The second phase of refurbishment at Borneo Rainforest Lodge was completed earlier this year.

The completed work adds 4 deluxe and 1 standard rooms to the upgraded inventory.

Following the popularity of the outside tubs in Phase I, all remaining deluxe rooms will have their own private outside tub with view of the river and/or primary rainforest.

The bath is filled with water gravity fed from a local rainforest stream and returned via a soakaway to the river. Only biodegradable soap please! Hot water option is available using solar water heaters.

The latest rooms also manipulate passive design principles such as natural ventilation, thermal mass and thermal insulation to maintain a comfortable temperature without resorting to energy intensive air conditioning.

We have been studying the daily temperature cycle and find that the rooms reach a maximum daytime peak of 29ºC and rapidly cool to 24ºC at night.

This is achieved by using insulated materials with a low thermal mass where they catch the sun and materials with high thermal mass where they are shaded.

Wood and sheet metal do not store much heat so they quickly cool down to ambient air temperature at night. The insulation prevents heat from being radiated and conducted into the room interior.

Concrete and brick when shaded and insulated from the sun can help moderate the daytime temperature peak by releasing ‘coolth’ stored from the previous night.

The next phase of refurbishment comprising 4 Deluxe Chalets and 5 Standard rooms will start on site in November 2008.

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