From Resistance to Mediation: Translating Mangrove Ecosystem Principles into Site-Specific Coastal Architecture in Batang Salak, Sarawak

Abstract

Coastal settlements in Sarawak are increasingly affected by sea-level rise, erosion, ecological degradation and developmental pressures. Conventional coastal protection such as seawalls, revetments and breakwaters, often rely on resistance-based infrastructure which may provide short-term protection but can reduce ecological connectivity and long-term adaptability. This paper investigates how mangrove ecosystem principles can inform site-specific coastal architectural design through a research-by-design study in Batang Salak and Pulau Salak, Sarawak. The study combines literature review, state-of-the-art precedent analysis, site observation, contextual mapping, photographic documentation and conceptual design exploration. Mangrove behaviours such as tidal adaptation, root porosity, wave attenuation, filtration, habitat creation and ecological interdependence are abstracted into architectural strategies. The findings suggest that mangrove-informed architecture is most meaningful when understood not as visual imitation, but as behavioural translation. The paper contributes a site-specific design process that shifts coastal architecture from hard resistance toward adaptive mediation between people, water and mangrove ecology.