The Anjung is a retreat house and an architectural studio space. Developed by the practice itself, the project reflects and embodies its values and aspirations. Experimental in approach, it builds on the studio’s longstanding interest in investigating the relationship between contemporary architecture and place through the articulations of form and materiality, as well as a direct engagement with its surrounding context. Sitting on a one-acre site that was formerly part of a palm oil plantation 40 minutes south of Kuala Lumpur, the development draws from vernacular forms and local materiality and craftsmanship.

Materials are selected to reduce the overall construction’s carbon costs. Bamboo – in its most natural state, i.e., full culms – is used for the roof structures. Walls are interlocking compressed earth blocks (CEBs) made from local laterite soil. They have lower embodied carbon than conventional kiln-fired bricks. Roof and ceiling coverings are corrugated and flat panels made from recycled food and beverage cartons, compressed under heat and pressure to give a distinctive speckled surface pattern in varying hues of green. The furniture similarly reflects the carbon-reducing principles: salvaged hardwood timbers were repurposed on site into tables and benches.

Photos by Zakee Man