Malay Vernacular Architecture

Malay architecture was basically at first very simple and minimalistic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimalist) to accommodate their families as they have very simple tools and also very low economy at that point of time.

Malays also at that time were also very prone to the natural disasters, wars, the expansion of their own families and also the finding of a source of food and economy for the Malays which was ever changing. Thus the only purpose of the houses was to protect themselves from the rain and sun and also to be easily movable when there was a need to.

But later, there was a great development in their construction to suit their ever changing lifestyles and needs. There were also many new more useful and complex tools that was invented to built more stable, bigger and more beautiful houses. Thus many new styles and shape of the architecture was born, which can clearly be seen in Malay States such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Early Malay houses can be described as raised on timber stilts and made of materials which were easily available from the tropical forests such as timber, bamboo, rattan, tree roots and leaves. Usually the houses have pitched roofs, verandahs or porches in front, high ceilings and lots of big openings for ventilation purposes. Although these characteristics are particularly common in all Malay houses throughout the Peninsular Malaysia, their shapes and sizes differ from state to state.

Through many decades, the Malay architecture has been influenced by Indonesian Bugis, riau and Java from the south; Siamese, British, Arab and Indian from the north; Portuguese, Dutch, Acheh, Minangkabau from the west; and Southern Chinese from the east. Due to this fact, the

Factors that govern the styles of the Malay vernacular architecture:

CLIMATE

Malaysia is situated in the central part of the Southeast Asia, it is bordered by longitudes 100 degrees and 120 degrees east; and by Latitudes of the Equator and 7 degrees North. The country is sunny, hot anf humid all year round with temperatures range from 25 C to 34 C. It has an annual rainfall from 80" to 100". Due to heavy monsoon rains, the roofs of the Malay vernacular houses are very steep. In some places, flooding occurs after heavy rainfalls. To solve this problem, some houses have used timber stilts to elevate the building above the ground level. The warm climate also effects the style of the Malay vernacular architecture. For ventilation purposes, many buildings have large openings on the sides and grilles are provided at high level in gable ends. Houses raised on stilts are provided with better natural ventilation.

MATERIAL  RESOURCES

Since Malaysia has a tropical climate, building materials such as timber, rattan, tree roots, bamboo and leaves are easily available from the tropical forests. In a traditional Malay house, timber is used for the building structures, rattan and tree roots are used for tieing up joints whereas bamboo and leaves are used for floors and walls.

MALAY  WAY  OF  LIFE (CULTURE  & RELIGION)

In the Malay culture, buildings such as houses and palaces that are highly hand-crafted and beautifully patterned and decorated reflect the building owners high status. For instance, the old Kenangan Palace in Kuala Kangsar, Perak which was built by a Malay sultan, has mignificiently crafted walls. As Muslims, the Malays have adopted the Islamic principles of orientation of mosques, particularly the prayer halls which have to be designed and faced towards Mecca. In other cases, some of the traditional Malay houses have floors at different levels, indicating the room functions. For instance, the verandah floor is raised lower than the living room floor. This is not only indicating the room functions but also giving a sense of spatial transition in the building.

FOREIGN  INFLUENCE

During the colonisation periods of the Portuguese, Dutch and British, Malay architecture was exposed to many new building technologies. For example, zinc and clay tiles as substitutes for roofs made of leaves; brick and cement columns as replacements for timber stilts and ladder; glass for windows which were formerly open; and nails as alternatives for rattan and tree roots that tie joints together. These features can be seen at the Alor Setar's Balai Besar or Audience Hall in Kedah state. Built in 1898, the building has clay tile roofs, brick and cement stairs, glass windows with brick and timber walls. Each of these had a profound impact on the Malay vernacular architecture. It can also, then, be observed that the process of adopting new technologies to ancient architecture is not entirely a new idea. Malay architecture has been modified by technological and cultural changes for centuries.

Today, the styles of the Malay vernacular achitecture have inspired many young architects and engineers in designing Malaysia's contemporary architecture. In the past years, many modern buildings have focused their design concepts on the Malay vernacular architecture, particularly the Malay houses and palaces. Various roof shapes have derived from the Malay houses such as from the states of  Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu.

Traditional timber houses also incorporated design principals relevant in contemporary architecture such as shading and ventilation, qualities present in the basic house features. A main characteristic of a typical kampung house includes the obvious fact that it is raised on stilts or piles. This was to avoid wild animals, to be above floods, to deter thieves and for added ventilation. In parts of Sabah, the number of dowry buffaloes could even depend on the number of stilts there are in the bridal family’s home.

A traditional Malay timber house is almost always in at least two parts: 

The Main House called Rumah Ibu in honour of the mother (ibu) and the simpler Rumah Dapur or kitchen annex - this way if the kitchen catches fire only that part would be damaged, saving the main house. Proportion was also very important to give the house a human scale. Indeed, the Rumah Ibu was also named such because the spacings between stilts are said to typically follow the arms-spread width of the wife and mother in the family of the house when being built. There is also at least one raised veranda (Serambi) attached to the house for seated working or relaxation or where non-intimate visitors would be entertained, thus preserving the privacy of the interior.

For ventilation, the elevation of the house and also its many windows, holed carvings and slatted panels around the walls plus the high thatch or clay tile roofs all contribute to the cooling ambience. However the presently popular use of exposed zinc sheets, because of its ease of installation and cheap supply, unfortunately increases heat and is noisy during rain. All traditional roofs are always pitched to quickly drain off rainwater. Roofs come in two broad categories: ‘bumbung panjang’ long roof type with open gable ends or the ‘bumbung lima’/‘limas’ pyramidal variations. Both types cover almost every conceivable roof design, with some forms peculiar to certain areas or community groups, such as the elegant and distinctive upward curves of the Negeri Sembilan-style Minangkabau house. Traditional house roofs also always have wide overhangs for shading and protection from heavy tropical downpours. In many cases they have beautifully carved timber eaves to decorate the ‘visual connection’ between roof and sky. Some roofs hold attic bedrooms, effectively making the already raised structure a 3-storey edifice. In fact, there have been olden Malay palaces up to five or six storeys high built entirely in nail-free timber, as in Negeri Sembilan’s Seri Menanti palace.

•  TYPES OF HOUSE

 
1. Rumah Limas - Predominantly found in Johor, Malacca, Pahang, Terengganu 

                             and  Selangor.
2. Rumah Melaka - Predominantly found at Johor and Malacca.
3. Rumah Minangkabau - Predominantly found at Negeri Sembilan.
4. Rumah Bumbung Panjang Selangor - Predominantly found in Selangor.
5. Rumah Kutai - Predominantly found in Perak and northern Selangor.