The Salvation Army (TSA) has been in Sarawak for 80 years with two premises: the Boys’ Home at Jalan Ban Hock and The Children’s Home at Jalan Upland. Atelier Timur Sdn Bhd was approached in 2019 to work together with The Salvation Army and their benefactors to look into a project which combines both premises in a new ‘Home’.

In 2019, the Sarawak Government donated a 7.5-acre plot of land in the Kota Samarahan Division for this purpose. With the disposal of the two current sites, TSA was able to raise the necessary funds to develop a more cohesive and conducive environment to nurture and care for Sarawak’s underprivileged children. Construction began in 2021 and was completed in June 2023.

The site is strategically located next to SJK Chung Hua Sungai Jernang, a primary school along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway. Although this means that TSA will move out of Kuching, they see it as an opportunity to build a new community in Kota Samarahan.

The project brief called for a design that includes a chapel cum multipurpose hall with supporting auxiliary facilities, an administrative office, and separate homes for boys and children, along with staff quarters and additional support facilities. To minimize construction costs, the building and infrastructure footprint is situated on the first 2 acres of the land, reducing the need for earth filling due to the existing undulating terrain.

The site was planned into 3 parts:

1. The public complex consisting of the chapel cum multipurpose hall and administrative offices.

2. The private and secured complex consisting of the boys’ and children’s homes.

3. Outdoor space. Sandwiched between the 2 building complexes is the outdoor space. The outdoor space functions as a carpark for the multipurpose hall as well as a space for outdoor games (basketball) and for charity sales. It is designed as a secure and safe recreational area for the children where they can play and ride their bicycles.

TSA will look to generate some income from the rental of their multipurpose hall to the public for functions as well as for indoor sports like badminton and ping-pong.

The building complex is designed in simple forms with a play of layering of screen designs, resulting in interesting shadow and light effects to give the spaces a new dimension. With consideration for ease of future maintenance as well as ensuring that the building cost is kept within budget, the buildings are passively designed.

The roof of the chapel cum multipurpose hall wraps down to the upper part of the building. Spillover verandahs are provided on both wings, with a generous utility space provided to the back for the use of outside caterers during public dining functions such as wedding dinners.

Patterned exposed brick screening along the verandahs provides screening and gives depth to the space when shadows are cast. The earthy tones of the exposed brick also exude a sense of rustic charm. Finishes are generally rudimentary in nature, of cement screed and tiles due to cost constraints. However, with the play of shadows and patterns from the brick screening, it conveys a certain charm.

The administrative offices allocated on the second level within this building mean that the building will be well used even when there are no public functions.

Intended as a gated community with controlled entry into the accommodation complex for security reasons, the The Boys and Children’s Homes are designed in two rows with a secured open courtyard in between. At one end, there is the open shaded area that houses the communal activity cum dining area and services access. The other end is the open courtyard.

These linear rows are segmented into 4 blocks with landscape nodes in between. The homes are designed to reduce the sense of institutional boarding house while fulfilling TSA operational guidelines. We created 4 self-contained ‘apartments‘ as ‘family units’ linked by a covered verandah corridor at both levels. Patterned exposed brick screens are incorporated for privacy and to break up the spatial linearity. It gives visual texture and provides a warmth that promotes a sense of homeliness. The use of natural unfinished bricks on the higher part of the homes is also intentional; it is to reduce the need for re-painting the walls for ease of future maintenance.

Each unit houses a ‘family’ of 16 children. Each unit consists of dining and living space, a pantry area, an area for personal storage for each child, a common laundry area, and bathrooms. The concept is that each family unit will be able to take care of their own unit and manage their own daily chores under the guidance of their house father and/or mother, creating an environment similar to a typical household. This assimilation is training for the children towards an independent life when they are older.

The floor plans are kept narrow with large roof overhangs in consideration of the tropical climate, to promote natural cross ventilation while maximizing daylight to the interior. This improves the building’s energy efficiency, thus creating a comfortable living environment for both children and staff.

The homes are also designed for possible usage as an aged care home, as TSA have plans to provide this service to the community in the future. OKU-friendly doorways and toilets and provisions for future lifts are pre-planned for the building.

Although the landscaped and garden courtyards area are designated, the actual landscaping and tree planting were not part of the built works. This was left out as future projects for TSA to organize with their children and the wider community.

Text by the architect

PROJECT GALLERY