Cameron Highlands farmstay: Valleylon

This competition was organised with an actual prospective client, Warren Technology, looking at the possibility of creating a farmstay resort in a 50 acres farmland valley in Cameron Highland, Pahang. Further up the road is the Habu Boh Tea plantation, one of the popular tourist spots in Cameron Highland. Farmstay is a fairly new concept in tourism where visitors could appreciate the food production process and the need to be harmonious with mother nature, an ecosystemic relationship normally obscure to consumers. The winning solution by Norhasni, Khairul Asri, Fadzil Ikhwan and Azharul Kaspol takes reference of the h Hanging Garden of Babylon to provide the outlook of the resort hence the name ‘Valleylon’. The various functions are housed in buildings designed in several sleek horizontal modern platforms scattered organically overlooking the valley. The opennes of the spaces, with screens made from timber provides a strong engagement between inside and the exotic landscape a premium that the site seductively offers. Apart from technical sustainable consideration, the contrast between the lush green and hilly characteristics of the site provides an exciting design intervention that would invigorate the already majestic scenery. The austere modernity also reflects well the use of IBS (Industrialised Building Systems) as its construction strategy, minimizing disturbance to the pristine site during construction. What helps make this proposal a winning one is the sensitive considerations of sustainable architecture and green farming strategies. They include utilizing permaculture concept to recycling organic materials, rainwater harvesting, chemical free approach, and fog catchers - an armada of textile sails that catches the ever present moisture in the air of Cameron Highland and turns it into useful water supply. The proposal illustrates the potential of sustainable design strategies as a liberating source of creative and explorative aesthetic, while at the same time provides the facilities necessary for appreciating the delicate balance between human subsistance and mother nature.