Text by Ian Hall Photos by Ian Hall and Serena Lamb The forest around Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL) is home to an extraordinarily high density of orang-utans. More than 30 individuals are being monitored in a research program lead by the Wildlife Research Center (WRC) of Kyoto University. Wild orang-utans are very good for nature tourism and I reckon that during a three night stay at the Lodge there is an even chance of seeing at least one of those fellas. The WRC research program now has a new purpose built home at BRL thanks...

Text by Ian Hall Photos by Ian Hall, Serena Lamb and Eyen Khoo Horticulturalist and orchid expert Tony Lamb has thrown down the gauntlet to describe the world’s largest orchid. The Tiger Orchid, Grammatophyllum speciosum is the undisputed king of the orchid world but where is the largest specimen to be found in the wild? The question was raised during a walk along the access road to Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL) in the Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah. The orchid that caused Tony to stop in his tracks was so big that...

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....

By Ian Hall 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...

A new coffee table book is out on the subject of 'Architecture in Sabah, Resorts and Hotels'. Arkitrek is very chuffed to have our work at Borneo Rainforest Lodge featured in a multiple page spread. Thanks to Author Richard Nelson Sokial for the namecheck and complimentary words and pictures. All that assiduous buttering up obviously didn't go unnoticed. Arriving in Sabah for the first time nearly six years ago, my first impression of the architecture was monotypic concrete shoplots and suburban houses that seemed to aspire...