Expansion of Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Sibu

This article is a project brief that describes the physical requirements for a satellite or second building for Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Sibu or Pustaka Sibu. The building will be functionally part of Pustaka Sibu specifically, and Pustaka Negeri Sarawak (Pustaka) in generally. It details out the physical organisation, environmental and services requirements, functions and purposes on the new building. It will enable a design to be drafted by specialist consultants in consultation with staff of Pustaka.

Environmental and building services requirements are addressed in written statements relating to accessibility, acoustics, air-conditioning, disaster planning, electrical services, energy efficiency and conservation, fire services, furniture, lighting, security, shelving, signs and windows.

Background to the Project

Pustaka Sibu was initiated in 2001 as Sibu IT Library with a preliminary grant of RM300,000.00. Since then, various discussions and technical meetings were held to determine the concept and philosophy of the new regional hub of Pustaka. In 2005, the State Planning Authority (SPA) approved Lot 456, Block 1, Sungai Merah Town District, Sibu as the site for the project. In 2007, however, the project was halted or adjourned by the Sarawak Government due to lack of fund. Four year later, in 2011, The Public Work Department (PWD) was instructed by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Communication to implement the project with a ceiling cost of RM24,968,000. Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri gave approval for the project to be implemented on a direct price-negotiation basis at a ceiling cost of RM24,968,000.

In 2012, SPA approved the site and building plans. However in 2013, the initially approved site at Lot 456, Block 1, Sungai Merah Town District, Sibu was revoked by SPA due to the replanning of the affected areas. A new site at Lot 1054 of the same land district was approved by SPA. Pustaka was advised to revise the site and building plans and resubmit them to the relevant authorities for approval.

In 2014, SPA approved Lot 1607, Block 1, Sungai Merah Town District, Sibu as the project site and revoked approval for Lot 1054. The layout plan and building plans were duly endorsed by the SPA in the same year. Construction work officially started on 25 November 2016 and almost four year later, the PWD Central Regional Office issued Certificate of Practical Completion to indicate the physical completion of the project. After almost twenty years from its initiation, Pustaka Sibu commissioned its services on 15 September 2020. As a project it experienced change of project site three times and numerous changes in concepts and building designs. Working a tight budget, the project team had to omit a few things that were considered non-essential at that point in time to ensure project could be completed as planned. Listed below are the components that were excluded from the initial project are:

a) an auditorium
b) an exhibition gallery
c) a wider and comfortable staff work area
d) a transit area for just delivered library materials
e) a close stack for legal deposit materials
f) a bookshop

Hence, during the construction of Pustaka Sibu, plans to expand it were mooted and discussed by the top management of Pustaka. Almost immediately after its completion, a request for land for an expansion project was put up to the Sarawak Government. On 26 January 2021, the request was granted. Lot 130, Block 1, Sungai Merah Land District, adjacent to where Pustaka Sibu is now, is conditionally given to Pustaka for the expansion project. This 3.6798 acres piece of land was previously owned by the Sibu Municipal Council.

Components of the New Building

a) A multi-purpose hall that can accommodate various public and social functions of users. A multi-purpose hall is preferred because of its flexible use compared to an auditorium.
b) An exhibition gallery for thematic exhibitions focussing on local history and traditional heritage.
c) Storage for library materials.
d) Storage for print and non-print materials deposited under the provisions of the Sarawak State Library Ordinance, 1999.
e) Administrative offices and work areas.
f) Public and staff amenities.

Environmental Conditions

It is essential that the new facility provides the optimum environmental conditions for the resources stored within it as well as safe and comfortable working conditions for staff and users. This means a controlled environment:

a) To minimise the risk of damage to the contents, whether by water, air pollutants, inappropriate temperature or relative humidity, mechanical damage, insect and rodent damage, theft, ultraviolet light damage or loss of information due to magnetic fields or other risk factors.
b) To ensure that the contents are protected by a level of physical security commensurate with their importance.
c) To ensure the well-being of staff and users of the facility.

General Considerations in Design

In its design and construction the new facility shall:

a) Be an iconic, attractive and memorable as well as highly functional and efficient building.
b) Be a safe and comfortable facility to work in and to visit.
c) Explore and where appropriate implement innovative and leading edge techniques of architectural and engineering design.
d) Showcase products of Sarawak and the skills of its people.
e) Reflect in its design and decoration the rich cultural heritage and history of Sarawak.
f) Be a ‘green’ building, through its construction and throughout its economic life, by making use of post-consumer recycled materials and by being as energy-efficient as possible, subject to the strict environmental requirements of the resources to be stored and accessed.
g) Be hospitable to people with a variety of disabilities, both in public and staff areas.
h) Meet and in many instances exceed international and local standards for facilities of its kind.

Project Site

The Sarawak Government approved Lot 130 for the expansion project. However, the current owner of the land is SMC. The latter has been instructed to hand over the land to the Sarawak Government via the Land and Survey Department, Sibu Division to enable Pustaka to apply for a site for the project. Pustaka would be the new tenant of the state land. The land is 3.6798 acres in size, adjacent to where Pustaka Sibu is now and both share the same astronomical tide level. The new building will be occupying most of Lot 130 and the southern tip of Lot 1607. A considerable amount of landfill for the latter is required since it is low-lying and water-filled, is required.

Character of the Building

Elsewhere in this article the importance of creating a building which is iconic, attractive and visually exciting has been stressed. Most public and many staff areas require access to natural light.

Out of Hours Activities

Some areas of the building, such as the foyer, the multi-purpose hall, the exhibition gallery and their associated areas must be accessible out of normal opening hours, for functions, social events, trainings, lectures and other similar purposes.

‘Green’ Credentials

The new building shall be ‘green’ as possible, through the efficiency of the lighting systems and their automatic switching, the use of automatic taps and automatic flushing of toilets and urinals, the zoning of spaces with air-conditioning tuned to suit the demand needed at particular times.

Ease of Maintenance

The new building must be of low maintenance, and this must be affected in all aspects of the design. All surfaces must be easy to clean, and simple to rectify if they are worn or damaged. Furniture and fittings must be robust, yet attractive. Light fittings must be easy to reach with normal maintenance equipment. Windows and glazed screens must be easily accessible for cleaning. Roof areas must be readily accessible by maintenance staff with catwalks provided to enable checking and cleaning of gutters.

Flexibility and Adaptability

The scale and nature of future growth are hard to predict. What is certain is that during the life of the building there will be changes in the ways archives are processed and accessed, in user requirements, in equipment and in the ways in which services are provided. The interior should therefore be designed so as to be as hospitable as possible to change, as demand and services change. There must be a high degree of flexibility and adaptability, with a minimum of load-bearing walls and a regular module. Stairways, lifts, plumbing, electrical and air-conditioning ducts should all be located so as not to interfere unduly with flexibility.

Extension Potential

Attention must be given to the ways in which the building might be extended in the future, assuming that there is some unused potential on the site.

Implications for the Existing Building

During the design stage close attention must be paid to the proposed construction process and how disruption to normal activities of Pustaka Sibu can be avoided or minimised. This may involve a temporary access road and changes to car parking arrangements. Noise, dust and mud minimisation measures must also be put in place on and around the building site. There is also the positioning and timing of the construction of the links between the existing building and the new facility to consider, ensuring that the integrity and security of the existing building is assured at all times.

Organisation of the New Building

The new building is loosely divided into five components:

a) Public areas - these include general access, for example the foyer, reception and lobby, multipurpose hall, exhibition gallery, green room and associated areas.
b) Staff only areas - these include the general office, work areas, the special information resources storage, transit and processing areas.
c) Information and Communications Technology areas - the server room, network rooms, and associated areas.
d) Services areas - these include delivery areas, general storage, security, plant and equipment.
e) Plant rooms and miscellanea – cooling tower, water pumps, service corridors, fire suppression system spaces, air handling units, utility spaces, switchboards and the like.

The new building will occupy a gross internal floor area of approximately 9,662 square metres (m2). In any way possible, the design must allow future expansion.

Public Areas		Sizes (m2)
a) Public Entrance		25
b) Foyer, Welcome Desk and Security Point		600
c) Toilets		120
d) Multi-purpose Hall		1,125
e) Control Room		20
f) Dressing Room		100
g) Exhibition Gallery		1,125
h) Green Room		120
i) Male Surau		64
j) Female Surau		64
Total		3,463

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Staff Areas		Sizes (m2)
a) Head, Sarawakiana Division		18
b) Head, Technical Services Division		18
c) Reception		60
d) General Office and Staff Wok Area		600
e) Sorting Area		100
f) Reprography		100
g) Staff Pantry		70
h) Staff Toilets, Lockers and Change Rooms		90
i) Meeting Room		100
j) Oral History Room		100
l) General Store		50
m) Legal Deposit Store		500
n) Stack Room		500
Total		3,463

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Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Areas		Sizes (m2)
a) Server Room		35
b) Network Room 1 (General Office and Staff Wok Area)		25
c) Network Room 1 (Multi-purpose Hall)		9
d) Network Room 1 (Exhibition Gallery)		9
e) ICT Store		30
Total		108

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Services Areas		Sizes (m2)
a) Security Control Room		25
b) Security Control Room		25
c) Private automatic Branch Exchange (PABX) Room		25
d) Cleaner's Store		20
e) Cleaner's Change Room		20
f) Equipment Store		90
g) Furniture Store		120
Total		325

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Plant Rooms and Miscellaneous Areas		Sizes (m2)
a) Standby Power Generator Area / Genset Room		200
b) Multi-purpose Hall corridor		350
c) Exhibition Gallery Corridor		350
d) General Office Corridor		300
e) Sprinkler Tank Valve		250
f) Sprinkler Tank Valve Room		250
g) SMechanical Water Tank and Pump Room		90
h) Staff Toilets, Lockers and Change Rooms		90
i) Switch Gear Room		45
j) Cooling Tower		600
l) Main Distribution Frame (MDF) Room		15
m) Air-conditioning System (AC) Chiller Room		250
n) Sprinkler System and Hose Reel Pump		80
o) Sprinkler System and Hose Reel Pump		80
p) Reinforced Concrete Water Tank (Fire Fighting System)		80
q) Air Handling Unit 1 (General Office)		30
r) Air Handling Unit 2 (Multi-purpose Hall)		30
r) Air Handling Unit 3 (Exhibition Gallery)		30
s) Air Handling Unit 4 (Stack Room)		30
t) Main Switch Board Room		25
u) Current Transformer Meter Room		25
v) Electrical Transformer Room		30
x) Utility Room 1 (General Office)		30
y) Utility Room 1 (General Office)		30
z) Utility Room 2 (Multi-purpose Hall)		30
aa) Utility Room 3 (Exhibition Gallery)		30
ab) Utility Room 4 (Stack Room)		30
ac) Switch Room 1 (General Office)		20
ad) Switch Room 2 (Multi-purpose Hall)		20
ae) Switch Room 3 (Exhibition Gallery)		20
af) Switch Room 4 (Stack Room)		20
ag) Fire Corridor 1 (General Office)		80
ah) Fire Corridor 2 (Multi-purpose Hall)		120
ai) Fire Corridor 3 (Exhibition Gallery)		120
aj) Fire Corridor 4 (Stack Room)		80
Total		3,660

Linkage Between Facilities

The new building will be constructed on a site about twenty meters away from the existing main building and on the opposite side of a small river separating the two facilities. This necessitates a bridge of some kind to physically connect the two facilities. The ecology of the small river and its surrounding areas however, shall not be disrupted or compromised in any way. Hence, Pustaka Sibu expansion project shall also include the following:

a) The construction of bridge to connect the two facilities.
b) The construction of walkway between the two facilities.
c) The construction of a pond replace the swampy areas between the two facilities.
d) The construction of retaining walls on both side of the pond.
e) The construction of public and staff parking lots in the compound of the new building.
f) Aesthetic enhancement of pond and its adjacent areas.
g) Hardscape and softscape of the new compound.