IAI Malang Competition – Pharmacy Department Building

Designing the Faculty of Pharmacy Building within the established Brawijaya University campus presents a challenge of creating unity and harmony within its context. Respecting the existing environment is essential. Located at the site’s edge, the building connects the campus to the city, forming a new urban interface through pedestrian and traffic interactions that express a renewed identity for both campus and city.

Rigid iron fences are replaced with landscaped boundaries, softening the edge between campus and city. Existing large trees are preserved to shade parking areas and provide a human-scale transition. Students and visitors ascend gently through a sloped garden to the second floor—home to public spaces—while faculty areas are placed on the ground floor, linked to the vehicle drop-off.

The building mass is composed simply along a clear axis. Facades feature vertical fins inspired by Javanese temple silhouettes, controlling sunlight, ventilation, and privacy while honoring local cultural typologies of “head-body-foot.” The second floor serves as a public pause between other levels.

Interior spaces are casual and dynamic, fostering an engaging learning atmosphere. A continuous stepped staircase connects all six floors, doubling as communal seating. Laboratories are clustered for efficient circulation, while corridors and vertical voids enhance visual connectivity. The design encourages openness and fluidity, countering the rigidity of traditional academic spaces.