and the underside of the aluminium sheet insulation. To further reinforce the educational transparency of construction, mechanical and electrical services - the ducts, conduits, pipes and fittings - are organised neatly as they run exposed around spaces, showcasing the building’s functional logic.
Passive design strategies play a significant role in keeping optimal comfort levels in the teaching spaces, which are predominantly naturally ventilated. Classrooms and workshops are arranged in linear single-banked layouts, allowing openings at opposite sides for cross ventilation and ample natural light to filter through. Most workshops have very high ceilings, with some double in height. Here, clerestorey openings fixed with louvres allow accumulated warm air generated by people and machines to flow out through them. Most blocks are oriented with their long axes lying east-west. The orientation permits the long facades to face either north or south, avoiding solar gain from the low and direct morning and afternoon sun. Further protection comes in the
form of low roof overhangs and aluminium brise soleils, which further cut out the sun’s rays from falling directly on the walls, keeping the internal spaces comfortably cool for students and teachers throughout the day.
The newly upgraded college can accommodate up to 1,100 students and 140 teaching staff. Students and staff move around and between the new and old parts of the college along covered walkways that connect the two. Corridors, heavily shaded by low roof overhangs and angled louvre panels, provide access to the classrooms and workshops.
The newly constructed teaching spaces—lofty, open, and light-filled, with robust exposed concrete and steel framing—support hands-on, practical learning. This is especially true in the workshops, which contain industrial-grade teaching tools, including components of car engines, air-conditioning systems, concrete mixers, and mechanical testing equipment. Here, durable surfaces are designed to withstand heavy loads and high-impact activities, while also being easy to maintain and keep clean. The contrast between the new and existing buildings is stark, but renovations on the older blocks are set to begin later in the year, bringing the entire college’s facilities up to the targeted standard.
Project Information & Credits:
Location: Juasseh, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan
Status: Built
Completion Year: 2024
Total floor area of new blocks: 6,350 m² (68,326 ft²)
Architect: Eleena Jamil Architect
Architectural Design team: Eleena Jamil, Bahirah Rahman, Ishak Sukran, Yow Pei San, Lina Izzati Muhammad, Adam Aziz Marzuki, Ros Adilla Roslan, (Yusri Amri Yusoff, Anise Kaz Ahmad Kamal)
Photography by Zakee Man
