Traditional . Malay House

Figure 1 : Traditional Malay House

Traditional Malay architecture was much affected by the climate of Malaysia, a warm and humid tropical country. The annual mean temperature in Malaysia is 26.4°C with an average daily maximum temperature of 34°C and minimum of 23°C (AlTamimi and Syed Fadzil, cited by Nazhatulzalkis et al. 2015).

The design of the traditional Malay house is not only about the appearance but also to provide a peace and tranquility environment (Ab.Aziz and Olalere, 2014).

The Malay house is constructed using the natural material including timber, bamboo, and palm tree. These materials help to achieve thermal comfort inside the house while not pollute the environment. For example, the palm fronds housetop are an excellent thermal insulator which hold some heat during daytime and cools down at night (Kamarul et al, 2007). Besides, the bamboo walls are also good in insulation as the bamboo's fiber and cells has low heat conduction (Sinclair, 2011). Others than bamboo walls, Malay house also had walls made from the barks of the tree and planks and it is said to have been standing for more than hundred years (Halim, 2011)

Figure 2 : Palm fronds housetop

Figure 3 : Bamboo wall

Moreover, the traditional Malay house is raised on stilts. This allowed the house to be ventilated as the denser cold air able to circulate beneath the house and increase the cooling effect (Harden Custom Homes, 2015). In addition, the interior is divided into areas instead of rooms. The open interior spaces allow good ventilation to take place as there are minimum solid ceiling-height walls blocking the flow of air (Kamarul et al, 2007).

Figure 4 : Stilts house

Figure 5 : Interior of Malay house

References

Ab.Aziz, S., and Olalere, F.E. (2014) Integrating the Malay Traditional Design Elements into Contemporary Design: An Approach towards Sustainable Innovation. Available at : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814028304 [Accessed 30 May 2018]

Halim, A.N. (2011) The Traditional Malay House. Malaysia.: Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia Berhad.

Kamarul, S.K., Lilawati, A.W., and Asmalia, C.A. (2007) Adaptation Design of Traditional Malay House to Meet the Requirements of Comfort Living in Modern Houses. Building Conservation. 4 March. Available at : http://buildingconservation.blogspot.com/2007/03/adaptation-design-of-traditional-malay.html [Accessed 30 May 2018]

Nazhatulzalkis, J., Nurul Izma, M., Mohd Faris, K.,and Suriani Ngah (2015) Thermal Comfort of Residential Building in Malaysia at Different Micro-climates. [PDF] pp. 614. Available at : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815000786 [Accessed 30 May 2018]

Sinclair, J. (2011) Bamboo: The Next Big Thing in Architecture. Design490. 14 April. Available at : http://design490.org/bamboo-the-new-building-material/ [Accessed 30 May 2018]

Harden Custom Homes (2015) Benifits of Building a Stilt Home. 28 August. Available at : http://www.hardencustomhomes.com/benefits-of-building-a-stilt-home/ [Accessed 30 May 2018]

Figure
Figure 1 : http://nblhshrh25.blogspot.com/2016/08/history-of-malaysia-houses.html
Figure 2 : http://kampungpanjut.blogspot.my/2012/06/traditional-suang-lotud-houses-of-sabah.html
Figure 3 : http://bahayofw.com/2017/11/traditional-bamboo-house-design-ideas-philippines.html
Figure 4 : https://www.tripadvisor.ca/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g298283-d455130-i40300576-Mahsuri_s_Tomb-Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html
Figure 5 : https://www.flickr.com/photos/osmoxylon/2202703260