REMPAH - Spice Sensory Experience Center

City University Malaysia

Project idea

Long before modern holistic trends took hold, nature offered its own remedies. Spices that carry the warmth of heritage and the promise of healing. In Malaysia, these age-old practices endure, quietly embedded into kitchens, beauty rituals, and the tender rhythms of everyday life. Yet what many see as simple ingredients hold deeper meaning. They are living traditions woven into the country’s cultural fabric, shaping not just how people eat, but also how they heal and connect with one another. As we often say, “we don’t just eat food, we celebrate food“ inspiring traditional spice practices that share stories of heritage, healing, and togetherness passed down through generations.

However, with the rapid pace of modern life, many of these intimate traditions risk being forgotten or overlooked. This center reimagines those traditions as a sensory experience rather than simply telling the story, inviting visitors to feel them through textures, aromas, and the emotional pull of memory. Built on Malaysia’s rich heritage and crafted with sustainability at its core, the concept bridges the past and present, offering an immersive journey that sparks reflection and discovery. For international visitors, it opens a window into a side of Malaysian life often overlooked, where the smallest natural elements carry the greatest cultural weight.

Project description

Located in Negeri Sembilan, a region known for its scenic landscapes and agricultural roots, Rempah serves as a dynamic point of connection between tradition, community, and contemporary exploration. Surrounded by greenery and situated not far from the city, it offers a space that brings people together through shared experiences tied to the everyday use and deeper meaning of Malaysia’s local ingredients. Here, spices take center stage not only as essential elements of flavor but as vital ingredients in healing practices, beauty rituals, and cultural traditions passed down through generations. Through hands-on workshops, sensory demonstrations, and interactive spaces, visitors are invited to discover the diverse roles spices play in cooking, wellness, and traditional medicine. Activities such as creating traditional spice pastes, blending aromatic herbs, or crafting natural skincare remedies provide immersive experiences that connect the senses with knowledge and heritage. Not to mention, this center highlights the care of newly birthed mothers through postpartum healing services that incorporates science-backed traditional spice-based practices, including jamu medication, herbal compresses, and spice-infused baths which are remedies rooted in local wisdom to promote an emotional and physical natural recovery.

More than just a gallery or museum, Rempah is a spice sensory experience center, designed to evoke memory, curiosity, and creativity through multi-sensory engagement. Beyond education, Rempah also functions as a platform for local artisans, small producers, and spice-based entrepreneurs to showcase their skills, products, and innovations. This creative exchange supports community livelihoods and nurtures new ideas rooted in traditional wisdom. It becomes a place where forgotten techniques are revived, and contemporary interpretations are encouraged, bridging generations through a shared love for local ingredients. Accessible to both city visitors and nearby communities, acting as a vibrant hub where traditions evolve and new connections form. In every texture, aroma, and shared moment, the familiar becomes fascinating once again offering not just knowledge, but a richer way to relate to the stories and uses of Malaysia’s treasured spices. As the Malay proverb goes, “Tak kenal maka tak cinta” to know is to love, inviting people to know their roots and spark deeper appreciation through sensory discovery.

Technical information

Rempah is organized into three key zones, Institutional, Commercial, and Hospitality. Each designed to serve distinct user experiences while functioning as an integrated, self-sustaining system. The zoning enhances operational flow and responds to climatic needs, with transitions between zones carefully managed through differences in spatial density, ventilation openness, and surface treatments. These three programs share construction logic and environmental strategies that prioritize low-energy use, natural comfort, and material honesty. The entire structure is built on a timber post-and-beam framework, elevated on reinforced concrete footings to reduce contact with the earth. This elevation helps prevent ground moisture damage and promotes airflow beneath the floors, improving overall thermal comfort. The beam framework supports a lightweight roof system, designed with extended overhangs and adjustable bamboo screens to reduce solar heat gain and shield interior spaces from monsoon rainfall.

The material palette consists of locally sourced, cost-efficient Malaysian resources such as bamboo, rattan, woven palm, compressed earth blocks, and selected timbers. These materials are selected for their natural resilience in humid climates, low maintenance requirements, and craftability using traditional techniques. Bamboo is used for partition walls, shading panels, and spice racks. Rattan and palm are woven into flexible screens and ceiling treatments. Timber forms the structural skeleton and furniture, while compressed earth blocks are used for thermal mass walls in semi-enclosed areas like the spice preparation zone. Spatially, this Spice Sensor Experience Center is arranged as a branching layout. Though not radial in geometry, its planning promotes smooth spatial flow by logically connecting the educational, processing, and wellness activities through linear movement paths and visual continuity. The spice display area features dual curved rows with bamboo spice holders and a central planted strip. The preparation and drying zones are positioned to catch morning and midday sun, while the hospitality section is shielded for a more serene, enclosed atmosphere.

A major technical component is its rainwater harvesting system. Water is collected through sloped roof gutters, filtered through basic sand traps, and stored in an underground tank. The harvested rainwater is then distributed in two directions. First, to irrigate the spice garden that supports both the educational and commercial functions of the center and second, to supply water for spice-infused baths and spice soaking stations within the hospitality zone. These bathing features enhance visitor wellness while showcasing local herbal uses. To prevent waste, greywater is filtered through a multi-layered biofiltration trench (gravel, charcoal, and sand) and reused in landscape irrigation.
For passive comfort, the design incorporates multiple cross-ventilation strategies, but without over-reliance on them. Vent openings are aligned with prevailing wind directions, particularly in the Institutional and Commercial zones. Adjustable louvers, perforated bamboo screens, and clerestory gaps allow users to control airflow based on activity and weather. However, spaces like the spice bath area use thermal zoning and shading strategies instead by utilizing thick walls, shaded pools, and insulated roofs to maintain cooler temperatures without needing cross-breeze dependence.

The building’s modular system also supports efficient construction and future adaptability. The timber frame dimensions are standardized for easier sourcing and assembly. Interior walls use a panel-based system with repetitive joinery details that allow repair or replacement without dismantling the main structure. Shading components such as the “anyaman panels” are hung on flexible bamboo frames that can be replaced seasonally or after damage. Pathways between functions use grounded textures such as gravel, clay pavers, and exposed concrete to subtly differentiate transitions without breaking continuity. Floor levels are adjusted using low gradients and ramps to accommodate Malaysia’s tropical downpours, ensuring both accessibility and water runoff control. Subsurface channels guide stormwater to the same collection system used for rainwater harvesting, reducing surface pooling.

Sustainability is embedded not just in the materials and water strategies, but also in the project’s reliance on vernacular construction knowledge. Many detailing techniques such as overhanging eaves, slatted shutters, and woven shade panels are derived from traditional Malay house typologies, modernized here for contemporary use. These features reduce dependency on mechanical systems while expressing local identity through form and craft. Overall, its strength lies in how it blends practical material logic, passive systems, and sustainable resource management, creating a space that is not only experiential but also environmentally resilient and constructible within the Malaysian context.