INTRODUCTION TO TROPICAL DESIGN IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN

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Fabia, Amy Rose C.

ARCHI 2C_Batch 2
 BRUNEI
HISTORY/ BACKGROUND

The earliest recorded history of the country can be found in documents discussing China’s trade with Puni during
the Tang Dynasty in the 6th century AD. Brunei was initially a part of Java’s Majapahit Empire. Its glory days
were in the 15th to the 17th centuries, when it encompassed the southern Philippines and Borneo’s northwestern
coastal areas.
James Brooke, a British imperialist and adventurer, helped the sultan resolve the rebellion caused by inland
tribes in 1838, rewarding him with power over a section of Sarawak. Brooke appointed himself as a “Raja” and
eliminated the pirates of Borneo, promoted peace, and deliberately forcing treaties with the sultan, causing
Brunei to be divided in half by 1890.
Brunei became a protectorate of Britain in 1888, but in 1929 it regained rights to its own land when oil was
discovered. The country flourished when offshore oil fields were developed in the 1960’s.

CLIMATIC DATA
The Climate in Brunei is tropical equatorial and humid subtropical at higher altitudes with heavy rainfall. Bandar Seri Begawan's climate
is tropical equatorial with two seasons. Dry season is extremely hot (24 to 36°C or 75.2 to 96.8°F). Wet or rainy season is generally warm
and wet (20 to 28°C or 68.0 to 82.4°F). Most of the country is a .at coastal plain with mountains in the east and hilly lowland in the west.
The lowest point is at sea level and the highest is Bukit Pagon (1,850 m or 6,070 ft).The climate of Brunei is governed by the equatorial
monsoon winds. The northeast monsoon typically blows from December to March, and the southwest monsoon blows from May to
September. April, October, and November are transitional months. Temperatures in Brunei are warm throughout the year, typically
dropping into the mid-70s F (about 23 °C) and rising to about 90 °F (32 °C) on a daily basis. Precipitation averages about 115 inches
(2,900 mm) annually in the coastal areas but can exceed 150 inches (3,800 mm) farther inland. Rainfall is generally heavier from October
to January and lighter from March to August.