Malay House Research Articles

BUILDING DEFECTS AND FAILURE OF MALAY TIMBER HOUSE: CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS

Defect detection in Malay House can be demeanoured by using two types of methods which is through visual inspection and via Priority Ranking System. To judge the building condition, it is good to have a thorough evaluation, so that a reliable recommendation can be made within a short period of time. This evaluation being carried out using the visual inspection on site and Prioritize Ranking System. The simple methodology of the system is using the numerical coding for the survey checklist. For the data under the priority ranking system then can be used as to foresee the condition of the house; either dilapidated, fair, or good. Furthermore, the system enables the surveyor to identify the major types of defects and the location of defects occurred. Through this, the surveyor can list out the element to be repaired in order of priority. The system is tested to the small-scale timber traditional house namely Rumah Melayu near the School of Housing, Building, and Planning (HBP).

Wall Carving Decoration and Motifs Influences Spatial Social Interaction: Is it Intentional or Accidental?

The woodcarving have considered as an important component in traditional Malay vernacular architecture were meant to perform visual values. This study examined of the wall woodcarving decoration, and it motifs found in traditional Malay house with two research questions. First, does the decoration and motifs influences social interaction of spatial? Second, is it the choice of decoration and motifs applied on the wall of Malay traditional house are intentional or accidental? This study can encourage in the direction of quality of life and sustainability of Malay's heritage, also identifies best-practices of choosing the proper woodcarving design to the interior space category in the future.

Shariah Compliance Hospitality Building Design: A Malay Muslim Oriented Architecture

As a Malay Muslim architecture, the traditional houses suggest characteristics of Syariah compliant (SC) design. In addition, assimilation of traditional Malay architecture to the hospitality buildings is seen as an approach to promote cultural tourism. Hence, this research aims to investigate the influences of traditional houses on the design of hospitality buildings. The methodologies adopted are case studies and literature reviews. The study analyses the SC characteristics of the Malay houses, discusses the SC hotel requirements and review selected examples of SC hotels as case studies. The findings indicated that there are profound vernacular features which compliments Syariah.

Ingenious Malay Wood Carving as Daylight Filtering Devices

The carving of the traditional Malay house is not only aesthetical but also functional for filtering daylight. The carvings were commonly applied at the roof end as fascia boards, on the walls, on windows and other parts of opening design. The study focus on evaluating carving panels applied at the top of the traditional Malay house's window. A computer simulation, the ECOTECT software, is conducted based on simplified carving ratio categories of solid and void (1:1-1:99). The results will suggest the daylight levels filter through the carvings that can correlate with suitable task recommended by the guidelines.

Bridge and Box: A Typological Study on the Construction Systems of Malay Houses in the Malay Peninsula

Malay houses have a great variation in construction systems despite their consistencies. With the coding method shown in this study, construction elements and their relations are presented in both words and symbols. In this study there are 95 house cases that have been coded and studied according to their construction processes. The study shows that the construction systems of Malay houses are composed of the house and its encroachment, and each house is composed of supports and a roof. The two major systems of support are the ″bridge″ and ″box″. Their roof variation generates five sub-systems of house construction. Encroachments can be divided into encroached semi-house (Es), encroached house (Eh), and encroached selang (Esg). There are 15 Es, 3 Eh, and 2 Esg in the 95 cases studied. The completion of house construction coding facilitates the description of the house construction, comprehension of uniqueness and limitation of house forms, along with the establishment of Malay house construction systems. The evolution and adaptability of the Malay house construction system can thus be understood more precisely.

Continuation and Transformation of Traditional Elements in Colonial Vernacular Houses in Kampong Bharu, Malaysia

Through colonization and modernization, the British introduced multi-racial immigrants into Malaysia, resulting in a plural society of people with unique social and cultural backgrounds. Kampong Bharu, located in central Kuala Lumpur, came into existence in 1899 as an enclave reserved for Malays only and their various sub-ethnic groups. Over time, urban growth resulted in the settlement losing its agricultural significance, and at present it is a uniquely preserved Malay community. Many vernacular Malay houses that were built in the 1900s still exist in Kampong Bharu. According to previous research by the author (Ju et al., 2012), there were four major types of vernacular houses that existed in Kampong Bharu: traditional vernacular houses type I - Bumbung Panjang, traditional vernacular houses type II - Bumbung Perak, colonial vernacular houses and modern vernacular houses.The purpose of this paper is to investigate and identify colonial vernacular houses among the four types which originated from the early period of colonization and later evolved into an eclectic style due to the social, ethnic and cultural changes occurring in colonial Malaysia. To achieve this, the paper conducts case studies on five colonial vernacular houses in Kampong Bharu.

Application of Passive Cooling Techniques in Vernacular Houses to Modern Urban Houses: A Case Study of Malaysia

The main purpose of this paper is to determine potential vernacular passive cooling strategies for improving thermal comfort of modern urban houses in hot-humid climate of Malaysia. Field measurements were carried out in two traditional timber Malay houses and two traditional masonry Chinese shophouses to investigate their indoor thermal environments and passive cooling techniques. The results of the former showed that the indoor air temperatures were higher than the outdoor air temperatures by 1°C during daytime under open window conditions and 2°C at night under closed window conditions on average. The results of the latter revealed that indoor air temperatures adjacent to small courtyards were lower than immediate outdoors by up to 5-6°C during daytime; at night, the indoor air temperatures maintained values similar to the outdoors. The small courtyards were effective to enhance night ventilation and nocturnal radiant cooling in the high mass shophouses. When assessed using an adaptive thermal comfort equation for hot-humid climates, the periods of indoor operative temperatures exceeding the 80% comfort upper limit in the Malay houses, Chinese shophouses, daytime ventilated and night ventilated terraced houses were 47%, 7-8%, 91% and 42%, respectively on fair weather days. By comparing these evaluations and relationships between indoor and outdoor thermal conditions of all houses, potential passive cooling strategies for the existing terraced houses including night ventilation, roof/ceiling insulation, window/wall shading, courtyard/forced ventilation, and microclimate and urban heat island mitigation were discussed.

Non-Structural Elements of the Traditional Malay Houses in the East Coast and Northern Peninsular Malaysia: Similarities and Differences

This paper presents the results of the literature review on the non-structural elements of the traditional Malay houses in the East Coast and Northern Peninsular Malaysia. The main aim of the review is to seek for similarities and differences between the unique features of the elements in traditional house of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Perlis and Penang, which most of the houses have been largely influenced by the architectural styles of Siam and Cambodia. For this purpose, a series of reviews have been done on relevant written documents like journal and proceeding articles, books, thesis, research reports and monographs, as well as documented measured drawings. The results showed that although the features of the non-structural elements in most of the houses are quite identical, but there are some aesthetical elements on the wall, door, window and roof of the houses are found to be significantly different, especially the elements like ‘gerbang pintu’, ‘kepala pintu & kepala tingkap’, types of wall, ‘tunjuk langit’, ‘sulur bayung’ and ‘kayu pemeleh’.

Comparative assessment of vernacular passive cooling techniques for improving indoor thermal comfort of modern terraced houses in hot–humid climate of Malaysia

The main objectives of this study were to investigate vernacular passive cooling techniques and their potential application for improving indoor thermal comfort of naturally ventilated, modern brick terraced houses in Malaysia. Field measurement was conducted in two traditional timber Malay houses and two traditional masonry Chinese shophouses to examine their indoor thermal environments. The results of the former showed that the indoor air temperatures were higher than the outdoor air temperatures by 1°C during daytime under open window conditions and 2°C at night under closed window conditions on average. The emphasis was on reducing the temperature of the outdoor air before entering the lightweight house for bodily cooling by cross ventilation. The outdoor air temperature at the Malay house sites was lower than that of the terraced house site by 1.7°C on average. The results of the latter revealed that indoor air temperatures in rooms that were adjacent to small internal courtyards were lower than the immediate outdoors by about 5°C on average at the peak period. At night, the indoor air temperatures maintained values that were similar to the outdoors. The small courtyards were effective to cool the high thermal mass structures through nocturnal ventilative and radiative cooling. When assessed using an adaptive thermal comfort equation for hot–humid climates, the periods of indoor operative temperatures exceeding the 80% comfortable upper limit in the Malay houses, Chinese shophouses, daytime ventilated and night ventilated terraced houses were 47%, 7–8%, 91% and 42%, respectively, on fair weather days. Potential passive cooling techniques for the existing terraced houses including night ventilation, roof or ceiling insulation, window and wall shading, small courtyard concept, and microclimate modification and/or urban heat island mitigation were discussed.

Long-roofed Houses of Northeastern Peninsular Malaysia: Sustainability of Its Identity in the Built Environment

Rumahbujangberselasar (single terraced house berselasar) and rumahtiangduabelas (twelve-pillared house) are the earliest and commonest house forms built among the old traditional houses of Kelantan and Terengganu in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. These long-roofed houses exhibit the distinctive form and the principal building components which contribute to their architectural identity. The houses in which the architectural form differs from the other Malay traditional house also give their distinctive distributions of ornate wood carvings. These houses are considered as the heritage of traditional Malay architecture originated from the region. Their survival and visibility in the past and present built environment reflect several changes in their architectural features. This paper aims to explore and elaborate the distinct characteristics and the features of the house architectural form that suggest the sustainability to preserve its identity within the existence of heterogeneous language and boundary. A few methods used to study this dimension of the house architecture include document review, face to face interviews with experts and on-site surveys and observation. The findings of research elucidate different patterns in continuing the existence of the house architecture since the 19th century until today. This includes: (1) modification or extension of the old structures, (2) adaptation/reuse of an old building, (3) reconstruction of the old structure, and (4) adoption of the architectural form in modern materials and construction. These preservation efforts are made by the descendant's initiatives, government agencies and individual or private patrons which exemplify the diversified modes in safeguarding the regional identity of the built form through the passage of time. The findings of this research illustrate a valuable spectrum on the meanings of long-roofed house in the traditional and modern environments which serve as a direction in developing the understanding and awareness of its heritage values.

Reinventing Traditional Malay House for Sustainable Housing Design: Obstacle and Proposed Solution

Traditional Malay House design has the key of energy efficiency dwelling to create a sustainable housing. Today, modern houses are massively built replacing the Malaysia’s heritage house. Despite of this rapid development, the owners are aware on the drawback of this type of houses. Therefore, this study is conducted to investigate factors of developers reluctant to build the Traditional Malay House and correct the public misconception toward the housing perception. Survey questionnaire and in-depth interview were conducted. The results indicate that costing is the major problem for housing developers to construct Traditional Malay House.

What can we learn from Malay vernacular houses?

Today, the contemporary residential design has been promoted in cities without concerns of the essence of vernacular houses. Recent studies declare that the quality of contemporary residential spaces is often poorly linked to traditions and value of each region. In view of the rapid modernization of Malaysia, the kampong houses as Malay vernacular built environments have been replaced by modern residential design. Thus, several aspects of kampong which embody major vernacular values are lost. Accordingly, many Malay inhabitants still prefer to live in houses that are based on their own traditions. This is because quality of housing as one of the fundamental factors in enhancing the quality of life is not fully in line with their daily lifestyle and local environmental characteristics. Hence, the congruency among local daily functions, environmental characteristics of region, and vernacular functional spatial features is perceived as a substantial principle for enhancing the quality of life. The study theorizes that the aforementioned congruity must be considered during the contemporary residential design in order to address the actual needs of users for enhancing their quality of life. In this line, theoretical analysis concludes that among all identified values, privacy and optimal use of space are the significant social values while natural ventilation is the most significant environmental value extracted from the analysis of Malay houses.

Overview of Malaysian Modularity Manufacturing Practices

Modules and modularity have been popular concepts in operations research instead of products used in Malaysia. In the latest development, Modularity is very important in product design of manufacturing considerations for efficient assembly and complexity to make it better and fasten the process and products. The paper present is a study on overview of modularity products and manufacturing practices in Malaysia such as Traditional Malay House, fordable chair and maintaining services. The process of modularization makes the functional independence as the goal of good design. For the best marketing and end user, industry using modularization process or products leads to creation of product families and uniformity. To make the process of modularity successful, the industry has to ensure that modularity should maintain independence between components and processes in different modules and interchangeability between modules. This paper discusses the modules and modularity which are applied among the manufacturing in the Malaysia in the context of physical products and services.

伝統的マレーハウスにおける熱的快適性に関する実測

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate thermal comfort levels in traditional Malay houses based on a field measurement, with an interest to apply its traditional passive cooling techniques to modern houses in Malaysia. The results reveal that indoor air temperatures are 1-2°C higher than the corresponding outdoor air temperatures throughout the day except for a few morning hours around 9 a.m. Air movement obtained by open windows or ceiling fan is required to lower the SET* and improve thermal comfort. Solar heat control and a cool microclimate might be two fundamental traditional cooling techniques for these lightweight houses.

Preservation of Malay Singgora Roof

Heritage building is a valued property because it symbolizes the national culture, history and identity. Conservation and preservation of the heritage features should be continued. Malaysia has much type of traditional houses which placed in every state. The uniqueness of the traditional Malay house is full with its own aesthetic value that is not bad the passage of time. Traditional Malay house is greatly influenced by environmental factors, including encouraging the flow and transition air, natural lighting, reduce direct sunlight and rain as well as energy-efficient home designs. Singgora roof is an architecture that preserves the traditional heritage in its design. Singgora is a roof made of clay on foot, comes from the Malay name called Singgora which means “Lion City” and was physically Singgora taken from the appearance of fish scales. It is well known in East Coast states and Thailand. The use of roof Singgora now fading because the problems that arise in terms of material strength, quality, fungal problems and the life expectancy. Conservation on the roof Singgora take a long time because it involves the process of open, treat, and then re-install the replacement. Therefore, the conservation of heritage building's roof requires high cost and time. This research was done through a process, method, main ingredient, strength and lifetime of the roof Singgora and maintaining the heritage character. The use of supplement material added to strengthen and the quality to the roof. Research findings will be documented to preserve the heritage and traditional values heritage building in Malaysia.

Surveying on the Cultural Approaches for the Melaka Malay Houses

The architecture of Malay traditional houses is unique and has attractive features. One can see that all these features are not only functioning as ornamentation, but it relates to the Malay lifestyle which include religion and their culture. The early design of the Malay house was resulted mainly to the responsive climatic. If we look further detail, the Malay traditional house can be categorized according to the origin of the Malaysia states. The obvious differences of each state show the distinct creativity and skills of the locals in fulfil the need of their local culture.The traditional house is believes as the early architecture to the Malays. They built the house as a shelter and safety reason. Thorough times, it changes and develops with the inclusions of outside influences. The incoming of different religion to their lives changed their life as well as their culture and believed. Each influence enriches the architecture of the house itself. This traditional house is a symbol and pride of the Malays as it reflects the people in Malay archipelagos.Nowadays, traditional Malay houses are still developing from the impact of times. The influence of modern western architecture is seen diminishing the traditional elements in Malay houses. The Malay traditional house had become extinct and only some of them still remain. Luckily at some houses, the uniqueness and the specialties of Malay traditional house still can be seen.The study of this research will look into the Malay traditional houses in Melaka Tengah District and are located within the state of Melaka, Malaysia and within only a few minutes from the town centre. The research will be touched into four categories, which are: 1.The origin of the Malay house. 2. Physical, psychology and geography aspects of the traditional house. 3. The house form and spatial element such as the layout plan and it's relevant to the selected study houses. 4. A study on ornamentation, carving, motifs and the significant means of it as one of the special feature in this heritage architecture. On this paper, the study on selected Malay traditional houses in Melaka are a residence of Puan Kasmah Yassin at Km 6, Perigi Hang Tuah and a residence of Haji Bujang Siam at No. 861, Perigi Hang Tuah, Km 6,Kampung Duyong.

Modernization of the Vernacular Malay House In Kampong Bharu, Kuala Lumpur

Kampong Baharu (KB), literally meaning "New Village", is located in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It came into existence in 1899 as a reserved area only for ethnic Malays. Over time, urban growth resulted in the settlement losing its agricultural value and now it is a unique preserved housing area for Malays. Many vernacular Malay houses that were built in the 1900s still exist in KB. These houses were not original vernacular houses and were transformed and modernized into unique typologies that lie between the traditional and modern typologies.This study defines these houses as 'modern' vernacular Malay houses and attempts to explore the typologies of such houses built during the 1900s in KB. More than 100 vernacular Malay houses in KB were investigated and analyzed with respect to three major elements of order of the traditional Malay house elevation: roof, wall and pillar. As a result of this study, several representative 'modern' vernacular typologies were proposed. It is important to document these typologies because they demonstrate how traditional vernacular Malay houses were transformed into modern houses through the modernization process.

Re-adaptation of Malay House Thermal Comfort Design Elements into Modern Building Elements – Case Study of Selangor Traditional Malay House & Low Energy Building in Malaysia

The traditional Malay house is one of the richest components of Malay' s cultural heritage in Malaysia. Generally, the traditional Malay house is a reflection of the Malay community' s way of living. With greater global awareness of the environment and a renewed perspective on contemporary Malaysian architecture, architects and designers are once again looking for tropical solutions in building design. One of the main characteristics of traditional Malay house is that they are designed with a deep understanding and respect for nature, but this design- with-nature approach is no longer found in the modern buildings. The purpose is therefore to study the thermal comfort design elements such as building orientation, interior layout space, natural ventilation and lighting, window designs, and stack effect on the roof design. The investigation was carried out through observations, interviews and some research visits. A comprehensive research was accomplished on the adaptation of Malay house architecture elements with selected the Selangor traditional Malay house as the key study and one modern building which is the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology & Water (MEGTW) building, Putrajaya. This study attempts to have recorded information for those who are interested and for the future generation because the traditional Malay house was evolved by the Malays over generations, adapting to their needs, culture and environment. This study is crucial to revive the awareness in the understanding and appreciation of the technique of thermal comfort design elements of traditional Malay house adapted into modern building design.

Smart and Cool Home in Malaysia

Achieving thermal comfort in the tropical climate of Malaysia is always a great challenge for any house designer or builder. Although some practical solutions have been developed over centuries through the slow but constant evolution of indigenous houses such the Malay house, the longhouses in Borneo and the Chinese townhouses in Melaka, their integration into contemporary designs have been hampered by various modern constraints. For instance, building the Malay house in urban areas is deemed unsuitable due to the need for wide land lots and their perceptively fragile building materials that do not allay any security worries. The lack of skilled carpenters for building such a house is also a worsening problem. Hence, new and innovative strategies to achieve thermal comfort for contemporary houses are greatly needed to serve the needs and expectations of an urbanized society. One method that has been studied and proved successful is the Smart and Cool Home system which was first used at a private bungalow in Semenyih, Malaysia. The overarching principle of this system is to reverse the role of the building envelope from being a thermal mass into a heat sink which effectively reduces heat gains and allow the occupants inside to easily adapt to a milder indoor environment. This paper describes this house in detail and provides some understanding of the principles involved.

Evaluating the Design and Construction Flexibility of Traditional Malay House

The ubiquitous terrace house is undeniably the most popular and affordable tihousing type in Malaysia. It has long been considered as one of the densest forms of property development and has become the common typology of accommodating the masses for this country. However, in Malaysia (like other third world countries), the design of a house has never grow from novelistic idea of style and revivalism. As stated by Tajuddin Rasdi (2003), housing in Malaysia has been plague with various issues for decades. We are currently living separate and individual lives in the sea of congested modern housing and we will be forever plagued by the mercy of crime, climate, cultural tensions and threats from accidents. For the last 50 years it has never grown to create the idea of community and fulfill the true need of a family with its culture and context called 'Malaysia'. Based on our paper N. Utaberta (2009) 'Growing House: Lesson from Mathematical flexibility of Traditional Malay House', there at least six (6) problems in Modern Malaysia housing which are; safety especially in the high rise and terrace housing, criminal issue in the housing complexes, problem of privacy and cultural tension, thermal comfort and its ability to grow based on the need of the owners and community while from the family perspective there are at least four (4) main problem of our current modern housing which are the need of one family to grow or reduced based on the grow of the family members, cultural gap between old people with the youngster, the increase of family members as a result of marriage and family bond and the need of one family to move from one place to another. We have identified the ability of traditional Malay house to grow and transform based on the need and interest of one family. This paper tries to study and evaluate the flexibility of a low rise house in Malaysia. It will explore some design and construction framework based on the flexibility of our traditional (timber) Malay house and some modernist idea of growing and transformable house.