Report on PIAS Ipoh CIMB CSR Programme 18 July 2026

 By Sarah Herman

A return visit reveals how a community-built structure continues to serve the public through collaboration, care and adaptive maintenance.

On 18 July 2026, Dr Sarah Herman visited the PIAS shelter at Taman Rekreasi Gunung Lang, Ipoh, to observe its present condition and document a community maintenance programme involving the Ipoh City Council (Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh, MBI), CIMB Ipoh Branch and Dr Sarah Herman of the Community Architecture Research Team (CART) from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Her report offers an encouraging account of how an experimental architectural project can continue to generate public value long after its initial construction.

PIAS is an innovative prefabricated shelter designed and assembled by CART researchers in close collaboration with Orang Asli craftspeople from Perak. Conceived as a modular system, it was developed so that ordinary community members could participate in its assembly without requiring specialised construction expertise. Its timber structure and traditionally woven bamboo wall panels bring together contemporary construction thinking, local materials and inherited craft knowledge.

The visit coincided with a corporate social responsibility programme involving approximately 30 volunteers from CIMB Ipoh Branch. The volunteers cleaned the site, prepared the timber surfaces and applied a fresh protective wood-stain coating throughout the shelter. CIMB contributed the paint and equipment needed for the work. The activity restored the appearance of the structure while demonstrating how cooperation between a university research team, a local authority and a corporate partner can sustain a public facility.

One of the most significant observations in Dr Sarah’s report is the shelter’s strong reception among park visitors. According to feedback from MBI representatives, PIAS is frequently used by the public. Its continued popularity indicates that the shelter has become more than a research prototype: it now performs a genuine social and recreational function within the park.

This continued use is important to the project’s longer-term story. A public structure is more likely to attract maintenance, resources and institutional attention when it remains useful and valued. CIMB’s willingness to support the refurbishment therefore reflects not only corporate generosity, but also the continuing relevance of PIAS to the community and to MBI.

The visit also provided valuable lessons for improving future PIAS structures. The original plywood floor had expanded after direct exposure to rain and was subsequently replaced with thicker, more weather-resistant timber boards. As the floor configuration changed, the coding used to identify individual modular components will need to be updated. This “member-tagging” system is important because it supports the shelter’s prefabricated character and makes its assembly, maintenance and potential replication easier to understand.

Safety was another area identified for improvement. MBI representatives proposed adding a guardrail to the external platform, particularly to protect children using the shelter. For future versions, they also suggested lowering the floor level by approximately one foot. These recommendations show the value of post-occupancy observation: design knowledge continues to develop after a building is completed and used in real conditions.

The report further highlights the need to clarify the shelter’s formal management status. A clear understanding of whether PIAS remains under MBI’s full supervision or has been transferred to UPM is necessary for future maintenance allocations and responsibilities. Long-term stewardship depends not only on good design, but also on clearly defined institutional ownership and care.

Dr Sarah Herman’s visit documents an important stage in the life of PIAS Gunung Lang. The shelter demonstrates how university research can move beyond publication and enter public life through a useful, adaptable and culturally grounded structure. Its survival depends upon an interconnected network: researchers, Orang Asli craftspeople, local government, corporate volunteers and the people who use the park.

The freshly maintained PIAS is therefore more than a restored timber shelter. It is evidence that community architecture can endure when people continue to find meaning in it, use it and accept shared responsibility for its care.

This article is based on the site-visit and maintenance report prepared by Dr Sarah Herman following the programme at Taman Rekreasi Gunung Lang on 18 July 2026.