Where Architecture Meets Infrastructure: WHBC Architects Reimagine the Malaysian Rest Stop

Image Credit: WHBC Architects

In a landscape often defined by repetition and utility, the EVCC™ PEDAS RSA stands apart — not only as Malaysia’s first privately developed, EV-centric highway rest stop, but as a new architectural landmark. At the core of this transformation is the appointment of WHBC Architects, one of Malaysia’s most original and internationally acclaimed design studios.

Renowned for their ability to blend structural clarity with poetic function, WHBC brings a new design vocabulary to public infrastructure — one that is grounded in sustainability, cultural intelligence, and user experience. Their appointment to lead the design of EVCC™ PEDAS RSA marks a significant shift in how we conceive, build, and experience rest areas in Malaysia.

The Circular Building as a Symbol of Movement and Balance

The architectural centerpiece of the PEDAS RSA is a circular main building — a bold move that deviates from the typical linear forms found in conventional highway rest stops. But this geometry is far from symbolic; it is rooted in purpose.

The circle enables a centralised spatial logic, where core amenities — such as toilets, family rooms, and other public facilities — are placed in the heart of the building’s central court. This spatial hierarchy ensures that no matter where visitors enter from, they are always equidistant from the services they need most. Circulation paths flow around the building’s core, naturally guiding foot traffic and creating an intuitive, inclusive, and legible public realm.

Retail and food & beverage offerings encircle this core in a continuous ring, allowing maximum frontage and visibility for tenants while encouraging leisurely exploration by patrons. The architecture, in this way, mirrors the rhythms of movement, pause, and reconnection — echoing the journey itself.

Surrounding the building is a shared parking loop, accessible from all approach points. These parking bays are shaded by BIPV-integrated canopies (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics) — generating clean energy while providing thermal comfort for vehicles. This convergence of solar energy, mobility, and spatial efficiency transforms the parking zone into a vital part of the site's sustainability strategy, not merely a functional afterthought.

A Legacy of Material Innovation: The Telegraph Pole House

WHBC’s design philosophy — bold, sustainable, and rooted in place — is perhaps best exemplified by their celebrated project in Langkawi: the Telegraph Pole House.

Conceived as a retirement home, the project was an architectural experiment in circular economy thinking long before it became mainstream. Instead of using new timber, WHBC sourced decommissioned hardwood telegraph poles — salvaged from Malaysia’s dismantled utility infrastructure. These reclaimed poles were repurposed as primary structural elements, assembled using a hybrid of traditional scarf joints and steel pins, then elevated on stilts to echo vernacular Malay houses.

The result was a home that did not imitate tradition — it extended it. A dwelling that was deeply modern, yet unmistakably Malaysian. Weathered textures, exposed timber, and breathable space planning created an atmosphere of warmth and reverence for both material and place.

This house, modest in scale but monumental in thought, received international acclaim and was featured in Dezeen, ArchDaily, Tropical Architecture for the 21st Century, and Habitus. It became a case study in how architecture can respond not just to a brief — but to a broader ecological and cultural context.

Designing with Discipline and Imagination

WHBC Architects, founded by BC Ang and Wen Hsia Ang, are known for their ability to balance emotional expression with technical discipline. Their portfolio spans typologies as diverse as indigenous community bathhouses, experimental residential forms, and public spaces for social connection.

But across all their projects, a clear ethos persists: to ask better questions.

How can a building exist lightly on the land? What does sustainability mean in a tropical climate? Can public infrastructure be emotionally intelligent?

Their answers have won them numerous accolades, including:

• Finalist for the Royal Academy Dorfman Award (2020) in London — a global prize recognising future-shaping architecture firms

• Multiple PAM Gold Awards from Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia for special projects, residential design, and interiors

• International invitations to lecture and exhibit from Bangkok to Miami, Singapore to Melbourne

  
  

At EVCC™ PEDAS RSA, these questions — and their thoughtful answers — have shaped everything from the site orientation to roofline geometry, to the integration of natural ventilation and daylighting. This is infrastructure not only built to perform, but to endure, adapt, and inspire.

A New Benchmark in Malaysian Public Architecture

As the Electric Vehicle Charging Corridor (EVCC™) begins its rollout across the PLUS North-South Expressway, the PEDAS RSA will serve as its prototype — the first of its kind to merge high-powered EV charging, circular ESG-aligned design, and curated lifestyle retail within one architectural ecosystem.

It is no longer sufficient for rest stops to be merely functional. With WHBC at the helm, the EVCC™ PEDAS RSA aspires to be a national benchmark: where infrastructure uplifts, where design responds, and where rest becomes meaningful.

For more on this transformative development, visit www.evcc.my — and discover how WHBC Architects are elevating Malaysia’s future of mobility, one perfectly balanced building at a time.

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