Text and images by Sarah Greenlees
Starting as an epiphyte and often ending up as freestanding trees, strangler figs (genus ficus, subgenus urostigma) are dynamic and dramatic members of the forest structure, they can also be surprisingly architectural.
Degrees of Enclosure
Though all the forest provides shelter in some capacity, figs provide it in a very literal, enclosing fashion, at a series of scales. On the smallest scale, protective shells lined with spongy material and flowers provide shelter for tiny gall wasps. These fig syconia later develop into fruit. Here the female wasp will die after laying her larvae, but they also provide a safe place for larvae to develop, for wasp mating to take place and finally, for safe passage into the surrounding environment. They are a place of rest and a place of rebirth. At the large scale, the fig is an organic tower block providing shelter for pythons, frogs, geckos and birds. Almost in the manner of Ian Banks’ ‘The Bridge’ all sorts of animals live between the structure at different levels.
Compound Structures
This structure of the strangler figs is clearly legible – in architectural jargon it could be called celebrated. It occurs out of a sequence of growth. In common seed dispersal tradition, animals deposit seeds in their droppings in the branches of other trees. Making rapid development as an epiphyte, the fig grows and sends down aerial roots to the forest floor becoming a hemi-epiphyte (1).
Winding around the host tree and ascending back up to the heights of the canopy – a hemi-epiphyte becomes a parasite (2). The vines are strong, resilient and unassailable and their resultant patterns are a composition of elements in compression and tension. Primary roots of thick circular section become flying buttress when in filled with slender walls at the base. As these buttresses meet the centralized structure, thinner lines traverse the intermediary spaces, stretched between the primary elements in tension. Triangulated compound beams of soft wood are created that are always developing; continually being added to. In a dynamic and dramatic display over time the host tree is finally broken in several places, crushed, twisted and sometimes left hanging in a cathedral like arrangement of root columns.
Complex Symbiotics
The fig tree and the gall wasp survive by means of a unique symbiotic relationship. In return for the protective, flower lined shell; the female gall wasps are the sole pollinator for the figs. The relationship relies on a range of flowers of different lengths to match the anatomy of the wasp. As the wasp larvae develop within 3 – 20 days and the adults only live for a couple of days, so the symbiosis also relies on either the fig tree having syconia at different stages of development, or on there being a high population of figs of the same species in a given area. In an astounding display of biodiversity there are, in most cases, specific species of wasps for specific species of figs. This prevents cross-pollination and allows numerous fig species to grow together, sometimes up to 70 species in close proximity. The advantages of such ‘species packing’ in a forest where many of the animals may at some time be dependent on figs are clear. The system is a careful balance of chemical precision and statistical probability.
Of course, a similar relationship exists between man and his environment. Being surrounded by such a sensitive landscape as the Danum rainforest makes this all the more apparent. The revenue that Borneo Rainforest Lodge generates makes it imperative to the survival of the forest, and the forest is the reason for the lodge’s existence. How such a relationship develops is of keen interest. As the rainforest continues to create business for the lodge, how will the lodge further the conservation of the forest? Already their efforts to overhaul the typical practices of the hospitality industry, to green practices are admirable. And their continued search for new ways to promote conservation are very positive. But there is a long way to go and it requires passionate management.
Echoing the Past
At different instances in the design at BRL references are made to the organic weave of the fig vine within a clear and ordered structure. However, the visibly progressive structure of the fig tree is a reminder that the environment is a live, ever-changing one. Our buildings will fit in to the landscape and grow with it. Traces they leave behind have the potential to highlight the ever-changing landscape. Already there are signs of man’s intervention with nature – the boardwalk bends around the trees and when these fall their memory is marked by the path of the structure. A palimpsest of growth develops.
This reflects possibly the most poetic element of the fig tree development Once the fig is truly established as a freestanding tree and when the host tree has entirely disappeared the fig tree becomes a hollow tower with foot holes to climb.
It is an almost accessible starting point for a journey through the canopy. An ascent to the sky seems possible, if it weren’t for the fear of cobras, it is as tangible as the taste of wet soil in the air. The view from the top through the leaves and out across the canopy must be incredible. You can imagine the climb up being frequented by glimpses through the structure and then as you reach the top – the first clear view, like looking out over a parapet of a tower, straining to see before you’ve quite reached. And then to sit and look out. To be in a small, enclosed, protected space with an immense vista before you. Bacchelard’s attic pales into insignificance.
At the end of the fig tree’s story is a strong, tall structure of an ex epiphyte. But what is also left standing is the imprint of a tree, a hollow space that echoes of the past. A dark resting place of forest spirits, a hot and humid miasma, a shelter for geckos and bats, bees and pythons; a glimpse of the sky reaching high through a top heavy mass of tiny delicate pin prick leaves. It is the negative space of a trace of the past- the tree that was. Here is the tower to the memory of a tree.
Footnotes
(1) In a paper published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia, Schmidt and Tracey hypothesized that this change in behavior is brought about by a change in nutrient levels.
(2)Though called strangler figs, it is often not the cause of death to the tree. Rather, it is often the rapid grown of leaves and roots as the host loses the competition for light and nutrients. In the process of strangulation, the xylem and phloem layers around the outside of the host trunk are closed off in the ever-increasing pressure of the fig growth.
References:
SCHMIDT Susanne ; TRACEY Dieter P. ; Adaptations of strangler figs to life in the rainforest canopy; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Collingwood, AUSTRALIE (2002) (Revue)
Website References:
Figweb; Iziko Museums of Cape Town accessed on 23 Jan 10
The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation assessed on 23 Jan 10
Stranglers and Banyans accessed on 23 Jan 10
zipcodezoo accessed on 23 Jan 10
Mongabay
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Tags: Architecture, Borneo, Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Epiphyte, Fig Wasp, Malaysia, Sabah, Strangler Fig
The new bear house at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre Should have been completed this month however we have been delayed by bad weather.
Our site being low lying and barely above the water table has degenerated into bottomless gloop. luckily most of the building was up before the rainy season but materials deliveries and availability of dry working space has suffered. Under the conditions the contractor has done us proud and the quality of workmanship in the most important components, the cages, is excellent.
We’re now putting the final touches to an array of slide bars, pulleys, clamps, locks and counterweights that will make operation of the building safe for both bears and keepers.
One final hurdle remains after that, to connect the forest enclosure electric fencing to the building so that the bears’ release into a natural environment can be controlled. There has been much chin scratching on the part of all partners; Wildlife, Forestry and BSBCC on this one. Wildlife Dept are concerned about orang-utans getting into the bear enclosure and Forestry Dept are concerned about how they are going to prune trees to prevent arboreal bears from escaping the enclosure!
It was never going to be an easy task ensuring that captive bears have controlled access to primary rainforest however this is the feature that will set this sanctuary / conservation centre apart from any other.
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Tags: Bornean Sun Bear, Borneo, Malaysia, Sabah, sepilok, sun bear
Renovation of the main building at Borneo Rainforest Lodge is the biggest thing in Arkitrek’s short history. With the client spending two million ringgit on construction alone (not including fit out) the pressure has been and still is considerable.
Our relationship with both Borneo Rainforest Lodge and the contractor Mee San has been gradually building up to this over the last three years. It started with the renovation of 10 rooms in 2007, we added 6 more rooms in 2008 and a further 8 early last year.
Looking back on the process I see a progression both in our design repertoire, the client’s willingness to experiment and the contractors’ understanding that sometimes moy liang (less nice) is ho liang (very nice).
The highpoint of this process is undoubtedly the grandly named Twin Deluxe Riverview Chalet. The design concept proposed by the client of linking two existing chalets with a covered deck to form a suite has become our poster child.
Photo by Calvin Ng
Having said that, writing this as I am now, in one of the very first chalets to be renovated I still profess a great fondness for their small-but-perfectly-formed-ness. And of course because they’re closer to the bar.
During my last site visit before the Christmas holiday the main lodge building still resembled a demolition site . Now it resembles a construction site and walking around this evening I felt a little surge of ‘wow, we might actually pull this off’.
The kitchen and bar equipment is installed and the ergonomics feel right (see below for a panorama viewpoint from the bar). The partially closed atrium looks better proportioned and awaits the feature lights that our specialist designer has come up with. The reception area integrates
The atrium is also integrated with the new reception area and standing in the heart of the building I’m beginning to see how the flow between inside and out and between back of house and front is coming together. This difficult to describe, movement of energy, was one of the most conspicuous shortcomings of the original design.
Fixing this and tarting up the finishes are the main objectives of the renovation. In practice this means opening up the perimeter to allow light in and views out plus sorting out the arrival sequence and grouping complimentary functions together.
There are three more weeks before the lodge reopens and a lot of hard work to be done before then.
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Tags: Borneo, Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley, Malaysia, Renovation, Sabah
Text and photos by Ian Hall
Trogon photos by John & Jemi Holmes
Not every day is a trogon day but sometimes when you head into the forest there is a feeling of expectation that you’ll see a trogon. Of course in those circumstances you never see one and it’s when you least expect it that they put in an appearance.
This trogon day started out like any other. I packed up my laptop at 4pm as usual and got ready for a walk in the forest. There is usually a little motivational inertia to overcome before going out, but today the light was good and it didn’t take me long to get my shoes on and tuck trousers into leech proof socks. Equipped with camera and binoculars I ducked through the fronds of fern and ginger into the cooler light under the canopy.
I paused to watch a flycatcher that was making looping forays over the water from the handrail of the footbridge. I’ve seen him many times before so I stepped onto the bridge and frightened him away.
The first Trogon was sitting in a patch of afternoon sunlight, his bright red breast feathers seemed to shine. He didn’t seem concerned by my presence and continued to make a curious trilling call. Every time he did so he would shuggle his white edged tail feathers. Shows like that don’t last long and he was soon gone. Amazing how easily something so bright and red can disappear.
I wasn’t much further along when I was arrested by an indignant squawk. I didn’t see him at first, surprising considering how bright and red he was. This was a different species but another male again. Off he went upriver and I started to move on. I hadn’t made two steps before I heard the squawk again. So it wasn’t the daddy who’d made the noise. She gave her position away by flying into another tree across the river. Females are more of a ginger colour and just as attractive for it – I won’t be accused of being ginger-ist! We checked each other out for a couple of minutes before she got bored and chased off upriver after her partner.
The sun was still catching the trees on the ridge above me so I pushed on up the now indistinct trail. There was not too much chance of getting lost because I still had the river as a guide. Nonetheless I started to take note of landmarks as I went; the tree with tentacle roots, the tree with stilt roots, the large Agathis tree with the bulge and the tree stump the shape of the Eiffel Tower. I paused by a tributary stream to photograph a wild ginger flower. Whilst doing so a babber started scolding me from the undergrowth. Most babblers fall into the category of ‘small brown bird’ and are usually unidentifiable unless you see them in good light and happen to catch them singing at the same time. There was no chance of this fella singing for me and the light on the valley floor was gloomy.
I now had a choice, either to follow the river closely into what might become a gorge, or to try to avoid the gorge by climbing higher up the side of the valley. The trees were more open there so I opted for the climb. There was no path so I followed the way of least resistance. The under storey of primary forest is surprisingly open but there are still plenty of things to avoid, in particular the barbed fronds of rattan that the rangers call duri. Caution is also needed in reaching for small tree trunks or vines with which to steady yourself, many of them are covered in spines.
At the point where I rejoined the river my watch said 5.30 and I knew I had to turn round if I was to get back to the camp before dark. I began to tick off the landmarks as a challenge to try to remember which one was next. The only problem was that there was no next landmark where I expected it to be. I had re-climbed the hill above the gorge and successfully started the descent but I was now on a flat area which I didn’t remember.
I know how easy it is to descend from a hill in the wrong direction. In this case the hill was still in the right place in relation to the river so I decided to continue. A landmark would really be good though. My pace quickened. The gloom settled thicker around me and the six o’clock cicada was singing in full force.
The danger of quickening your pace is that you are more likely to trip on a tree root or get hooked by some duri. I forced myself to slow down. As long as the six o’clock cicada was still going I was doing fine. They stop when it becomes night.
I patiently rearranged some duri fronds so that I could step through the gap and over a log that I recognised. I put the binoculars away; there would be no further use for them. The undergrowth opened up intermittently into a trail and I stepped up the pace.
Once back on the trail I started practising ‘walking without looking where you’re going’. This is a technique which the rangers evidently use because how else would they be able to spot all the plants and wildlife whilst on the move? When I’m trekking I see nothing except where I’m going to place my foot next. I’m determined that this will change. At a glance I memorised the trail for the next 10 metres and lifted my chin up high.
I know that you’re thinking that I would fall flat on my face and I too was surprised not too.
At the faster walking pace the cooler evening air lifted the sweat from my neck. The space between the trees opened up in front of me and I felt the sounds and the presence of the forest closing in just as tightly behind me.
I glanced at the next section of trail and lifted my head again. I moved faster still, feeling the forest tingling at the back of my head as I passed.
I was at the bridge. Careful it’s always slippery! I slipped along the last two boards without breaking rhythm. The tree trunks were now barely more solid than the darkness between them. The strangler fig on the big old dipterocarp still had some definition. It took three paces to pass and then I was walking between the gingers where the wild pigs had been digging. In the Camp clearing the trees were seen only in silhouette and the six o’clock cicada was silent.
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Tags: Agathis, Bird Conservation, Bird Watching, Borneo, Cicada, Malaysia, Maliau Basin, Rainforest, Sabah, Trogon
Here’s a case study about greenwashing the envrionmental impacts of tourism. In this story, imagine I am the sustainability manager of a resort hotel which is keen to do the right thing by practising responsible tourism.
I learn of a laundry detergent supplier who claims that their product is environmentally friendly and think Great! we can use this product and advertise the fact in our green marketing.
As a hotel I am a consumer of laundry detergents and I need to be able to verify that this product is truly green. If I don’t and the claims turn out to be spurious then I am guilty of propagating the greenwashing. In my position this is made more significant because I am not the end of the chain. I am selling on the green image to my guests and in doing so I am setting a standard for what is green.
Being diligent, I compose a letter to the supplier to reassure myself that the product is genuinely environmentally friendly. i.e is made only from organic ingredients and contains no Phosphates, synthetic surfactants, optical brighteners etc etc.
“Dear Demanding Customer” the would be environmentally friendly supplier wrote, “I have ascertained that my product could not meet your requirement of biodegradable as they are not made of organic ingredients. However, we can claim that it is environmental friendly where it doesn’t emit harmful substance to the environment.”
Immediately I sense that the supplier either doesn’t know what he is talking about or is trying to hoodwink me.
“Dear Detergent Man” I questioned, “What do you mean by ‘do not emit harmful substance to the environment’? What are the ingredients of your products? Does it contain phosphate, chlorine, LAS, SLS and optical whiteners? If so, then we are unfortunately not interested in the products. If not, I would like to have more information about your products.”
“Dear Demanding Customer” came the admission, “For the laundry detergent it does contained surfactant and optical brightener. The ingredients of products are confidential but what we can do is only to verify whether the particular contained in or not. By all the mean, we could not meet all of your requirement. Thanks and regards.”
So there you have an ‘environmental friendly’ detergent supplier that cannot substantiate their claims. Exposing claims as false is easy if you have little information about which of the typical ingredients of detergent may not be environmentally friendly.
Finding genuine environmentally friendly detergents is still the difficult bit. Luckily suppliers are starting to respond to demand from awkward customers and either importing western brands into the Asia region or better, starting to make their own. If you can’t find one of these brands right away at least you can learn how to recognise one when you do see it.
Glossary
LAS: Linear Alkyl Sodium Sulfonates
SLS: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
For further information about ingredients of laundry detergents I have dug out three websites each with a different bias.
Pro alternative detergent
Pro conventional detergent
Unbiased
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