Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Main Lodge
The renovation of Borneo Nature Tours flagship Eco-tourism lodge provided the opportunity to hone a lot of Arkitrek’s ideas about what makes a great project. Located in Danum Valley Conservation Area, the success of Borneo Rainforest Lodge provides a compelling economic argument to leave rainforest trees standing.
The design reworks the arrival sequence, circulation and connection to nature to make the most of the magnificent setting. The centrepiece is a grand atrium with a bespoke lighting installation. The atrium at the heart of the building helps to integrate the flow between inside and outside and between back of house and front. This difficult to describe, movement of energy, was one of the most conspicuous shortcomings of the original design.
All the timber in this project is reclaimed from the huge belian columns of an old timber warehouse. The timber is detailed to be raw and honest, with the old peg holes filled but not hidden. This was a collaborative process between architect and contractor, the contractor understanding that sometimes moy liang (less nice) is ho liang (very nice).
Project Data
Status: Completed May 2010
Contract Sum: MYR2,500,000
Procurement: Negotiated Contract
Danum Valley and Maliau Basin are totally protected?virgin rainforest conservation areas, part of a contiguous tract of over 350,000ha of protected forest stretching from Darvel Bay in the East of Sabah to Sapulut in the West and forming the bulk of Sabah’s contribution to the Heart Of Borneo trans-boundary forest conservation initiative. These rainforests are managed on behalf of the Sabah State Government by Yayasan Sabah (The Sabah Foundation).
