I’ve recently been off on site visits with friends from the USA. In fact Mauricio is Mexican and Susan is German but they both practice in Los Angeles with a company called Urban Networks. As the name suggests they have a largely urban portfolio but are pretty hot designers and are well up on sustainability issues. I’m working together with them on proposals for a new Studies Centre in the Imbak Conservation Area. Until this trip we had only met by Skype conference but over the course of ten days on the road we developed...

I have had a number of air-conditioning related comments to my last blog post, so I feel the need to try to explain myself a bit better. The following critique could be aimed at any country and discusses cultural aspirations for the built environment.In many cases these aspirations lead to inappropriate use of materials and technology with scant regard for sense of place or community. This is represented in Sabah by gridiron rows of concrete air conditioned boxes with mirrored glass windows and faux stone columns. Often the stylistic...

This is Borneo Rainforest Lodge, otherwise known as BRL to the cognoscenti. It’s marketed as ‘An exclusive facility for natural history tourism’. It is exclusive because it is relatively small, relatively expensive and difficult to get to. Size is a key issue when talking about eco-tourism. The Danum Valley Conservation Area is virgin lowland rainforest, far too fragile to put up with hordes of tourists trampling through the undergrowth. Besides, the uncomfortable two and a half hour 4WD journey should be enough to dissuade...