Although based in Malaysia, WHBC Architects has garnered attention from fans of design and building around the globe. Shared on social media from Instagram to TikTok and beyond, the firm’s viral approach to design tells a compelling story.
Whether it’s a house on a tropical island constructed from reclaimed telephone poles, a design-forward dog hotel, a durian collecting shed or a communal bath built for the indigenous people of Malaysia, the structures the firm completes are always as unique as they are inspired.
But WHBC’s work goes beyond the viral moment. Drawing on local vernacular techniques and inspired by nature, its work uses unconventional materials and eco-inspired design choices to create structures that are truly one of a kind.
A background in building
“I grew up watching my dad repairing and making all kinds of things at home, from toys to giant clocks,” said BC Ang, who runs the firm with his partner, fellow architect Wen Hsia Ang. “I guess that naturally made me want to be a maker/inventor.”
Born, educated and married in Malaysia, the Angs were inspired to found WHBC Architects around 2007. Although their ambitions are lofty, the pair completes their impressive slate of projects from a tiny two-person office.
“We believe design is an act of balancing—utility, technology and emotions in its specific place,” the pair wrote in a joint statement. “All condensed as a problem-solving idea in equilibrium.”
In practice, Ang says this means creating design that truly feels holistic. “It is my belief that good design should not only have a good idea, but it should be also built well; therefore, the conversation with materiality and its accompanying building techniques are very important.”
Ang says the firm’s flexible, open mindset means it’s ready to take on any creative challenge, no matter what the client needs. “We have completed a number of works the past few years which we have not had the time to share yet,” he said, “including a timber farm building and quarters built with a single module of reconstituted timber, a few houses, a meditation hall, a toilet and EV charging highway rest stop.”
Grounded in client conversations, the inspiration the natural world provides and a commitment to thinking differently, the firm’s designs are often founded in that homegrown, ranging curiosity that Ang found so inspiring in his childhood. Perhaps this is why, when asked to name the most inspiring projects of his career, he said, “It was actually a short teaching stint at SUTD in Singapore; it was a chance to guide young adults to see design and making differently.”
Creating new ways of seeing and responding to the world, Ang aims to design structures that illuminate and inspire.
Unconventional materials, striking results
One of WHBC’s most striking social media successes is a house the firm built on the Malaysian island of Langkawi, which was constructed in its entirety from reclaimed wood—including a framework made from recycled telegraph poles.
Ang says he’s unsure why the house has resonated so deeply with audiences around the world. In addition to its success, the house was one of the signature projects that got the duo behind WHBC nominated for the prestigious Royal Academy Architecture Prize. Years after its construction, the structure continues to inspire conversations around creative reuse and materiality.
But when asked about the sources of inspiration for this creative home, Ang was pragmatic. “We just had to make projects (residential or otherwise) that come into the office the best we can,” he said.
That pragmatic approach ended up being the key to that fascinating project. “In Malaysia, we noticed old timber telegraph poles were being replaced with concrete poles,” Ang shared. “When our client requested to build a timber house on the island of Langkawi, we explained that if we were to use freshly logged timber, we could not guarantee the source of the timber or whether it is dried enough.”
Seeking a creative solution, the Angs came up with the idea of reclaiming the materials from those discarded telegraph poles. “We proposed the idea to build with these old poles,” he said. “Compared to freshly logged timber, the durability of the poles is time tested, dry, stable and has a beautiful patina, which only time can give.”
Together, the two visited timber recycling yards to collect hardwood poles that would pass their structural performance tests while also having their preferred aesthetic qualities. They then drove a steel pin into groups of four poles, which acted as a termite shield while turning the poles into a column.
Using the poles as a frame, they created a striking modernist take on a traditional Malay house, honoring the time-tested timber architecture the region is known for—which is becoming increasingly difficult to build due to material constraints.
The result is a building both striking and simple, a perfect marriage of history and modernity.
Where nature and culture meet
Ang says the telegraph pole house is emblematic of the duo’s open-minded approach to creating new spaces. “The source of material, the weather and our culture shape all vernacular building … it’s all around us; we are inspired by all these then and now,” enthused Ang. “We always consult our clients on the most important matters, but our clients appreciate that we are there to make clear decisions on their behalf.”
He said that centering nature and building structures that respond to their surroundings remains essential to the duo’s work. “Respect nature, like how we would respect an elder, understand its power and wisdom, try your best to make appropriate decisions even if it’s not popular, and try not to make nature angry,” he said.
In the past, adhering to these lofty ideals had been easy. But now the Angs find themselves facing their greatest challenge yet. “We are currently building a home for ourselves,” he shared. “I think building your own house is the most difficult job an architect can do. Like a surgeon who tries to operate on themselves. I wished I had an architect with no unnecessary baggage to make a clear decision for me!”
