Ar. Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin and Mohd Aliff Sued from Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia has been awarded an Honorable Mention with their design entitled Plugging the Senses-Retreat House organised by the House In Forest. The project area is defined as a ‘forest area’ and focuses on timber houses, an extraordinary architectural style with traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures and joined timbers with other components.
‘Plugging the Senses’ is a lecturer-student collaborative project, presents a new idea of shelter that embellishes the concept of sustainability and flexibility by means of multi-unit design and convertible spaces that can be well suited in different site context without causing any significant consequences to its surrounding. Set in a 2-acres land with part sloping hill and river front, the building encompasses 4 sets of modules sizing at 4.5m x 4.5m each which can be plugged and unplugged and placed anywhere in within the site according to the individual’s preference. The façade design resembles the shape of a tree in conformity to the forest setting. The components of the building are made of timber with timber planks for floors and roofs and timber cladding for walls, which can be easily installed and dismantled in within site. The path leading to the building is created via jungle trails to create a nature-like feeling and a sense of adventure thus making the forest remain untouchable.
The competition is based in the United States and open to all architecture, landscape, planning or design students, as well as professionals. House In Forest intends to challenge and seek to explore the fantastic ideas of architectural design, as well as landscape design and site planning. The aim of this competition is to promote ideas of protecting the forest and its environment, as well as focusing on urban design problems, while simultaneously raising awareness on the sustainability.