Remembering Tsunami 2004: Architecture of hope

Norazam Abu Samah with an image of Kampung Weu Raya which he helped to build in his capacity as Mercy Malaysia’s head of operations in Aceh following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. — ART CHEN/The Star

The steadfast commitment of a quiet architect lies at the heart of Mercy Malaysia’s four-year-long reconstruction commitment in Aceh.

ARCHITECT Norazam Abu Samah is swamped by invitations for coffee and meals whenever he visits the bustling coastal village of Weu Raya in Aceh in Sumatra, Indonesia. After all, he had designed the village for 178 families there following the 2004 Boxing Day Indian Ocean tsunami, which left a swathe of destruction in its wake with 167,000 dead and over 500,000 people homeless in Indonesia alone.