The Ulin House is a social house that can be used by the village community for various activities such as for gathering, praying, or reading the Al-Qur’an for children—which is connected to a private space at the back. The architectural style is inspired by the architecture from Kalimantan, which is called “Rumah Panjang”—or “Long House” in English—that is well-known for its simple shape but has high multifunctionality of its rooms. Owned by a local Ironwood (Kayu Ulin in Bahasa Indonesia) trader in Tenggarong, the façade of this social house is dominated by the use of ironwood. The wood is used only for the structure with the support of steel frames to add strength, whilst white textured paint is used as the wall finish. The colors of the ironwood is kept natural with its open pore texture. Therefore, at a glance, this house may look like the traditional houses in Kalimantan.
The house is divided into two zones, the front and back zones. The front zone consists of two floors—the ground floor is functioned as a gathering space equipped with kitchen and fish pond on the side to create a poetic view, and the upper floor is functioned as the bedrooms for children Tahfiz, or those who memorizes the Al-Qur’an, and two mentors.
The back zone consists of one living and dining area that are connected directly to the bedroom used by the house owner who will use it when the house owner visits and stays in the house.