Abstract
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. Keywords: Malay house; Malay Peninsula; coding system; house construction; encroachment 1. Introduction from "consistence" to "variation", of Malay house Southeast Asia covers a broad geographical range construction systems. that contains a variety of ethnic groups, languages, On a small scale, a Malay house is just a single and house types with common yet diverse features. house. The original house, named rumah tiang enam Traditional Southeast Asian houses are mostly stilt (a six-column house), would be comprised of three houses, be they of log wood or light wood construction columns on each of its two sides. In case of the need (Ismail, 2005), single or multiple houses, or comprised for extension, two rows of columns, parallel to the of a patrilineal or matrilineal family system. Some house ridge, are added to extend two spans, which form single houses accommodate several families, while a rumah tiang dua delas (a 12-column house) (Hilton, some multiple houses accommodate only one family. 1992). Rumah tiang dua delas, in the style of a gable The houses in the Malay Peninsula, also known as roof with double-slope, are mostly used as the Rumah peninsular Malaysia, tend to be constructed from light wood, with house grouping common for a single patrilineal family (Nasir & Teh, 1995). Despite the rich design variation, Malay houses have the same spatial content. The serambi (reception area), rumah ibu (main space), and dapur (kitchen) are arranged from front to back with different house grouping arrangements (Syed, 2001). Malay house construction systems have their consistencies, but a rich diversity is also to be found. The purpose of this paper is to explore the completion, *Contact Author: Yao-Ru Chen, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Cheng Shiu University, No. 840, Cheng-Chin Rd., 83347 Niaosung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Tel: +886-932-741608 Fax: +886-7-7336830 E-mail: yaoru.chen@gmail.com Fig.1. Location and Number of Selected House Cases in the ( Received October 3, 2013 ; accepted February 13, 2015 ) Provinces of Peninsular Malaysia Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering/May 2015/232 225 Support Roof Support Roof Ho: Original House E: Encroachment Ibu (main house) and have long been considered as 2.1 Construction Elements the image of identity for Malay-built structures. In Construction elements are listed in Table 1., general, a Malay main house (Rumah tiang dua delas) identifying the parts of the construction, element codes, is composed of one original house (rumah tiang enam) element names, and relevant characteristics. and two encroachments. (Chen, 2008). 2.2 Relations among Construction Elements As the scale grows, the length of the main house The relations between construction element A and B expands along the roof ridge, and sub-houses or other can be: encroachments are added mostly in the back, seldom at ┴ (A, B): B abuts on A. the side. Therefore, Malay house features also reflect Î (A, B): B crosses A. the image of house grouping (Lim, 1987). © (A, B): B penetrates A. After investigating more than 200 house cases ^(A, B): B converges on A. in peninsular Malaysia, this paper selects 95 cases --(A, B): B connects to A. (Fig.1.), exclusive of Chinese immigrant or Western All the symbols ┴, Î , © , ^, --) signify at least colonial influences, and tries to develop a method to one connection form (Fig.2.). Most of them are tenon study the construction of Malay houses. The method jointed. Fig.3. shows "Rumah Encik Hussein Be, possesses three methodical requirements. Firstly, it Melaka, built in 1900" (Juminan et al., 1980) serving is a descriptive method that is simple, effective, and as an example for demonstrating the construction general. Secondly, it can reveal features taken from process and for construction coding. (Rumah is the drawings and literature regarding construction. Thirdly, word for "house" in Malay). it is well organized to assist further studies. 2. Method A typological study on houses focuses on the discussion between their compositional elements and their relations. The study naturally encompasses a great number of case drawings. The analysis may rely on a large quantity of descriptive words, as it is difficult to Fig.2. Relations between Construction Element A and B convey concisely. The coding system used in this study 2.3 Construction Coding Parsing names the compositional elements and relations by Ho (original house) follows the construction using simple words and symbols, and turns them into a procedure from bottom-up, coding as follows: prudent descriptive language for generative and inferable calculations. Describing the construction systems of house Coding step 1: Four columns (c ) abut on (┴) one cross cases from a coding system makes specific details and beam (cb ), four columns become a three-span unit. small differences easier to observe. LISP programming (span distance = 220cm). The distance between two language serves as a reference for the coding system. units is 247 cm. The coding is: Construction coding aims at defining construction 2┴ (cb , 4c (/220)) /247 1 1 elements and their relations. Parsing is done throughout the process of construction, establishing a fully Coding step 2: Two units of "┴(cb , 4c )" are crossed 1 1 comprehensive construction coding procedure. by four tie beams (tb ). The coding is: Table 1. Construction Elements and Their Code Names Î (2┴(cb , 4c (220))/247, 4tb ) 1 1 1 Parts Code Name of Element Note c Column Vertical, Coding step 3: Four posts (p) abut on four tb . The square section. coding is: cb End cross beam Flat beam, ┴ (Î (2┴ (cb , 4c (220))/247, 4tb ), 4p) parallel to rg. 1 1 1 tb Tie beam Flat beam, perpendicular to cb. p King post Vertical, on the middle point of Coding step 4: Two oblique beams (ob ) at every set tb. of "┴(tb , p)" abut on the tie beam (tb ) and post (p). 1 1 ob Oblique beam Oblique, Eight oblique beams, angle = 40 . The coding is: connecting tb and p. ┴ (Î (2┴ (cb , 4c (220))/247, 4tb ), 4p, 8ob (40 )) 1 1 1 1 rg Ridge piece Horizontal, perpendicular to p. rg' Ridge-paralleled Lower, horizontal, perpendicular Coding step 5: A ridge piece (rg) is abutted on by four piece to p. c Column 2 Vertical, posts. The coding is: square section. ┴ (Î (2┴ (cb , 4c (220))/247, 4tb ), 4p, 8ob (40 ), rg) 1 1 1 1 cb End cross beam 2 Flat beam, parallel to cb . This coding is rather complicated. If the element ob Oblique beam 2 Oblique, various connecting ways. number, span distance, and the angle were omitted, a pl Purlin Horizontal, parallel to cb. simpler coding would be as follows: rf Rafter Oblique, perpendicular to pl. ┴ (Î (┴ (cb , c ), tb ), p, ob , rg) 1 1 1 1 226 JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yao-Ru Chen Construction coding, as given above, tries to make full and detailed descriptions, yet some information is lost, for example, the size of the construction element. It is impossible to encode all the information of a house into just one sentence of coding. Thus, the messages such as quantity, distance, angle, size, etc., may be particularly recorded as "specifiers" . 3. Coding of the Original House Constructions An artisan's understanding of house construction is not only from element to element, but elements combined into several modules, then module by module. The construction of Ho can be considered as a complete unit, encompassing the house from foundation to roof. It can also be divided into several parts. Construction coding can be drafted all at one time or in several phases with coordination at the end. Consider a house with three parts: body (under roof truss), head (roof truss), and tie (connection between roof trusses). In some cases, head and tie cannot be separated and thus are considered as one. Fig.4. shows five different types Fig.3.a Construction Coding Parsing of Eo of Malay house construction systems, coded with body, head and tie respectively, and then integrated into one. (Fig.4.a) Truss is formed with a tie beam (tb), post (p), and oblique beam (ob). The code is trs. ┴ (rg, ┴ (tb, ^(p, ob))) = trs Fig.3.b Construction Coding Parsing of Es Body Head Tie With one Es, as Fig.3.b shows, construction coding ┴(cb, c) ┴(tb, ^(p, ob)) ┴(rg, p) from c to c is: 2 1 Î (┴(cb, c), ┴(rg, ┴(tb, ^(p, ob)))) Coding step 6: Four columns (c ) abut on a cross beam (cb ). The coding is: Fig.4.a Eo Construction Coding "trs(bdg)" ┴ (cb , 4c ) 2 2 (Fig.4.b) Two ridge pieces (rg, rg') connect each Coding step 7: Four oblique beams (ob ) penetrate four truss and form the head. The code is 2rg. columns (c2). The coding is: ┴(≈(rg', rg), ┴(tb, ^(p, ob))) = 2rg © (┴ (cb , 4c ), 4ob ) 2 2 2 Coding step 8: Four oblique beams (ob ) abut on four tie beams (tb ) of Ho. The coding is: ┴ (4tb , © (┴ (cb , 4c ), 4ob )) 1 2 2 2 If the element number were omitted, Es coding would be as follows: ┴ (tb , © (┴ (cb , c ), ob )) 1 2 2 2 To enable the construction details to be more concise and easier to comprehend, the coding focuses on three elements (ob , tb , c ), which clarify that ob 2 1 2 2 Body Head Tie connects tb (Ho) and c (Es). Ob abuts on (┴) tb , ob 1 2 2 1 2 ┴(cb, c) ┴(tb, ^(p, ob)) ┴(≈(rg', rg), p) penetrates c (©), the coding is: Î(┴(cb, c),┴(≈(rg', rg), ┴(tb, ^(p, ob))) ob (┴ tb , © c ) 2 1 2 Fig.4.b Eo Construction Coding "2rg(bdg)" JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yao-Ru Chen 227 (Fig.4.c) Post (p) (penetrated by ridge piece (rg)), The body coding "┴(cb, c)", in Fig.4.a, 4.b and 4.c, sitting on tie beam (tb), with two oblique beams (ob) is analogised as the "bridge"; and another body coding on top, combining head and tie. Ridge piece (rg) move "(┴(cb, c), tb)", in Fig.4.d and 4.e, is as the "box". from top end to near the middle of the post. The code They can be respectively coded as: is mrg. ┴ (© (┴ (tb, p), rg), ob) = mrg ┴ (cb, c) = bdg (┴ (cb, c), tb) = box In Fig.4.a, considering the feature of "trs" crossing "bdg", Ho can be edited as Î (bdg, trs), which can be further edited to trs (bdg). "Trs" is a construction coding module, as well as a symbol of relation. Five Ho construction codings can be simplified as shown in Table 2.: Table 2. Construction Coding Modules of Ho Body Head+Tie Two kinds of coding 'Body+Head+Tie' bdg Î(bdg, trs) trs (bdg) trs bdg Î(bdg, 2rg) 2rg (bdg) 2rg bdg Î(bdg, mrg) mrg (bdg) mrg Body Head + Tie box Î(box, rfp) rfp (box) rfp ┴(cb, c) ┴(© (┴(tb, p), rg), ob) box (box, rf) rf (box) rf Î(┴(cb, c), ┴(© (┴(tb, p), rg), ob)) 4. Coding of the Encroachment Constructions Fig.4.c Eo Construction Coding "mrg(bdg)" 4.1 Es: Encroached Semi-house (Fig.4.d) Ridge piece (rg) is placed on the top of post Es serves mainly to establish an oblique roof (p); rafters on the top of ridge piece directly, without between the original house (Ho) and additional oblique beam (ob). The coding is rfp by using rafter (rf) columns (c ). Connecting elements are the oblique and post (p). Î (┴ (tb, p), rg, rf) = rfp beam (ob ) or rafter (rf ). In the case of an oblique 2 2 beam, the construction process will be columns (c ) oblique beam (ob ) purlin (pl ) rafter (rf ) à à à à 2 2 2 roofing. The coding of Es is explained in the first diagram in Fig.5. Ob abuts on c and crosses c . Ob is connected 2 1 2 2 with ┴(c , ob ) and Î (c , ob ) on c and c sides 1 2 2 2 1 2 respectively. It can be coded as ob (┴ c / Îc ) . 2 1 2 In this study, 15 types of Es in Malay house cases are shown in Fig.5. If Ho has a "bdg" construction, Es Body Head + Tie is usually included in the construction system to form Î Î (┴(cb, c), tb) (┴(tb, p), rg, rf) the main house. With a "box" construction, however, a Î(┴(cb, c), Î(┴(tb, p), rg, rf)) house without Es is often seen. The most common Es construction is ob (┴tb/Îcb ). 2 2 Fig.4.d Eo Construction Coding "rfp(box)" (Fig.4.e) Head is without post, oblique beam and ridge piece, with only a rafter (rf). The coding is rf. ^ (rf, rf) = rf Body Head Tie Î(┴(cb, c), tb) ^(rf, rf) Î(Î(┴(cb, c), tb), ^(rf, rf)) Fig.4.e Eo Construction Coding "rf(box)" 228 JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yao-Ru Chen 4.3 Eh: Encroached House The construction of an encroached house (Eh) includes the gable roof, with a small volume attached on Ho. Three Eh types are collected in this study. In Fig.7.-a, Es is ob (┴tb/Îcb ). Eh extends from the Es. 2 2 Cb and c extends to form bdg'(┴(cb , c )). By placing 2 2 2 2 trs' on the top of bdg', Eh is formed. Fig.7.-b shows a smaller box connected to the original box. The coding is rf'(box'), only the connecting tb' can be shorter. In Fig.7.-c, purlins (pl') extend to the side and connect with the gate (gte) frame. The coding of Eh is pl'(gte). Fig.7. Three Types of Eh Construction Coding (a. Rumah Hajah Selipah, built in 1914, Negeri Sembilan; Fig.5. Fifteen Types of Es Construction b. Rumah Haji Ahmad, Johor; c. Rumah Encik Hussein Be, in 1900, 4.2 Esg: Encroached selang Melaka. © KALAM) Esg (encroached selang) includes the gable roof between Ho and sub-house (H ), forming a selang 5. Analysis of Malay House Grouping with (corridor). In Fig.6.-a, the connecting beam (cb') Construction Coding connects Ho and H . Underneath the cb', columns can Starting with five construction systems of original be settled. The corridor can be lengthened, which is houses (Ho), one case for each original house type the conceptual expansion of box. If the columns are is chosen to demonstrate construction coding. Each not in alignment, another free column (c ) is settled to chosen case is composed of a house grouping, and the connect with cb'. (Fig.6.-b) analysis is thus conducted with the construction coding of the original house (Ho), encroached semi-house (Es), encroached house (Eh), encroached selang (Esg), and sub-house (H , H ). The connection of a house 1 2 grouping and its construction system is interpreted clearly from the analysis as follows: a) trs(bdg): Rumah Dato'muda Haji Omar Bin Lajim, Negeri Sembilan, built in 1747 (Ahmad, et al., 1997) Located in Negeri Sembilan in the mid-west part of peninsular Malaysia, and with a trs(bdg) construction system, this original house (Ho) forms the main house by adding an encroached semi-house (Es) in the front and back, serving as the main living space. Two additional encroached houses (Eh , Eh ) are attached 1 2 to the main house. The back sub-house, coded as H , serves as the kitchen. The overall house construction Fig.6. Esg Construction Coding (a. Rumah Che Ah Binti Haji Abdullah, 1890, Perak; analysis and coding are illustrated in Fig.8. b. Rumah Itam Bahak,1819, Perak © KALAM) JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yao-Ru Chen 229 Ho = trs(bdg), d) rfp(box): Rumah Lebei Ali, Kelantan, built in 1892 Es = ob (┴tb/cb ) (Marzumi, et al., 1993) 2 2 Eh = trs'(bdg'), 1 Situated in Kelantan in northeastern peninsular Eh = trs'(bdg') Malaysia and with rfp(box) as the construction system, H = rf(box) two original houses (Ho) form the main house to accommodate the main living space. Es is arranged in the front of the main house first, and then Eh is added accordingly. The back house H serves as a kitchen. Overall house construction analysis and coding are shown in Fig.11. Ho = rfp(box), Es = rf (┴sr /Îcb ) 2 2 Eh = rf (box), H = rfp'(box) Fig.8. House with trs(bdg) Construction b) 2rg(bdg): Rumah Itam Bahak, Perak, built in 1819 (Mohamad, et al., 1978) Located in Perak in the mid-northern region and with 2rg(bdg) as its construction system, this original house (Ho) forms the main house by adding Es to both Fig.11. House with rfp(box) Construction its sides, with the back house coded as H . Encroached selang (Esg) connects Ho and H . The overall house e) rf(box): Rumah Haji Daeng Malasah, Johor, built in construction analysis and coding are shown in Fig.9. 1914 (Sarjan, et al., 1986) Ho = 2rg(bdg), Situated in Johor in the southern portion of Es = rf (Îpl/Îcb ), 1 2 2 peninsular Malaysia and with the rf(box) as its H = rf(box), construction system, this original house (Ho) forms Esg = cb'(┴c / ┴c ), 2 3 the main house with an additional Es on one side. H Es = rf (Îpl/ Îcb ) 2 3 3 and H are attached at the side and back respectively. Esg connects Ho, H , and H . The overall house 1 2 construction analysis and coding are illustrated in Fig.12. Ho = H = H = H = rfg(box) 1 2 3 Es = ob(┴c /Îcb ) 1 2 Esg = Esg = cb'(c/c) 1 2 Fig.9. House with 2rg(bdg) Construction c) mrg(bdg): Rumah Bumbung Panjang Puan Rosmina, Perlis, built in 1940 (Ahmad, et al., 2002) Located in Perlis, in the northeastern part of peninsular Malaysia, on the border between Malaysia and Thailand, this original house (Ho) has an mrg(bdg) construction system. Its main house is formed with the additional Es on three sides. An extra Eh is arranged at the front entrance, and the side house H serves as the kitchen. The roof ridges of Ho and H are both parallel to the direction of the entrance. The overall house construction analysis and coding are shown in Fig.10. Ho: mrg(bdg), Es : ob (┴c /Îc ), 1 2 1 2 Eh: pl'(gte) H : rf(box) Es : rf (Îpl/cb ) 2 2 2 Fig.12. House with rf(box) Construction Fig.10. House with mrg(bdg) Construction 230 JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yao-Ru Chen Es, Esg, construction coding The result of the coding analysis of the 95 Malay and rf(box) have their own matching Es constructions, houses is recorded in Table 3. The most common and rf(box) often comes without Es. Even the scarce construction system of the original house (Ho) is 2rg(bdg) and mrg(bdg) constructions can have their trs(bdg), while rf(box) is less seen, and 2rg(bdg) and own specific Es. A "matching" relationship seems to mrg(bdg) are seldom adopted. exist between Ho and Es. The reason should not be attributed to exclusiveness of construction, but is more Table 3. Distribution of House Construction in Malay Peninsula likely to be due to artificial factors such as artisan House Original house (Ho) construction coding habits and regional construction traditions. Head+Tie trs 2rg mrg rfp rf Location Body bdg bdg bdg box box 6. Conclusion C Kuala Lumpur 3 1 1 6.1 "Bridge" and "Box" C Negeri Sembilan 14 1 The construction system of a Malay house in the Melaka 7 1 Malay Peninsula is composed of the original house C Pahang 5 1 (Ho) and encroachment (E). The Ho construction N Perak 1 4 12 system can be categorized into "bridge" and "box". The Kedah 2 6 difference between bridge and box systems lies in the N Penang 7 1 N Perlis 1 2 1 function of the tie beam. In the bridge system, three or NE Terengganu 3 3 four columns and a cross beam form the bridge. A tie NE Kelantan 2 7 2 beam lies across two sets of bridges, holding the post to S Johor 2 5 form the roof construction, so the tie beam is a part of Total 95 47 4 2 8 34 the roof construction. Whereas in the box system, the C: central region of Peninsula Malaysia, N: northern region, tie beam, cross beam and column form the box together, NE: northeastern region, S: southern region. then rafters form the roof directly on top of the box. The result of a combined observation on the Instead of a part of the roof construction, the tie beam construction of five Ho and all Es is reflected in Table 4. belongs to the supporting system. Bridge and box are The Ho construction coding and Es coding of each case supporting systems with subtle differences, but the roof are recorded, as well as cases without an encroached systems on top of them vary significantly. The two main Es and with an encroached Esg. It shows that all five systems are derived from five sub-systems (Fig.13.). Ho construction systems have the possibility of having an encroached Es. A Ho without an encroached Es can only be found in an rfp(box) and rf(box). Esg is adopted by most Ho construction systems, except the mrg(bdg). Table 4. Combined Analysis of Es, Esg and Ho Coding Original house Ho construction coding Fig.13. Classification of a Ho Construction System trs 2rg mrg rfp rf Encroachment bdg bdg bdg box box 6.2 Generality and Particularity ob (┴c / c ) 3 2 5 2 1 2 As for marking the locations and Ho construction ob (┴c / c ) 4 1 5 2 1 2 types of the 95 house cases on the map of the Malay ob (┴c / cb ) 5 1 1 2 9 2 1 2 Peninsula, the generality of trs(bdg) and rf(box) will Î Î ob ( cb / cb ) 2 2 2 1 2 be reflected. 2rg(bdg), mrg(bdg) and rfp(box) only ob (┴tb / c ) 4 4 2 2 appear in some specific areas such as Perak, Perlis, ob (┴tb / ┴c ) 4 4 2 2 ob (┴tb / c ) 1 1 and Kelantan (see Fig.1. and Table 3.). These special 2 2 ob (┴tb / cb ) 12 12 2 2 Ho construction systems happen to be situated in the ob (┴sr / c ) 2 2 2 2 northern part of peninsular Malaysia. The possible ob (┴sr / cb ) 1 1 2 2 reason for this coincidence needs to be explored further. ob (--ob / c ) 2 2 2 1 2 6.3 Relation of Construction, Form and Space ob (--ob / cb ) 6 1 7 2 1 2 The roof forms of a bridge construction system Î Î rf ( cb / cb ) 1 2 3 2 1 2 mostly consist of a gable roof with a steep slope. The Î Î rf ( pl / cb ) 1 1 2 2 main house (Ho+Es) and sub-house (H , H ,..) are all 1 2 rf (--rf / cb ) 1 5 6 2 1 2 independent and with parallel roof ridges. The younger rf (┴sr / cb ) 1 2 4 7 2 2 box construction system introduces the pitch and hip Without Es 6 7 13 roof. With a hip roof, the slope tends to be gentler, Without Esg 1 2 1 7 11 Total 46 6 5 10 28 95 having no vertical sides, and the main house and sub- house begin to combine together, or we see that the By scrutinising Table 3. and Table 4., it can be main house form begins to show variation. observed that trs(bdg) and rf(box) are widely adopted The prerequisite of a bridge construction system in Ho construction in peninsular Malaysia, but trs(bdg) is the formation of two bridges that support the roof. JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yao-Ru Chen 231 Thus single house volume is decided by the two sets Notes KALAM Centre and Department of Architecture at Universiti of bridges and a rectangular house body is formed. Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has undertaken the "Measured drawing The formation of a box construction system is much programme" since 1976. The programme has collected more than more flexible, as the box can form a polygon or 350 cases, including traditional houses, palaces, mosques, public L-shape. Furthermore, the rafter-formed roof is much buildings, commercial buildings, and institutes. The aim of coding is to reveal the rules of compositional elements more flexible than an oblique-beam-formed roof. and relations of houses which can be applied in house grouping, Therefore, the body of the house and the roof of a box spatial layout, and construction system. The purpose of specifiers construction system possess more freedom of spatial is to "quantify" any meaningful delicateness. Relevant data of the layout and more constructional variations than those of houses have to be listed as "specifiers." Specifiers of construction could be roof slope, truss contraposition, column length, span a bridge construction system. (Fig.14.) distance, member section size, column-ground connection, etc. The coding of compositional elements and relation tend to reveal the structural significance easily. The specifiers, though details, might also disclose important information and unveil the significance of the construction, but this belongs to another study. References 1) Ismail Said, (2005), "Criteria for Selecting Timber Species in Malay Woodcarving", Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, vol.4, No.1, pp.17-23, Tokyo, Japan. 2) Abdul Halim Nasir & Wan Hashim Wan Teh, (1995), The Traditional Malay House, Penerbit Fajar Bakti, Shah Alam, Malaysia. 3) Syed Iskandar Ariffin, (2001), Order in Traditional Malay House Form, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. 4) Hilton, Roger N., (1992), "Defining the Malay House", Journal of Fig.14. Rfp(box) Construction with L-shape House Body the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS), Vol. (Rumah Haji Hassan Bin Yusof in Kelantan, 1933, © KALAM) 65(1), pp.39-70. 5) Chen, Y.R., Syed Iskandar Ariffin, Wang, M.H., (2008), "The 6.3 Evolution of House Construction Typological Rule System of Malay Houses in Peninsula Malaysia", Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, vol.7, The trs(bdg) construction system is the most No.2, pp.247-254, Tokyo, Japan. common in the Malay Peninsula, and it also has the 6) Lim, Jee Yuan, (1987), The Malay House : Rediscovering richest features of Malay houses. KALAM's literature Malaysia's Indigenous Shelter System, Institut Masyarakat, Pulau shows that the most ancient construction can be traced Pinang, Malaysia. 7) Juminan b Samad, Badrul Khair b Subari, Norsham bt Khatan, back to 1747A.D. (Rumah Dato'muda Haji Omar Bin A. Shukur b A. Aziz & Aishah bt Wahab, (1980), Rumah Encik Lajim, Negeri Sembilan), while that of 2rg(bdg) can be Hussein Be in Melaka (Measured document), KALAM, Universiti traced back to 1819A.D. (Rumah Itam Bahak, Perak). Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. Bridge is an older construction system. The earliest 8) Tahir b. Ibrahim, Rohaizad b. Abd. Samad, Hamdan b. Mat, Shamsul b. Mohamad, Khoo Lily, Sarina, (1990), Rumah Che Ah house that can be clearly categorised into the rf(box) Binti Haji Abdullah in Perak (Measured document), KALAM, construction system can be traced back to 1914A.D. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. (Rumah Haji Daeng Malasah, Johor) or 1918A.D. 9) Rasidi bin Abdul Rahman, Ramzi bin Mohamed, Nordin bin (Rumah Haji Ahmad, Johor). Box, on the other hand, Mohamed, Jefni Elisputra bin Abdul Rahman, Wan ISlahuddin bin Wan Ismail, (1995), Rumah Hajah Selipah in Negeri Sembilan is a younger construction system. (Measured document), KALAM, UTM, Skudai, Malaysia. The evolution of the Malay house construction 10) Hussien Salleh, Hashim Mohd. Salled, Hamshani Surat, Kamariah system might be able to be inferred as follows. Two Ithnin, Rozita Ariani Yusoff, Rosni Harun, (1981), Rumah Haji evolutionary directions that have originated from the Ahmad in Johor (Measured document), KALAM, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. ancient trs(bdg) system: one is the supporting system 11) Ahmad Iskandar bin Muhammad, Mohammad Haelmizan Alri bin evolving from bridge to box, while the other is the Abd Rahman, Sanjay bin Hassan, Wan Norashikin,(1997), Rumah roof system evolving from trs(bdg) to 2rg(bdg) and Dato'muda Haji Omar Bin Lajim in Negeri Sembilan (Measured mrg(bdg). However, the poor adaptability of 2rg(bdg) document), KALAM, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia. 12) Mohamad Shukri HJ. Ahmad, Zan Fatimah BT. Maon, Selmah BT. and mrg(bdg) restricts them to Perak and Perlis without Ahmad, (1978), Rumah Itam Bahak in Perak (Measured document), further distribution. The box system, on the other hand, KALAM, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. possesses better adaptability and versatility allowing 13) Ahmad Isyak Rudin bin Mohd Sani, Isma Adleena Binti Abdul the rf(box) construction system to spread throughout Azis, Muhammad Zaki bin Abdul Manaf, (2002), Rumah peninsular Malaysia over time. Hence, newly-built Bumbung Panjang Puan Rosmina in Perlis (Measured document), KALAM, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. Malay houses mostly adopt this construction system. 14) Marzumi bin Yusuf, Normal bin Ahmad, Vivi Zuriati bt. Azmi, Yuslina bt. Mohd. Yunus, Yussita bt. Yusof, Zulkiflee, (1993), Acknowledgements Rumah Lebei Ali in Kelantan (Measured document), KALAM, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. This study has been made possible by the KALAM 15) Abd. Rahim bin Sarjan, Ayob Sipan, Jamaludin Salleh, Khairuddin Centre, Pusat Kajian Alam Bina Dunia Melayu in Ramly & Mohd. Bajuri Badron, (1986), Rumah Haji Daeng Malay (Centre for the Study of Built Environment in Malasah in Johor (Measured document), KALAM, Universiti the Malay World), and the Department of Architecture Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. 16) Karima Binti Mazlan, Mohd. Shahmi Shukri Bin Zakaria, Nor at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, which has offered Hafiza Binti Mohammad, Zulfahmi, (2005), Rumah Haji Hassan great help, including numerous measured drawings of Bin Yusof in Kelantan (Measured document), KALAM, Universiti traditional Malay houses. Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Malaysia. 232 JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yao-Ru Chen
Journal
Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering
– Taylor & Francis
Published: May 1, 2015
Keywords: Malay house; Malay Peninsula; coding system; house construction; encroachment
