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Hey guyssss, I’m here again. I had shared the Malay houses in my previous post, which is talk about the design, structure and material of Malay houses. Today, I’ll going to share with you Sarawak longhouses.

In Malaysia, there’s a unique architecture highlights of the indigenous people of Sarawak which longhouses. How much did you understand for Sarawak longhouse? Longhouses can be thought as housing entire communities under one roof or indoor villages. “The Longhouse is considered to be the traditional dwelling of ethnic groups such as the Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu in Sarawak.” (Sim, 2010)

The houses look slightly different from each other for these groups of indigenous people. But, they all are common physical characteristics possessed. “An average longhouse is built to accommodate as many as 40 families while some of the larger houses are built for as many as a 120 families or some 500 to 600 people.” (Sim, 2010)

There are four main types of longhouses in Sarawak which is Iban Longhouse, Malanau Tall House, Orang Ulu Longhouse and Bidayuh Longhouse. Today, I’ll talk more about Iban Longhouse and roughly talk about others longhouses in Sarawak. They used tree bark to make the walls of the house and used ironwood to make thatch or shingles. The structures of the longhouse normally build of axe-hewn timber, tied with the creeper fiber and used woven atap or thatched leaves. The longhouses had gradually improved and upgraded when the community established.

Iban Longhouses
(Image source: http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10063/1511/thesis.pdf?sequence=1)

Most of the families like the tradition of longhouse dwelling living arrangement among the tribes in Sarawak. They relied on this living arrangement for protection from the attack of other tribal and support in order to survive the harsh environment.

The Iban Ethnic
(Image Resource: http://sethpeli.com/76/)

From the culture and living habits of Iban, we can know that Iban is a unite ethnic. They care about each other, they live together to protect themselves and survive. And, they also build their architecture based on their needs.

Otherwise, the Melanau traditional dwelling is a type of a longhouse but it is best known as the rumah tinggi (tall house) as it consists of three storeys.

The Melanau Tall house, Sarawak
(Image source: https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g298309-d455038-i91550550-Sarawak_Cultural_Village-Kuching_Sarawak.html)

The Orang Ulu longhouses are located on the uneven terrain of the interior highlands and are similar to the Iban longhouses but are frequently larger and double storied.

The Orang Ulu longhouse
(Image source: http://www.roughguides.com/article/joining-the-party-at-an-iban-longhouse-malaysia/)

As the Bidayuh were liable to attacks from other ethnic groups, the rugged foothills of remote mountains which the house is usually situated, within close proximity to roads or the river.

The Bidayuh longhouse
(Image source: http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10063/1511/thesis.pdf?sequence=1)

In conclusion, a multi family living arrangement historically which is the tradition of longhouse dwelling favoured among the tribes in Sarawak. For protection from other tribal attacks and for support in order to survive the harsh environment, people relied on this kind of living arrangement.

References:

Hays, J. (2013) CULTURE, ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN MALAYSIA. [Online] Available at: http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Malaysia/sub5_4f/entry-3157.html# (Accessed: 11 June 2016).

Limited, R.G. (2016) Longhouse architecture | about southwestern Sarawak.[Online] Available at: http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/malaysia/sarawak/southwestern-sarawak/longhouse-architecture/ (Accessed: 11 June 2016).

Sim, S. (2010) ‘A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Architecture’, Redefining the Vernacular in the Hybrid Architecture of Malaysia, , pp. 29–46.

Ting, J. (2016) The egalitarian architecture of the Iban Longhouse. [Online] Available at: http://www.academia.edu/165882/The_Egalitarian_Architecture_of_the_Iban_Longhouse (Accessed: 11 June 2016).

Van Wijnen, B. (2001) Longhouses. Available at: http://www.malaysiasite.nl/longhouseng.htm (Accessed: 11 June 2016).

Hey guyssss, I’m here again. I had shared the Malaysian Vernacular Architecture in my previous post, so today I’ll going to share with you the Malay traditional architecture which is Malay house.

Malay Traditional House
(Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumah_Melayu)

The Malay house is most commonly found in West Malaysia and is the traditional house form of the Malay race in Malaysia. Due to Malaysia weather which is sunny, hot and humid, the Malay houses are ideally suited to tropical condition such as high-pitched roofs and large window for cross-ventilating which craved with intricate organic which represent their style. The Malay houses’ roofs are very steep because of the heavy monsoon rains in Malaysia. They also used timber stilts to elevate the building above the group level to prevent the flooding in some places.

Design strategies of traditional Malay house

(Image Sources: http://www.slideshare.net/aalliance/tropical-architecture-aadi)

Since Malaysia has a tropical climate, building materials for traditional Malay house such as tree roots, rattan, timber, bamboo and leaves are easily to get from the tropical forests. Malay house used timber as the building structures, rattan and tree roots are used for tieing up the joints whereas bamboo and leaves are used for floors and walls. In addition, a beautiful example can be seen in the Istana Lama Seri Menanti in Negeri Sembilan, which was built around 1905.

Example of material for Malay house

(Image source: http://www.slideshare.net/huiyuteoh/asian-architecture-presentation-slides)

The design of the traditional Malay house not only reflects the identity of the owner but it’s also show the culture, socioeconomic and history of the past of Malays. Malays itself is not same showed by the different between the houses in every state.

In conclusion, the traditional Malay housing process is highly autonomous, controlled by the user largely. It designed to fulfill the particular's needs and wants, and provided an understanding of the nature of architecture continuities.

So, that’s all for today, hope you enjoy it. I will talk about Sarawak longhouses for for my coming post. Stay tuned! ;)

References:

Ahmad, G. (no date) MALAY VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE. [Online] Available at: http://www.hbp.usm.my/conservation/malayvernacular.htm (Accessed: 3 June 2016).

Hays, J. (2013) CULTURE, ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN MALAYSIA. [Online] Available at: http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Malaysia/sub5_4f/entry-3157.html# (Accessed: 3 June 2016).

Sim, S. (2010) ‘A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Architecture’, Redefining the Vernacular in the Hybrid Architecture of Malaysia, , pp. 18–28. (Accessed: 3 June 2016).

Hello, it's me again. Today, I'm going to share my research on vernacular Malaysian architecture. I have shared the definition of architecture for my previous entry, now I will go deep to Malaysian vernacular architecture.

"Vernacular architecture, the simplest form of addressing human needs, is seemingly forgotten in modern architecture. However, due to recent rise in energy costs, the trend has sensibly swung the a different way."(Edwards.S, 2011) Regionalism and cultural building traditions are embraced, given that these structures have proven to be energy efficient and altogether sustainable.

In addition, the society tasted the construction methods through trial-and-error, which the methods are tailored to the climatic, functional, and sociological needs of their given society and are modified to nearly perfection. Because the person who will be using it is the person constructing the structure tends, the architecture will be perfectly tailored to the needs and wants of that individual’s particular.

Now I am going to introduce few types of vernacular architecture style in Malaysia. The first is traditional Malay architecture. "It employs sophisticated architectural processes ideally suited to tropical conditions such as structures built on stilts, which allow cross-ventilating breeze beneath the dwelling to cool the house whilst mitigating the effects of the occasional flood." (Malaysia Truly Asia, n.d.)

(Image sources: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aakisisv/11749540826)

Examples of Malay traditional architecture
(Image source: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Malaysia/West/Pulau_Pinang/Penang/photo77252.htm)

In Malaysia, Chinese architecture is of two broad types: Baba-Nyonya and traditional. "The Chinese architecture in Malaysia can be classified into residential such as terrace house, traditional shop house, religious such ask Buddhist temple, and public such as clan or association building." (Ahmad, n.d.)

(Image source: http://www.sagerssoldiers.com/hk076-chinese-terrace-house-with-shoe-shop-by-king-country-retired/)

(Image source: https://500px.com/photo/24901717/shikumen-by-joseph-qiu)

Examples of traditional house
(Image source: http://shanghaistreetstories.com/?p=7058)

"Examples of traditional architecture include Chinese temples found throughout the country such as the Cheng Hoon Teng that dates back to 1646.

Many old houses especially those in Melaka and Penang are of Baba-Nyonya heritage, built with indoor courtyards and beautiful, colourful tiles." (Malaysia Truly Asia, n.d.)

Cheng Hoon Teng
(Image Source: http://www.melakatravel.com/melaka-tourism/melaka-world-heritage-site-cheng-hoon-teng-temple/)

With most of Malaysian Hindus originally from Southern India, local Hindu temples exhibit the colourful architecture of that region. Most of the buildings built in the late nineteenth century. (Malaysia Truly Asia, n.d.)

India Traditional Architecture
(Image Source:http://www.etawau.com/HTML/KualaLumpur/BatuCaves/Murugan.htm)

Two unique architectural highlights of the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak are water villages and longhouses. Homes to interior riverine tribes, longhouses are traditional community homes. (Malaysia Truly Asia, n.d.)

Sarawak Longhouse
(Image Source: http://www.asmat.eu/scripts/photo_detail.php?Fotka=3918&IDkat=7&Kolik=30)

Water Village Sabah
(Image Source:http://www.pacdome.com/sipadan-water-village--mabul-island--sabah--malaysia)

Today’s sharing will be ended here, I’ll going deep to talk about Malay traditional architecture for the coming post. Stay tuned!

References:

Edwards.S (2011). Vernacular Architecture and 21st Century. [Online] archdialy.com. Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/155224/vernacular-architecture-and-the-21st-century [Accessed 29 May 2016]

Malaysia Truely Asia (no date) Architecture. [Online] Available at: http://www.malaysia.travel/en/my/about-malaysia/culture-n-heritage/architecture?device=mobile [Accessed: 29 May 2016].

Vasani.K (2012). Vernacular Architecture. [Online] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/khyativasani3/vernacular-architecture-15569131 [Accessed 29 May 2016]

Hello, I’m back! This is the first entry for my blog, I would like to do research on ‘architecture’. So, do you know what ‘architecture’ is? Architecture is the art, the business and the science of building. "Architects create homes, office towers, schools and churches. They are talented people with a flair for design, an awareness of social trends, keen business sense, solid engineering skills and an understanding of the law." (RAIC|IRAC, n.d) As what Carlo Ratti said: "Architecture is redesigning the interface between us and the outside environment." (WIA, 2014)

Architecture does not only involve designing a total up-to-date design; it also keeps the past alive. Old buildings remind us that we are linked with the past and also add variety to city streets. "Public interest in restoring old buildings is as strong as the economic pressure to re-use them. The result? Architects are using modern techniques and ideas to renew historical buildings". (RAIC|IRAC, n.d)

Example for historical building
(Image source: http://www.caradesain.com/10-hal-yang-wajib-diketahui-sebelum-masuk-jurusan-arsitektur/)

"Alain de Botton explains in beautiful detail the important influence architecture has in our lives and that we as human beings are dictated by our surroundings."(Yick.N, 2015) Our moods can be changed drastically by the colour on the walls, our social perspective can be altered by the arrangement of chairs in our living room, and the interior design of our personal spaces can remind us of the values and interests that we embody. "At San Diego State University and the area surrounding it, there consists of many diverse aspects of architectural beauty that touch us and connect with us on these levels of human characteristics." (Yick.N, 2015)

Bedroom with sky blue colour make people feel relax.
(Image source: http://www.rsdinteriors.com/bedroom-colors/elegant-blue-bedroom-colors-with-modern-interior-design-ideas/)

In conclusion, Architecture can make our house a home, and it also creates a comfortable space for us to live.

That’s all for today, hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave your comment below. Thanks! Stay tuned for the next post. :)

References:

RAIC|IRAC (n.d.) What is Architecture all about? [Online] Available at: https://www.raic.org/raic/becoming-architect# [Accessed 29 May 2016]

RAIC|IRAC (n.d.) Why does Architecture matter? [Online] Available at: https://www.raic.org/raic/becoming-architect# [Accessed 29 May 2016]

WIA (2014) What is Architecture. [Online] Available at: http://www.whatisarchitecture.cc/eda-schaur/ [Accessed 29 May 2016]

Yick.N, (2015) The Importance of Architecture. Available at: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/importance-architecture [Accessed 29 May 2016]

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YILIN·15·IAD

POST 4 | SARAWAK LONGHOUSES

POST 3 | MALAY HOUSES

POST 2 | MALAYSIAN VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

POST 1 | DEFINITION OF ARCHITECTURE

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