Text and photos by Nick Nearchou Arriving into the Arkitrek office on my first day I really had no idea of the technical challenges confronting me during my internship in Sabah. After the initial briefing I was presented with the impossible Mantanani Kindergarten construction task. “We need you to somehow lift six enormous roof rafters (large 2’’ x 8’’ timber sections and around 15’’ long) over 16ft into the air and connect them to the top of present Kindergarten structure. You will have a very limited work...

North Borneo War Memorial Imitation memorial curated by Arkitrek as part of the “Bonding with Gaya Street” Gaya Street Community Heritage Exhibition. By the North Borneo History Enthusiasts. This war memorial was originally built to commemorate servicemen who gave their life to defend Sabah (named British North Borneo during the British Occupation) in WWI and WWII plus the 'confrontasi' with Indonesia in 1963-66. The original site for the North Borneo War Memorial is in front of the current Pizza Hut restaurant on Jalan...

The Independent Saturday 31st December 2011 Traveller's Guide: Life-changing holidays Read the original article in full Whether you learn a new skill, volunteer abroad, or venture out into the unknown, make 2012 the year of meaningful travel Camps International offers volunteer programmes for professionals, including month-long "Arkitrek" expeditions to Borneo for architecture and design professionals. Two of the days are spent on a marine conservation project, with time for swimming or beach volleyball. But the purpose...

Arkitrek's Ian Hall will be talking to the Sabah Society on 4th January about 'Green Building; Mantanani Style' Synopsis Sustainability lessons with the Bajau Ubian of Pulau Mantanani. Lesson One – You can’t build that, people will laugh at you! Lesson Two – You can’t build that, the cows will laugh at it! Lesson Three – Orang Putih use a lot of water! The first two lessons relate to how the aspirations of the islanders can be at odds with the aspirations of the incomers from the tourism industry. This...

Text and Photos by Jamie Ross Two months after applying for an Arkitrek internship I found myself on a plane to Borneo. Having little idea of what was in store other than words of warning about the dangers of rice wine I couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive about the next 3 months. Fortunately these initial fears soonpassed as I was welcomed into the folds of the Arkitrek and Camps International family. As with Eoghan and Olly before me, my home for the duration was to be Tinangol village and my objective to push...