Gabrielle Quek

“What is of the sea returns to the sea and what is of the land goes home to the land.”

The Orang Laut “Sea People” were possibly the last community in the Malaysian coastal peninsula to live in true harmony with nature. Their collective practices, backed by animistic beliefs, had little impact on the regenerative capacity of the sea, mangroves and forests that they inhabited. Their innate understanding of weather patterns and tidal shifts allowed them to sync their nomadic settlement patterns according to the bi-annual switch between wet and dry seasons - and as such, they thrived on nature’s bountiful resources. 

Their peaceful coexistence of thousands of years was only recently threatened by forced displacement and assimilation into modern society. The Orang Laut still living according to traditional standards today exist in the fringes of society, their minimal and subsistence living, misunderstood for primitivism.

The Pasar Pendakar Laut or the Sea Warrior’s Market presents an opportunity for new forms of economy for coastal communities. Through the sharing of resources and skills, the initiative empowers the fishermen to connect directly with customers. The collective allows them to uphold their Orang Laut traditions while preserving their environment through low impact fishing methods.

Leaning on the generational knowledge of the Orang Laut people and modern methods of forest rehabilitation, the project proposes a new ecological and social system. One that can be replicated across several sites to enhance the resilience of coastal communities and mangrove ecologies through the connection of land and sea.

Traditionally, the Kajang or screen performs as the interface between the Orang Laut and their environment. These separations encourage ventilation while still maintaining protection and privacy. Beyond shelter, the Orang Laut consider the screen as a demonstration of their craft, as purveyors of atmosphere and as a way of respecting nature. The screen is employed here as internal divisions and a big roof. With building materials tending towards decay, repair becomes an integral part of inhabitation. 

This project proposes the building to be constructed, inhabited, maintained and eventually demolished by the stewarding coastal community. This not only ensures the protection and consistent monitoring of the site, but it nurtures the sense of place and ownership. The seasonality of weather conditions and the lifecycle of the forest dictate the building’s occupation. Construction will first begin with the excavation of tidal creeks. These form the foundation of the infrastructure, ensuring the site can be sufficiently filled and drained according to the tide. Contrary to conventional construction, there is a deliberate attempt to maintain the integrity of the ground. Construction here is an act of ecological care, one which initiates the regrowth of the forest.

The building’s programmes are composed along tidal creeks on wooden platforms that hover slightly above, but are otherwise continuous with the ground.These platforms are a reinterpretation of the archetypical panduk, a raised platform on stilts. Traditionally these platforms perform as social spaces, supporting everyday activities of care, community and conviviality. 

The form of the roof is derived from the composition of platforms and the sloping terrain. The canopy shelters both human and non-human inhabitants from the harsh tropical sun and monsoon storms. Like the dense cover of a forest, the low thermal capacity of natural materials keeps the building cool. The peaks and valleys of the roof perform as a rainwater harvesting system, supplying the canal with fresh water and balancing out salinity levels. Bifurcating columns secured with tension cables resemble the stilt roots of the mangrove Rhizophora tree. Constructed using wood salvaged from mangrove clearings, the columns are able to withstand both wet and dry conditions. They provide structural support for the roof and prevent soil erosion, while also protecting juvenile sea creatures such as mud crabs and fish. Tension bars support the rafters of the pitched roof, while encouraging pollinating birds and insects to nest. 

Just like the traditional archetypes of the Orang Laut, the building seeks to enhance the dialogue between nature and people. As the landscape rehabilitates itself, the distinction between building and site becomes increasingly ambiguous. By merging into the landscape, architecture now serves as a method to rehabilitate a lost heritage - the analogue of a forest that will eventually return.