Experiential Learning Project Profile
GH03-004
BUILDING SOCIAL
CULTURAL COHESION!
Build A Communal Hall for An
Iban Village Community in Sarawak
Our Social Mission:
To work with the local people to design and build a
communal hall for an Iban village community in Sarawak.
Student Learning:
Students will learn about the indigenous architectural
culture, building method, environmental problems
and rural development issues in Sarawak. As they will
communicate and work with university students in
Sarawak, they will learn in a real environment that will not only enhance their
cognitive skills but also affective and psychomotor skills.
Project Opportunities:
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Outreach to a village community in Bintangor in the district of Meradong
and Julau, Sarawak, with the University College of Technology Sarawak in
Malaysia
Understand the local socio-culture and learn to identify the local situation
and needs.
Engage the local people to design and build a communal hall for the village
together.
The site houses over 1000 Iban from a village of Iban longhouse called
Rumah Ranggi. The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo,
which is the largest ethnic group of Sarawak.
Traditionally, an Iban community live in a wooden longhouse on stilt which
is divided into internal rooms for households. They share a common
corridor space called the “ruai”, which is a common space for villagers to
meet, perform their traditional ritual feast, have family gatherings, get
entertainment, make income, etc. All these are very important for the
cultural and social cohesion of the Iban community.
However, due to increasing rate of deforestation resulting from rapid
development, the availability of wood as the main building material is no
longer as cheap and as abundant as before. Therefore, longhouses are now
built with modern brick and cement. For the reason of fire safety in these
modern houses, the number of households has declined from as many as
300 to only 7 at the moment. As a result, the floor area of the ruai of the
house is also reduced.
Since it is crucial to preserve their socio-cultural values,
foster social solidarity, and maintain their identity and
self-belongingness, the village community needs to
build a separate and larger communal hall.
The construction of this building has been in progress
for 15 years and still requires more manpower and
resources. Students will collaborate with the local
community to complete the building of communal hall
for the benefits of 8 longhouses in the area.
PROJECT LOCATION
Bintangor,
Sarawak, Malaysia
COMMUNITY PARTNER
University College
of Technology
Sarawak, Malaysia
KEY AREAS
Architecture, Building,
Design, Construction,
Indigenous Culture, Social
Cohesion, Village, Rural Area,
Development Issues
Interested faculty members are
welcome to contact Dr. Dennis Cheung,
Lecturer of GHELC
Phone: 2219 4828
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://ghelc.hku.hk