Childhood Life (Written by : WAN HAZIQ HILMI)

Ehwan Bin Saring is the name who is born in 13

th
October 1951 as a fourth child in his family at
Pontian, Johor. He lived in a typical traditional Malay wooden house with a farmer family whereby his
father and grandfather are as farmer, and they own a farm. Years back, well is their source of water.
Because of he lives in a farmer place, there is a trench in front of his house and that is where he
spends his time and hobby by fishing at the trench.
Moreover, he used to climb fruit trees to pluck
lychees and mangosteen. When it comes to food, he is
loves so much eating plantains, pisang tanduk. Could
not even mention nor show to him, he surely will finish
the whole thing before anyone can has it. Sometime they
fried it as a fried banana and eat with sugar.
As a kampong boy, he lived in Azam Wira town
where he does not been exposed to the world. Since he
is born, he is never sees a television until the age of
sixteen due to his family financial. Therefore, gasing,
layang layang nor lastik birds are the way he spends
his boring time as well. In addition, he is a kaki bola
where he loves to play football with his friends. Sometime he does cycling from hill to hill with his
friends. In his generation, where life is all about fun, he is never wear an underwear nor any clothes
during swimming, enjoying his time to the last.
In the family, he is really close with his big sister, Serimunah binti Saring, Shey, more like a
best friend where he is always spend his time with her by doing anything from laugh to sad. In a sad
case, fifteen years ago from 2014, she has left before him which brings him sadness of missing big
sister. Although she has left him but the memories of his childhood still fresh in his mind. Furthermore,
he is not only close to his big sister but also as a mummy boy which always stick around with his
mother. His siblings, Serimunah binti Saring, Maskiah binti Saring, Mohd Hairon bin Saring, Hamidah binti
Saring, Abdul Manab bin Saring, and Alizah binti Saring.

Malaysias local climate makes his housing area to be into a muddy spot. Thus, he rode to his
primary school in barefoot and only start to wear his shoes when he reach at his school with a school
uniform of white shirt and a short dark green pant with the his hair at side turn. If he is in a lucky day, to
road by not be so bad but if he is in an unlucky day, well there is going to be some muddy stain at his
uniform. Nothing is fun than going to school and sees his friends as well have fun by doing fun things.
In the small world of his childhood, he is be put close to a nature surrounding him. Where
nature and architecture meet, on how a typical traditional Malay house to be constructed as to be fit
local context. In addition, he lives in a place of that. Woke up every morning and take a bath from well,
take his breakfast with the wind blow their heat off. Birds, cows, and others fauna start to sing as well
paddies, grasses, and tress are start to dancing.
Years go by, he is with a family of two sons of
Efizan bin Ehwan and Edzham bin Ehwan, two daughter of
Hazlina binti Ehwan and Emilyana, and granted with five
grandchildren. He is married with a Penang wife, Wan
Jaleha binti Wan Md. Salleh which born on 5
th
June 1976,
and he is been exposed to the Northern part of Malaysia.
Not to mention that he is having a new hobby of riding
cruiser. When they are still fresh marriage, riding on road,
travel around the Malaysia, and looking for something
new.
Both of the son follow his footstep by becoming an
architect. One of them is still studying in degree awhile
another one is already become an architect and director at
his company. To have a Penang mother, they are always went back to Penang to meet up their
grandparent and always stop by at Nasi Kandar.






EDUCATION (Written By: MURSHID BIN MAHMUD)
Ehwan Bin Sareng, being born in Pontian Johor, has spent his childhood at a small town that is
distinct by its heritage properties in both architecture and way of life. The name of the primary school he
went to was Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Pulai in Pontian, Johor .From birth till his first years as a
student in a primary school he has experienced life and education of that of a laid back, country side
lifestyle. Back in the days most families do not have much nor do they have much opportunity, Ehwan
had to live life as simple as it can get. Being brought up in a public government education, Ehwans way
of thinking has been in the box so to say. The education he received as a school boy and from what
he observed around his surrounding and architecture made him see and experience Malaysian culture
and architecture which influenced him later in his life.
Ehwan was always on the top of his class in school, moving on as a teenager, he got offered to
study at a boarding school in Ipoh. Without hesitation he took this offer and travelled to Ipoh to continue
his studies as a high school student in a boarding school called Sekolah Tunku Abdul Rahman. Whilst
in ipoh, he had to experience a more urban lifestyle compared to Pontian as Ipoh had a denser
population back in the 60s. From this he had unconsciously recorded the lifestyle of the people in two
opposite condition of living which gives him a broader insight of how people live in Malaysia and how
architecture has moulded itself into the lives of people and vice versa. He did not have much freedom
of roaming around the city as he has restrictions from the boarding school he enrolled in. In high
school, he took art classes to learn how to draw and think creatively on a piece of paper. He has spent
5 years of his high school years in Ipoh and this has further influenced him the traditional and British
influenced architecture around him.


Being the top student again in his class again, Ehwan has received an offer to study at Institut
Kemahiran MARA at Alor Setar to study architecture. During this time, not many people have the
opportunity to go and pursue what they want, nor do they have the chance to further their studies in
whatever they want. Having this opportunity to actually being given the chance to further ones study is
something to hold on precious to during this time. Even though architecture was not his first choice in
life, Ehwan took this opportunity knowing that not many people get to experience what he has received.
He then transferred to Alor Setar to study at MARA as an architecture student
Ehwan only spent one year in MARA in Alor setar for his foundation and transferred to continue
his Degree in Architecture at MARA in Shah Alam and spent 4 years there. As an architecture student,
he had the chance to further explore architecture beyond Malaysia through books and watching T.V,
which rarely broadcast images from countries overseas but he has had a glance of what architecture is
from foreign countries through paper and the black and white screens which has broaden his view on
architecture, even though ever so slightly. With acquiring deeper knowledge on architecture he has set
out to study architecture that is already available around him and understood more on the architecture
and lifestyle of people in both remote places such as his hometown at Pontian and more urban lifestyle
of Ipoh, and also the human behaviours towards these two different approaches towards architecture.






After acquiring his Degree in architecture from MARA, Ehwan set out to continue his Masters at
Queensland Institute of Technology, Australia. Here he feels like fish out of water, everything around
him is so different from that back at home, the weather, people, food, language and architecture.
However alien he might have felt, this has certainly given him a wider view of the world compared to
that of a book and the black and white screen on a T.V back at home. In the working world, Ehwan has
designed various governmental buildings and buildings that accommodate the general public. By being
able to experience the culture and architecture of countries overseas, Ehwan is able to put in a more
generalised thinking towards his projects as to not only in favour of local Malaysians but also to those
from different parts of the world so that his architecture is a universal language on its own. Ehwan has
spent two years in Queensland, even though only a short time, the experience he had had totally
changed his mind set on Architecture and he had surely applied some architectural elements from
Queensland into his current projects when he works.




















Working Experience (WRITTEN BY LIM CHI WOOI)

From small houses to large commercial buildings, Architect Ehwan bin Saring took his pen and
started designing for 32 years without growing tired on his interest in designing form, space and
function of his masterpiece. Taking into account the total work experience in different fields of the
construction industry, he majors in designing for the country and concern of the growth of architecture
in Malaysia.
Starting off small, Ehwan worked consecutively as a technical assistant in Seni Wisma S&O
Arkitek, Dennis Leadbetter Architect and JKR from 1975 to 1983. As a government architect, he could
not express his style of design due to limited building project. In JKR Perak for 3 years, he only
managed to complete small job for the sector chalet, metrological station and 4-storey government
office building. Hence, in Malaysia, tropical architecture as always emphasized. The detailing on the
overhang of windows must be provided as sub shade. Therefore, he learnt that most of the roof are
pitched roof so that leakage can be avoided. Hence, he developed keen sight on the roof of the building
which forms his desire in architecture.
After working as a technical assistant for 8 years, he begins to work as a consultant architect.
Hence, he gains his interest in the theory and practicality of tropical architecture. He formed several
theories throughout his job as a consultant architect. His emphasis on tropical architecture is the fact
that the importance of the pitched roof as a mandatory element because of heavy rain fall in Malaysia.
It is also an understanding of vernacular which sparks the idea of having only a small area of building
which is allowed to have flat concrete roof which fits from basics services to water tanks and A/C
compressor. As every part of the roof matters in tropical architecture, he applied this concept in his
buildings and projects that he takes part in.
For commercial buildings, the architect does design contemporary building styles. The example
of his concepts on contemporary architecture is the use of manufactured external cladding and glass
panels which express honesty to its material and usage. However, the fact of having a pitch roof is also
important to respond to the climate in Malaysia. For Petrol station building, linear form horizontally and
vertically is always being designed. An example that is expressed by Ehwan is the usage of pitched
roof for petrol station which should not have a commercial look for service center. However, the
installation of product Signs on the roof fascia, enhances the commercial appeal of Petrol station.

The idea of having pitch roof comes from his working experience with the government sector
which mainly designs many local traditional details to modern buildings. The projects that he took part
as a government architect made his interest grew in the exploration of heritage and vernacular
approach. He took part in many PETRONAS design projects in the government sector such as the
Pejabat Depoh PETRONAS in Lumut, Pusat Geologi PETRONAS, PETRONAS petrol stations. He also
took part in designing residential bungalows; Bungalow Haji Jamil, and financial institution of Bank
Islam State Office in Perak and Bank Mualamat in Putrajaya.
Therefore, as a consultant architect and a principal of Arkitek Ehwan Sdn. Bhd., he inputs his
theory of pitch roof into domestic building, industrial building and to commercial institutes. Having to
form his own firm, which he had form for 6 years; he has a guideline to design that he use to design in
his firm. The focus on the flow of vehicle traffic must be practical and easy to move around to the
location of main entrance of commercial project must be grand and must be away from loading area of
service area is taken into consideration during design.


Other honourable mentions taken to considerations are as to fit all water tanks for domestic
and fire fighting as well as mechanical room to be inside the roof so that maintenance is easy and not
subjected to rain water. Lately domestic building has introduced more linear line. Architectural detailing
of decorative are things of the past for domestic building. He also suggests reducing glass panel area
for domestic building as heat enter through glass wall be offset by use of conditioner and high cost of
electricity.
The architect is also concern to the local authenticity due to the identity of Malaysia itself.
Hence, the use of locally produce building product should be the main choice so that the progress of
completion of building wills not being risked by delay of delivery. However, another reason is also to
preserve the natural elements of Malaysia which inherits culturally and the habit of using a space in
Malaysia. This aspect of attention is developed when Ehwan during his working experience with the
government.

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