Architects urged to design exciting eco-tourism buildings in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Members of the architecture industry are encouraged to create interesting and sustainable designs for resorts amidst the booming tourism industry in Sabah.

Deputy Chief Minister and state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said architects have an important role to play in designing exciting tourism buildings that will be in harmony with the environment.

“In your design or planning, please always think of sustainable architecture that will protect and preserve the pristine environment, so that the natural beauty can be enjoyed by the generations to come.

“As the world is going green, eco-resorts are a trend. We should make our tourism resorts compliant to green-building certification, so we can proudly tell the world that all our tourism resorts are truly eco-friendly,” Liew said when speaking representatives from the architecture industry at the launch of Borneo Architecture Festival (BAF) 2018 here, today. Present was Malaysian Architect Organisation’s Sabah Chapter chairman Arnold Kwan.

The fourth Borneo Architecture Festival was aimed at providing a platform for local and international architects to share their experience and knowledge about architectural tourism.

Meanwhile, Kwan, in his speech, said architecture and tourism were closely related as architecture eventually become tourist attractions.

“It’s always a trend, especially in all major cities around the world today, to preserve and transform old structures into tourist attractions. A classic example is Sydney in Australia, where the old city has been successfully transformed into a trendy and vibrant commercial district by maintaining the old architectural design.

“In Sabah, our asset and strength have always been the colourful multiethnic people and the rich biodiversity such as Mount Kinabalu, Sipadan island, wildlife, as well as the flora and fauna in the state’s virgin forests.

“All these can be a great inspiration for more dialogue and debates as well as experimentation in architecture. I also urged all architects to be mindful of our heritage be it natural or man-made things as these need to be preserved for our future generation,” he said.

Source: New Straits Times