Sabah Teh

City University Malaysia

Project idea

The Sabah Teh - Community Driven Tea Plantations project aims to blend traditional tea cultivation practices with modern design, creating a space for farmers, locals, and tourists. Focused on community engagement and cultural preservation, it seeks to improve farmers' livelihoods, enhance visitor experiences, and boost the local economy. Anchored in sustainability, the project strives to maintain tea as a key part of Ranau’s identity.

Project description

The project is divided into four main sections: the cultivation section with a nursery house and sorting house, the hospitality section with tea tasting and private dining huts. In between these two sections lies the main entrance, with a separate entrance for farmers providing direct access to the first floor, while visitors enter the building on the ground floor. accommodation with retail space for selling farmer-produced goods, and the withering space for drying tea leaves. The central hub features tea processing on the first floor and cultural experience zones on the ground floor.

Technical information

The project utilizes recycled wood, bamboo, stainless steel, rattan, and thatch to reflect the heritage and identity of local families in the tea sector. Additionally, a timber-based rainwater harvesting system is integrated, with hollow bamboo sticks used as facade treatment to facilitate rainwater collection.