在工業場域展開第三種想像！CKHO Architect 結合科技、土地意識與集體文化，打造未來公共生活的實驗性場域：The Bayana

 

Bayana Parc．The calming water feature and lush landscaping create a serene pocket of nature within the industrial setting. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

馬來西亞檳城的 Bayan Lepas 自由貿易區（FTZ），原為工業聚落與半導體重鎮，過去鮮少出現可供休憩、交流或用餐的公共空間。為呼應區域發展的多元需求，檳城發展機構（PDC）釋出三塊狹長保留地，開放給民間單位提案再利用。

自此，一場橫跨五年的生活場域轉型陸續展開。

承接開發任務的是本業為自動化科技的 Pentamaster 集團。首次跨足空間與商業領域，他們不只興建硬體設施，更希望提出一種符合當代工作與生活的「第三空間」想像，命名為「Bayana」計畫。「Bayana」由三個子案組成：包含結合在地小吃與半自動化系統的「Food Bayana」、以貫穿式中庭串聯空間與動線的「Bayana Parc」，以及預計於 2025 年完工的多功能複合場域「Bayana Hub」。三者共組一條新的生活軸線，期待在工業環境裡建立更細膩的人與空間關係。

 
 

  • In Penang’s Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone, a district shaped by factories and semiconductor industries, spaces for leisure and dining have long been absent. To address this gap, the Penang Development Corporation released three narrow strips of reserved land for adaptive reuse. The commission was awarded to Pentamaster Group, a company rooted in automation technology, which set out to venture beyond infrastructure into the realm of spatial and lifestyle development.

    The result was Bayana—a five-year initiative comprising three distinct but connected projects: Food Bayana, a hawker-inspired food hub; Bayana Parc, a single-tenant restaurant pavilion; and the upcoming Bayana Hub, a multi-storey complex scheduled for completion in 2025.

    Together, they form a new public axis within the industrial zone, offering spaces that merge commerce, culture, and daily life.

 
 

Food Bayana & Bayana Parc．Bird Eye View (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

將狹長綠帶轉化為公共生活的發生場



Bayana 基地的土地原本屬於道路保留地，緊鄰自由貿易區主幹道，因此地下布滿管線，地上密布成熟的喬木，缺乏明確的退縮與街廓界定。當承接整體設計規劃的 CKHO Architect 首次踏上這塊基地，面對現場老樹密布、地形狹長、地下管線複雜的條件，CKHO 何秦庆建築師提及，這樣的比例與狀態，在建築實務並非一塊理想建地，「但也正因如此，我們認為設計可以從這些難題開始。」

因為不完美，才需要用設計重新定義可能性。CKHO 不強行套用制式的建築邏輯，進場之初，便不清除基地、也不重建地貌，而是逐一釐清原有條件，再思考如何以空間串接、動線節點與自然整合的策略，讓場域貼合人的使用狀態。這也成為 Bayana 系列設計的脈絡：從不完整的地景出發，重構人與空間的關係。

 
 

  • The first challenge lay in the site itself. Once reserved for road expansion, the land was narrow and elongated, lined with mature trees and cut through by underground utilities. “Standing there on the first visit, we asked ourselves: what can this odd, leftover strip of land become?” recalls Ho Chin Keng, principal of CKHO Architect. “The challenge was how to transform a difficult site into something meaningful — to make the limitations themselves a design driver rather than an obstacle.”

    Rather than clearing the ground, CKHO chose to work with its irregularities, treating the trees and proportions as the project’s starting point. This philosophy became the foundation of the Bayana series: to reframe constraints as opportunities, and to reconstruct the relationship between people, nature, and space within an industrial environment.

 
 

Food Bayana．Main Entrance Door：Façade Expression — an interplay of brick, steel, and glass louver windows that balance transparency and shading. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

Bayana Parc．Framing Nature (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

施工順序方面，CKHO 首先完成了 Food Bayana 與 Bayana Parc 兩案，作為第一階段啟動區域；目前則進行 Bayana Hub 的設計與施工，預計於 2025 年底完工。三個子案儘管類型與氣質不同，卻都圍繞同一核心命題：「在工業場域裡，重塑一種具有公共感、文化意識與自然尺度的生活場景。」

 
 

Food Bayana．East Entrance Statement (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 
 
 

Food Bayana：融合文化與創新的未來型美食中心



Food Bayana 坐落在一塊極為狹長的基地上，長達 243 公尺、寬僅 15 公尺，兩側被成熟的喬木包圍。儘管邊角地形不好發揮，卻也意外保有一種被忽略的自然感。設計團隊認為，設計，不應該只是覆蓋，而是回應它。

專案初期，先是展開當時全檳城規模最大的老樹移植計畫，歷時六個月、共保留並重新配置 38 棵老樹，成為整體空間最重要的場域支點。與其說 Food Bayana 是一座美食中心，不如說是一條被樹蔭引導的「街道」，沿著基地縱向展開的動線與規劃，也以此為主軸延伸。設計團隊將基地劃分為左右兩端與中央一個挑高通風的中庭，將長距離行走感，轉化為具韻律感的停留序列，也形構出自然導向的通風與遮蔭系統。

 
 

  • Food Bayana occupies an unusually narrow site, stretching 243 meters in length but only 15 meters wide, flanked on both sides by mature trees. What might have been seen as an awkward remnant of land revealed instead an overlooked sense of nature. For CKHO Architect, the task was not to impose on the site but to respond to it. “Rather than seeing these trees as obstacles, we treated them as the defining identity of the project,” says Ho.

    The first step was what became the largest tree transplanting exercise in Penang at the time. Over six months, 38 mature trees were carefully relocated and reorganized, turning them into anchors for the entire scheme. More than a food court, the project was conceived as a shaded street, a linear promenade where dining unfolds under the canopy of trees.

    The plan divided the site into two ends with a central open atrium that rises in double height. This node breaks up the long distance of circulation, transforming the walk into a sequence of pauses and gatherings, while also establishing a system of natural ventilation and shading guided by the trees themselves.

 
 

The Largest Tree Transplanting Project at Penang (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

平面配置上，一樓安排為熟食攤位、後勤與機能空間，中央配置開放式挑空中庭與通風軸線，二樓則為用餐座位。整體配置同時也因應在地文化需求，左右兩區分別設計為 halal 與 non-halal （清真 / 非清真）攤位群，形成互不干擾的服務體系。而由於座位位於二樓，如何將一樓食物準確且有效率地送達客人手中，也成為設計的另一項挑戰 —— 這即是科技導入的關鍵契機。

Food Bayana 成為檳城首座引進半自動化送餐系統的公共空間。由來自汽車業背景的業主團隊主導開發，整套機構包含自動送餐機器人、軌道輸送系統、垂直升降設備與加熱保溫櫃，使各餐點能在最短時間內、不中斷人流動線的情況下被送達二樓。

餐點由機器人收單後，沿著專屬軌道移動，再透過機械升降系統送至二樓，最後放入具保溫功能的格櫃，供顧客自行取餐。這套系統解決了特殊基地條件下的服務難題，也體現出「空間與科技融合」的積極想像。

 
 

  • On the ground floor, the layout accommodates hawker-style food stalls, service, and back-of-house functions, with a central double-height atrium acting as the main ventilation spine. Dining areas are placed on the upper floor, creating a vertical separation that demanded careful planning. In response to Penang’s multicultural food culture, the stalls were organized into two distinct clusters—halal on one side and non-halal on the other—ensuring smooth operations without interference between the two systems.

    The decision to locate seating upstairs introduced a new challenge: how to deliver food from ground-floor stalls efficiently and accurately without disrupting circulation. This became the catalyst for technology to play a key role.

    Food Bayana was thus conceived as Penang’s first semi-automated food centre. Developed with the client’s expertise in the automotive sector, the system integrates robotic runners, overhead tracks, vertical lifts, and heated lockers. Orders are collected at the stalls, travel along dedicated tracks, and are lifted to the upper level, where meals are deposited into warming pigeonholes for diners to retrieve.

    “The robotic delivery system not only solved the logistical challenge of the building’s long, narrow footprint,” Ho explains, “but also turned Food Bayana into a living machine, where architecture and technology work seamlessly together.”

 
 

Food Bayana．A dynamic interplay of structure, light, and movement created within the communal heart of the building. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

Seatings & Food Warmer (Photo by Hey!Cheese)

 
 

可貴的是，這套機制並非炫技或話題操作，而是專注於以使用者為核心的設計實踐。「我們關注的不是科技本身，而是如何透過它，讓空間更好用、文化價值被突顯。」何秦庆指出，在這裡，科技成為一種支持：支持營運、文化傳承，也支持人們重新聚集的日常。

 
 

  • Technology here is not a spectacle. It acts as an enabler, supporting operations, reinforcing cultural continuity, and shaping the patterns of everyday life.

 
 

Rather than traditional fit-outs, the interior design focuses on creating functional spaces that address the site’s elongation and seamlessly incorporate natural elements into the core design language. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

Bayana Parc 延續中庭邏輯，讓熱帶氣候成為建築的策動條件



位於另一側的 Bayana Parc，是座靜謐凝練的空間體。同樣座落於 80 公尺 × 15 公尺的長型基地上，但不同於前者的多攤位熟食設計，這是一棟為單一業者打造的獨棟餐飲建築。它專注在氛圍塑造，力求於一片剛硬的工業底調裡，劃出柔性的體驗框架。

設計團隊延續對於狹長基地的觀察，將線性中庭安置於建築中央，作為主要動線，也成為整體通風、採光與綠化的調節核心。這條中庭穿越室內，引入植栽與光線，疏導熱氣並促進橫向氣流，使建築自然降溫，也營造出熱帶建築的當代對應。「我們從檳城傳統建築學習到：中庭從來不只是造景，它是一種延續當地氣候智慧的結構。」Bayana Parc 雖是現代建築語彙，卻內含了地方建築智慧的再轉譯。

 
 

  • On the other side of the site lies Bayana Parc, conceived as a quieter, more distilled counterpart to Food Bayana. Occupying an elongated plot of 80 by 15 meters, it differs from the hawker-style food court by housing a single operator within a stand-alone restaurant pavilion. Here, the focus shifted toward atmosphere, carving out a softer architectural frame against the hard industrial backdrop of the Free Trade Zone.

    The design continues CKHO’s exploration of linear sites by placing a central courtyard through the heart of the building. This spine not only organizes circulation but also moderates ventilation, daylight, and greenery. Crossing the interior, the courtyard draws in plants and natural light, disperses heat, and encourages cross-ventilation, creating a passive cooling system that responds to the tropical climate. “From Penang’s traditional architecture we learned that a courtyard is never merely ornamental. It is a structure that carries the climate wisdom of place,” notes Ho.

    Though expressed in a modern architectural language, Bayana Parc is rooted in this local precedent, translating the heritage logic of the courtyard into a contemporary industrial context.

 
 

Bayana Park．The interplay of brick, concrete, and steel, left in their honest state, creates an industrial yet grounded architecture where material authenticity defines the building’s identity. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

Bayana Parc．The integration of nature with brick and steel elements fosters a sense of tranquillity and connection to the environment. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

Bayana Parc．Courtyard Oasis (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

建築量體以簡潔為主，框架清晰、不預設裝修樣貌，將詮釋權交予未來進駐的品牌，使空間成為可被延伸的平台。處於極簡的情境形式，唯一被強化的，是氣候、材料與尺度感，構築一份可被靜靜使用，與工業環境形成對話的開放氣氛。

 
 

  • The architecture remains deliberately simple and adaptable, offering a clear framework without prescribing a fixed identity. What is emphasized instead are climate, materiality, and scale, shaping an open atmosphere that invites future tenants to interpret the space while quietly engaging with its industrial surroundings.

 
 

Photo by Hey!Cheese

 
 

把綠建築概念，從規範轉為可被實體感知的體驗



在 Food Bayana 的設計過程，永續性是一開始就被內建的核心思維。它是這座建築如何運作的基本前提，也是 CKHO Architect 在面對複雜場地條件時，重新思考建築角色的重要視角。「我們其中一個重要目標，就是申請馬來西亞綠建築指標（Green Building Index, GBI）金級認證，使 Food Bayana 成為全國首個以此為目標的商業美食空間。」

Bayana 的永續策略，涵蓋從基地保育、能源效率、水資源利用、材料選擇，到科技整合的各個面向。當然，設計中也涵蓋了標準的綠色建築措施，如太陽能板、雨水回收系統與高效能能源設備等。其中最具象徵性的行為，是歷時半年的老樹移植計畫。重新配置後的喬木群，成為建築遮蔭系統的一部分，也為這塊原本被忽視的邊角地，帶來生態延續與場域感的構建契機。

 
 

  • From the outset, sustainability was embedded as a core principle of Food Bayana’s design. It was not treated as an afterthought but as the foundation for how the building would operate and adapt to its challenging conditions. “One of our key objectives was to pursue Malaysia’s Green Building Index (GBI) Gold certification, making Food Bayana the first commercial food centre in the country to aim for this target,” says Ho.

    The strategy encompassed a wide spectrum: site conservation, energy efficiency, water management, material selection, and the integration of technology. Standard measures such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and high-efficiency systems were included, but the most symbolic gesture lay in the relocation of 38 mature trees. Over six months, these trees were carefully transplanted and reorganized, becoming part of the shading system while also restoring ecological continuity to a strip of land that had long been overlooked.

 
 

Food Bayana．Facade：The facade serves as a backdrop to lush greenery, enhanced by textural details. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

Bayana Parc．Seamless Threshold：Dining space flows alongside planted courtyards, blurring the line between interior and exterior. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

能源策略上，設計團隊選擇回到基本邏輯的重新組合：全棟空間僅以一台 20hp 小型冷水機，搭配蒸發式冷卻系統、大型機械風扇與玻璃百葉窗，組成自然與機械混合的通風網絡。如此一來不僅大幅降低能源消耗，也維持熱帶環境所需的舒適性。這樣的手法，也證明有時簡單的系統整合，比追求技術複雜度更有效。

另一個特別的技術實驗，則來自業主主導、設計團隊協同整合的「機器人送餐系統」。這套半自動化設備涵蓋軌道運輸、垂直升降、保溫櫃與無人配送技術，使上下樓層的餐飲流程能將干擾最小化，並極大使用效率。儘管這不屬於傳統綠建指標中的項目，卻恰好展現了另一種對永續的理解：從降低人力消耗、提升空間營運效率的角度出發，讓建築成為一座兼具智能和高效的公共機器。

更重要的是，這些設計並非為了「得分」而存在。CKHO 強調，永續不該淪為規範導向的標籤，而應是一種「可被感知、直覺理解的生活狀態」。設計除了在解題，更是重新建立人與環境的關係—— 所謂的「永續性」，是人們每天用餐、走動、乘涼時自然感受到的空間條件。

 
 

  • CKHO approached energy efficiency by returning to first principles. The 60,000-square-foot building is cooled by a single 20hp mini chiller, paired with an evaporative cooling system, large mechanical fans, and operable glass louvers. This hybrid network of natural and mechanical ventilation drastically reduces energy use while maintaining the comfort required in a tropical climate. The approach demonstrated that simple system integration can often prove more effective than technical complexity.

    Another distinctive experiment came in the form of the semi-automated food delivery system, developed by the client and integrated by the design team. Incorporating overhead tracks, vertical lifts, heated lockers, and robotic distribution, the system minimizes disruption across floors while maximizing operational efficiency. Although not part of standard green building criteria, it reflects another dimension of sustainability: reducing labor demands and enabling the building to perform as an intelligent, efficient public machine.

    For CKHO, sustainability was never about achieving points or labels. “It should not be reduced to a checklist of regulations, but understood as a condition of daily life that people can feel and intuitively recognize,” says Ho. In this sense, sustainability is not abstract—it is experienced when people eat, walk, or rest under the shade of trees within the building.

 
 

Photo by Hey!Cheese

 
 

探索空間如何形塑集體文化



公共建築面對的是一群多元而複雜的使用者。設計者不能預設使用方式，也無法掌控所有行為細節，因此設計這類的公眾建築，挑戰在於怎麼透過場域策略、動線安排與氛圍營造，使建築變成開放的容器，在滿足功能需求之餘，還要能夠邀請人們自由參與，產生長期連結，啟動可被共享的日常。

 
 

  • Public buildings inevitably serve a diverse and complex community of users. Architects cannot predetermine how such spaces will be used, nor can they control every detail of behavior. The challenge lies in shaping strategies of layout, circulation, and atmosphere so that the building becomes an open container—functional enough to support daily needs, yet flexible enough to invite participation, foster long-term connections, and enable a shared everyday life.

 
 

Raw concrete and brick define the dining area, balanced by openness, greenery, and communal vibrancy. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

Food Bayana 不僅提供飲食的場所，它將餐飲空間延伸成通透的綠蔭街道，使原本各自分離的用餐行為，因動線、視線與座席的安排而產生交會。二樓的用餐平台，也讓人與人之間不只是水平互動，更具備垂直層次與觀察角度。這些都是空間主動介入社交行為的體現。

站在更宏觀的層面，Food Bayana 所代表的，是 CKHO 對於「城市的公共餐飲建築可以是什麼」的再定義。它融合當地文化需求與氣候條件，也引入創新技術及永續思維，將功能性與意義層面完整交織，促進一種新型都市文化的組成。

這座大型空間，每天都在被使用，都在建構著檳城未來生活風景的一部分。

 
 

  • Food Bayana functions as more than a place to eat. It extends dining into a shaded, open-air street, where circulation, sightlines, and seating arrangements encourage encounters that would otherwise remain separate. The upper-level dining platforms add another dimension, creating vertical layers of interaction and observation. In this way, architecture becomes an active participant in shaping social exchange.

    On a broader level, Food Bayana represents CKHO’s redefinition of what public dining architecture can be in the city. It interweaves local cultural practices and climatic responses with innovation and sustainability, merging function and meaning into a cohesive whole that contributes to a new kind of urban culture.

    This is a building in constant use, a living space that is continuously shaping the everyday landscape of Penang’s future.

 
 

The open design, combined with natural ventilation, creates a comfortable and engaging dining atmosphere. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

The courtyard greenery harvests natural daylight into the spaces. (Photo by CKHO Architect)

 
 

設計，由未來的使用者完成



對 CKHO Architect 來說，Bayana 的挑戰不只在於既有的限制條件，還有它無法被完全預測的「未來使用」。設計之初，他們並無法確定這樣的空間會被如何接納、使用，是否能與生活真正產生關聯。這些都是圖紙無法說明的答案。

不過，時間給了回應。Food Bayana 自開放以來逐漸被在地群體擁抱，不論是自由貿易區的上班族，鄰近社區的居民，都在這裡找到一種新的日常。人們穿梭其中、停留、用餐、交流，建築的初衷綻放成具體的生活畫面。

Bayana 因此成為一次具啟發性的實驗。它證明了即便是在極不利的條件之下，只要設計願意從場地出發、與文化對話、擁抱不確定性，就有可能轉化成一個具備公共意識、永續策略與社會意義的公共場景。這次經驗也讓 CKHO 團隊更堅定地相信，建築從來不是在完工那一刻結束。空間之所以有力量，絕非是結構封閉的作品，也不在於多精緻或創新，而是否保留足夠的彈性與開放性，作為一種可被持續完成的動態發展故事。

 
 

  • For CKHO Architect, the challenge of Bayana was never limited to the constraints of its site. The greater uncertainty lay in how the projects would ultimately be used, and whether they could forge a genuine connection with daily life, questions that no drawing could fully answer.

    Over time, the response has come from the community itself. Since opening, Food Bayana has been embraced by office workers from the Free Trade Zone and residents from nearby neighborhoods, each finding a new rhythm of everyday life within its shaded spaces. People move through, linger, dine, and interact, turning the original intent of the design into lived experience.

    Bayana has therefore become an experiment with lasting resonance. It shows that even in the most unpromising conditions, design can transform a site into a public setting rich in social and ecological value, as long as it begins with the ground, engages with culture, and accepts uncertainty. For CKHO, the lesson is clear: architecture does not end at completion. Its true strength lies not in being sealed as a finished object, nor in how polished or innovative it appears, but in whether it retains enough openness and elasticity to remain a story in continuous development.

 
 

Photo by Hey!Cheese

 
 
Bayana ADD：No.23B, Medan Bayan Lepas, Taman Perindustrian Bayan Lepas Fasa 4 Bayan Lepas, 11900 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
WEB：IG

 
 

Photo credit/ CKHO ARCHITECT 、 Hey!Cheese
Interview、Text/ ChichiL

 
SPEAKOUTChichiLVoice, travel, archi, sustainablecocreationbiennale