Traditional . Baba Nyonya House

Figure 1: Shophouses

Baba-Nyonya, also known as Straits Chinese are not only known for their unique culture but also their architecture style of shophouse. The exterior of these shophouse is usually designed symmetrically with the door in the middle and windows at both sides while the upper facade will be a row of windows. The upper floor is extended out to cover the verandah in front of the entrance (Kamarul,2008). There are several types of shophouses in Malaysia with different architectural styles in different eras. Typically, there are four major types of shophouse including Early Shophouse (18th Century), Traditional Shophouse (19th Century), Straits Eclectic Shophouse (1900 – 1940), and Art Deco Shophouse (1940 – 1960’s) (Ahmad, 1994).

Figure 2 : Verandah

Figure 3 : Indoor Courtyard

These few types of shophouses are only different on the exterior design while the interior spaces and material used are more or less the same. The materials that applied in the shophouses are locally available including lime, clay stone and timber. These materials are sustainable and can adapt to the local geology and surrounding weather. Furthermore, the shophouses are also designed to suit the tropical climate in Malaysia such as the balcony, verandah,  indoor courtyard and rows of full-length windows. These design provide open space and allow sufficient natural ventilation to cool down the interior (Akram and Azizi, 2015).

References
Ahmad, A.G. (1994) The Architectural Style of the Peranakan Cina. Universiti Sains Malaysia. December 3. Available at : http://www.hbp.usm.my/conservation/SeminarPaper/peranakan%20cina.html [Accessed 5 June 2018]

Akram, Z. and Azizi, B. (2015) FengShui and Sustainable Design Applications in Interior Design – Case Study: Baba Nyonya Shophouses in Georgetown, Penang. [PDF] pp.33. Available at : http://www.aensiweb.net/AENSIWEB/aeb/aeb/2015/April/32-34.pdf [Accessed 6 June 2018]

Kamarul, S.K. (2008) Categories and Styles of Shophouses and Townhouses in Malacca and George Town, Malaysia. Building Conservation. April 1. Available at : http://buildingconservation.blogspot.com/2009/01/categories-of-shophouses-at-malacca.html [Accessed 6 June 2018]

Figure
Figure 1 : http://jewelpie.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Little-Kitchen-.jpg
Figure 2 : https://i.pinimg.com/originals/76/5f/56/765f563c1d7302b2a3625d65da19091f.jpg
Figure 3 : https://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/online/2013/08/11/08/01/str2_ma_1208_p10b-tan-yeow-wooi-heritage-architecture-pinang-peranakan-mansion.ashx/?w=620&h=413&crop=1&hash=CB4E68F9CC017F09A85C787993121924012B1B12