Here is a selection of quirky architectural details found on a project site at Kampung Tinangol Sabah. Kampung means village in Malay and is synonymous with things improvised, honest, basic and hardworking, to use just a few adjectives.

The long house. Note that many posts are wonky. I learned recently that bent posts serve as rudimentary braces in lieu of triangulation, thus keeping the structure more stable.

The long house veranda is popular for the afternoon snooze, presumably because the slatted bamboo floor feels cool in the hottest part of the day. At night the porch is the preferred space due to the multi-tiered seating options that facilitate a more convivial atmosphere. Traditionally long houses do not have a porch and this modification was made with westerners in mind who are not used to socialising while sitting on the floor.

Bamboo reinforced concrete. The single steel bar is a beam while the rest of the worktop is reinforced with strips of green bamboo. What a great idea, I can’t wait to specify it.

The troweled splodge plaster finish.

Bamboo bench from the notchit-and-botchit school of detailing. Temporary bamboo shelters abound in rice fields and front yards throughout Sabah. Lore dictates that for maximum durability you harvest your bamboo on a moonlit night and then soak it in a ditch for a week or two to drive out the wood-boring insects

I simply like the shape of this barn, that’s all.

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