Spatial Configurations of Malay Traditional House in Kedah and Pulau Pinang
Abstract
A comfortable home is one that can meet all of a person's needs. However, house users, their needs, and the surroundings change rapidly over time. Flexible modular construction and the open configuration of Malay traditional houses provide the capability for the spaces and layout to adapt to these changes. Such a modular system influences the overall spatial configuration of the houses. Moreover, Malay traditional houses in different regions of the Malaysian Peninsula have to accommodate varying local functional, social, and cultural needs, which might impact the spatial configurations. These needs include local cultural and religious ones, particularly the need for privacy as well as domestic social interaction. Therefore, this study aims to deepen our understanding of the spatial configuration that could be found in the different traditional houses. Space Syntax theory and methods were used in this study to analyse the relationship between spaces in traditional house types in two locations in the northern region of the peninsula. The traditional houses of Kedah and Pulau Pinang were selected as they illustrate variations in their spatial components and configuration. The findings of this study show that the differences in the two traditional house layouts, particularly the location of nested spaces and the multiple entrances, enable the houses to create different spatial configurations that affect the spatial depth, connectivity, and integration of the spaces in the houses differently.
References
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Razali, N. H. M., & Talib, A. (2013). Aspects of privacy in Muslim Malay traditional dwe lling interiors in Melaka. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 105, 644-654.
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Zerouati, W., & Bellal, T. (2020). Evaluating the impact of mass housings' in-between spaces' spatial configuration on users' social interaction. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 9(1), 34-53.
Ani, A., Mohamed, N., & Rahman, N. A. (2012). Socio-cultural influences in the composition of traditional Malay house compounds in rural Melaka. ALAM CIPTA, International Journal of Sustainable Tropical Design Research and Practice, 5(1).
Aswad Khalid, M. K., Ahmad Zawawi, Z., Hashim, H., Abdullah Saleh, A., & Sudirman, M. D. (2021). Understanding the hierarchy of space on Traditional Malay houses: Rumah Kutai. In Virtual Go-Green: Conference and Publication (V-GoGreen 2020) (pp. 16-24).
Bafna, S., (2003). Space Syntax: A brief introduction to its logic and analytical techniques. Environ.Behav.35(1),17–29.
Crouch, D. P., and J. G. Johnson. (2001). Traditions in Architecture: Africa, America, Asia, and Oceania. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
de Macedo, P. F., Ornstein, S. W., & Elali, G. A. (2022). Privacy and housing: research perspectives based on a systematic literature review. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 37(2), 653-683.Edgü, E., & Ünlü, A. (2003). Relation of domestic space preferences with Space Syntax parameters. In 4th International Space Syntax Symposium, London.
Dursun, P. (2007, June). Space syntax in architectural design. In 6th international space syntax symposium (pp. 01-56).
Hillier, B., & Hanson, J. (1989). The social logic of space. Cambridge university press.
Ibrahim, I., Roslee, N., Abdullah, A., Ibrahim, M., & Murtaza, F. F. N. (2020). Analysis On The Socio-Cultural Values Of The Traditional Malay Houses Compound. Planning Malaysia, 18.
Johari, M. N., & Said, S. Y. (2021, March). A comparative analysis between traditional malay house and terraced house in energy conservation. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 685, No. 1, p. 012012). IOP Publishing.
Kamal, K. S., Wahab, L. A., & Ahmad, A. C. (2004, November). Climatic design of the traditional Malay house to meet the requirements of modern living. In The 38th International Conference of Architectural Science Association ANZAScA “Contexts of architecture (pp. 10-12).
Khozaei Ravari, F., Hassan, A. S., Abdul Nasir, M. H., & Mohammad Taheri, M. (2022). The development of residential spatial configuration for visual privacy in Iranian dwellings, a space syntax approach. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation.
Klarqvist, B. (2015). A space syntax glossary. NA, 6(2).
Lee, J. H., Ostwald, M. J., & Zhou, L. (2023). Socio-Spatial Experience in Space Syntax Research: A PRISMA-Compliant Review. Buildings, 13(3), 644.
Manum, B., 2009. Complementary Software for Axial-Line Analysis. Proceedings of the 7th International Space Syntax Symposium, Stockholm.
Mazni, N. S., & Mudzafar, N. (2022). The Uniqueness of the Traditional Malay House Concept in Kedah. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 7(SI7), 337-349.
Mursib, G., and R. Mohamad. (1998). “The Basic Malay House.” In The Encyclopaedia of Malaysia, edited by C. V. Fee, Vol. 5. Architecture (pp. 20-21). Singapore: Archipelago Press.
Mustafa, F. A., Hassan, A. S., & Baper, S. Y. (2010). Using space syntax analysis in detecting privacy: a comparative study of traditional and modern house layouts in Erbil city, Iraq. Asian Social Science, 6(8), 157.
Nasir, A. Halim, (1985). Pengenalan Rumah Tradisional Melayu Semenanjung Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Darulfikir.
Nasir, A. H., & Teh, H. H. W. (2011). The traditional Malay house. ITBM.
Nor, O. M., Misnat, N., Isa, H. M., & Abd Karim, N. (2021). SPACE ORGANIZATION IN PERAK MALAY TRADITIONAL HOUSE. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment, 8(3), 103-124.
Nur Hidayahtuljamilah Ramli. (2012). Re-adaptation of Malay House Thermal Comfort Design Elements into Modern Building Elements – Case Study of Selangor Traditional Malay House & Low Energy Building in Malaysia. Iranica Journal of Energy & Environment 3 (Special Issue on Environmental Technology): 19-23, 2012.
Rapoport, A. (1976). “Sociocultural Aspects of Man-Environment Studies.” In The Mutual Interaction of People and Their Built Environment: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Edited by Rapoport A. New York: De Gruyter Mouton.
Rappoport, A. (1990). “System of Activities and System of Settings.” In Domestic Architecture and the Use of Space, edited by S. Kent (pp. 9-20). Cambridge: Cambridge University press.
Razali, N. H. M., & Talib, A. (2013). Aspects of privacy in Muslim Malay traditional dwe lling interiors in Melaka. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 105, 644-654.
Sabaruddin, H. L., & Hassan Naziri, A. F. (2019). Study of passive design used in Perak Traditional Malay House (PMTH) to achieve thermal comfort.
Samsudin, N.A., & Abidin Idid, S. Z. (2016). Influences Of Housing Settings And Designs In Fulfilling The Malay Residents’ Social Cultures. Planning Malaysia, 14(4).
Shahbazi, M., Bemanian, M. R., & Lotfi, A. (2018). A comparative analysis of spatial configuration in designing residential houses using space syntax method (case studies: houses of Isfahan and modern architecture styles). International Journal of Applied Arts Studies (IJAPAS), 3(1).
Wang, Y., Lin, D., & Huang, Z. (2022). Research on the aging-friendly kitchen based on space syntax theory. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(9), 5393.
Yamu, C., Van Nes, A., & Garau, C. (2021). Bill Hillier’s legacy: Space syntax—A synopsis of basic concepts, measures, and empirical application. Sustainability, 13(6), 3394.
Yuan, L. J. (1984). Under one roof: The traditional Malay house. IDRC reports, v. 12, no. 4.
Yuan, L.J. (1987) The Malay House: Rediscovering Malaysia’s Indigenous Shelter. System Institute Masyarakat: Penang.
Zerouati, W., & Bellal, T. (2020). Evaluating the impact of mass housings' in-between spaces' spatial configuration on users' social interaction. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 9(1), 34-53.
Published
2023-10-01
How to Cite
ZAINUDDIN, Nurul Wahidah et al.
Spatial Configurations of Malay Traditional House in Kedah and Pulau Pinang.
International Journal of Business and Technology Management, [S.l.], v. 5, n. S3, p. 260-273, oct. 2023.
ISSN 2682-7646.
Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijbtm/article/view/24164>. Date accessed: 06 dec. 2023.
