ng sueh yi 0310700 - case study full

Using Malaysian Contemporary Vernacular Architecture as a Design Strategy to Reduce Energy Consumption in Buildings

2014

Asian Architecture [ARC 2234]PROJECT 1: CASE STUDY

Belum Rainforest Resort: Using Malaysian Contemporary Vernacular Architecture as a Design Strategy to Reduce Energy Consumption in

Buildings*Edited by Mr. Koh Jing Hao

Name: Ng Sueh Yi

Student ID: 0310700

Lecturer: Mr. Koh Jing Hao

Submission Date: 12th June 2014

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Table of Contents Page

1.0 Abstract 3

2.0 Introduction 4 2.1 Belum Rainforest Resort 5

3.0 Contemporary Vernacular Architecture Features in Belum Rainforest Resort3.1 Traditional Malay Houses

3.1.1 Introduction7 3.1.2 Applications of Features in Belum Rainforest Resort

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3.2 Longhouses in Sarawak 3.2.1 Introduction

12 3.2.2 Applications of Features in Belum Rainforest Resort13

3.3 Chinese Shophouses 3.3.1 Introduction

14 3.3.2 Applications of Features in Belum Rainforest Resort15

4.0 Conclusion 18

5.0 Appendix 19

6.0 Reference 20

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1.0 AbstractThe objective of the paper is to explain the importance of Malaysian Contemporary Vernacular Architecture in achieving sustainability by lowering energy consumption in buildings and how these architectural features have aid in achieving this goal. In supporting the validity of this research, literature reviews from various sources in relation to these factors of change helps in identifying and gaining an understanding on how these features affect energy consumption in buildings in terms of ventilation and natural lighting. This paper shall also explain these changing process in vernacular architecture through the events that have taken place throughout the country's history. Using Belum Rainforest Resort as a case study, the paper will also discuss how it applies Malaysian Contemporary Vernacular Architecture features as its design strategy in achieving sustainability. Therefore, this paper concludes that sustainability with Malaysian Contemporary Vernacular architecture does not involved the traditional architecture style alone, but a combination of various culture and style.

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2.0 Introduction Sustainability has become an importance in the architectural world these days, with a concern regarding the rising rate in energy consumption and the rate of depletion of natural resources. As stated from the article:

"Sustainability must involve a process that is restorative, regenerative, dynamic and efficient as opposed to energy intensive, resource dependent, extractive and disposable methods, as we now envision that now and in the future, that we could live in the decent level of well being within the limits of what nature can and continue to provide." (Sufian & Mohd, 2010)

Therefore, sustaining the built environment in the tropics, in this case, our Malaysian tropical climate, has become a major issue today.

The climate in Malaysia is categorized as equatorial, with high temperature and humidity, along with heavy and unpredictable rainfall throughout the year. In order to achieve thermal comfort, the houses in Malaysia were forced to take these climatic factors into consideration, hence applying vernacular architecture as a design method. For example, the elevated traditional Malay houses along with its high-pitched roof, which aids in enhancing ventilation and cooling. But Malaysian Vernacular Architecture does not stop at that point, throughout the history of Malaysia, the country has experienced architectural changes upon several foreign arrivals, where different architectural styles and elements has been implemented into houses to meet their cultural needs, at the same time, taking into account the country's climatic factors. In this case study, we shall explore these architectural changes that has contributed into the development of Malaysian contemporary architecture such as the shop houses and courtyard design of the Chinese immigrants, the townhouse design upon the arrival of the Dutch, and finally, the introduction of the 'five foot way' which is a shaded pathway along shop house to shelter pedestrians from sun and rain during the British colonization.

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This paper will investigate the development of Malaysian Contemporary Vernacular Architecture and its contribution to sustainability by engaging the following research questions:

1. What is Malaysian Vernacular Architecture?

2. How the Malaysian Vernacular Architecture respond to climate and its environmental surrounding?

3. How did the features in Malaysian Contemporary Architecture came about?

4. How did Belum Rainforest Resort apply Malaysian Vernacular Architecture into its design?

5. How does Malaysian Vernacular Architecture succeed in reducing energy consumption of buildings?

2.1 Belum Rainforest ResortAs a subject for this case study, located in an island surrounded by one of the world's oldest tropical rainforest, Belum Rainforest Resort is a retreat for nature-lovers and holiday-goers. The construction and design of this resort involves and inspired by various styles of vernacular architecture that can be observed in Malaysia which contributes to sustainability in terms of natural cooling, lighting and natural ventilation. In the end, this design shall reduce the energy consumption in buildings regarding the usage of electrical equipments such as lightings and air-conditioning system where the application of skylights has resulted in no need of turning on the lights during the day, and cooling through natural ventilation has reduce the need of using air-conditioning system.

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3.0 Contemporary Vernacular Architecture Features in Belum Rainforest ResortBefore we move on to the Contemporary Vernacular Architectural Features in Belum Rainforest Resort we should understand that what are the factors that give rise to vernacular design in Malaysia.

Factors that causes climatic stress in Malaysia:

High temperatures and humidity : The climate in Malaysia is categorized as equatorial, with temperature range from 24 degrees Celsius to as high as 33 degrees Celsius, along with high humidity level due to high level of rainfall and monsoon seasons.

Solar Radiation and Glare: Being a equatorial country, Malaysia is naturally abundant with sunshine and hence, solar radiation that gives rise to health hazards and glare that is harmful to the naked eye.

Unpredictable Rainfall and Occasional Winds: High level of rainfall which varies with different seasons of the year along with wind level of generally light and variable.

Through these climatic factors, we define vernacular architecture as an architectural design that adapts to its surrounding environment in terms of its climatic factors to achieve thermal comfort, in addition to the inhabitants' in relation to both social and cultural needs.

Regarding the subject of Contemporary Vernacular Architecture in Malaysia, this paper shall argue that this "Contemporary Form" of vernacular design in Malaysia does not derive from its most traditional and primitive form alone, such as the vernacular design of the traditional Malay houses. Instead, it is developed through a series of several foreign influence in both cultural and political means. As stated by the author,

"Vernacular house forms evolved according to different cultural settings and are the results of long-term modification, adaptations, shared experiences and innovations."(Chen, 1998)

3.1 Traditional Malay Houses3.1.1 Introduction

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A traditional house form of the Malay race, and commonly found in the west-peninsular Malaysia, the traditional Malay houses posses many similarities with other traditional houses in other countries in South East Asia. These common features includes gable roof and raised platforms with timber posts.

The spatial arrangement in the traditional Malay House is organized based on its hierarchical order, which is expressed in the difference in space and height. The most important space in the house is determined by the spaces with the largest size and in height. These changes in levels also define spaces rather than with partitions and walls. Occasionally, curtains are used to create partitions if there is a need for privacy. The Malay house design is a direct response to the vagaries of the local climate, along with its use of local materials which were abundant in nature, for example, using nipah(palm), or rumbia(sago plant) to construct the roof of the houses which carries the advantageous attributes of their water-proofing abilities and being light-weighted.

Figure 3.1 - an example of a traditional Malay house

3.1.2 Applications of Features in Belum Rainforest Resort

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One of the best examples in Belum Rainforest resort that is inspired from traditional Malay houses would be the Traditional Chalet from phase 2 of the construction process. Many characteristics from the is vernacular design can be seen from structure. Unlike the traditional method, the construction of the traditional chalet uses a combination of both natural and man-made material such as steel, applied contemporary construction technique, hence gave rise to the combination of the old and the new.

Figure 3.2 and 3.3 - The view to the exterior of the traditional chalet.

Aside from its form being largely resemble a traditional Malay house, the traditional chalet incorporated the elevated platform, with steel post instead of timber. In terms of vernacular design, the elevated structure aids in preventing the entrance of water during flood seasons, or provide a void space underneath the structure for storage purpose. But other than that, it carries a more important function which is allowing natural ventilation underneath the structure to remove heat and enhance cooling(Fig 3.5). The timber floor cladding of the traditional chalet are not fully sealed, hence providing an air space to allow the entrance of cool air and wind.

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Figure 3.4 - The exterior showing the raised platform of the traditional chalet


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Figure 3.5 - Natural ventilation in Malay houses.

In traditional Malay houses, maximum cross ventilation is achieved by having a large, open interior space with minimum or no partition to obstruct wind flow, provided by full length windows on both sides, as shown in Figure 3.5 above. On the other hand, in the traditional chalet of Belum Rainforest Resort, although the space is not as open planned as in traditional Malay houses, it still has openings in the partition to allow adequate cross ventilation. In addition, a rammed earth wall partition is present on one side of the structure to direct the wind flow upwards when the wind reaches the wall once it exits the chalet.

Figure 3.6 - Cross ventilation in the traditional chalet.

Figure 3.7 - The rammed earth

partition beside the structure.

Although the climate in Malaysia provides us

with a good source of natural lighting, it also brings in an issue of high solar glare that causes discomfort in inhabitants. Hence, in Malaysian vernacular design, with full length windows for natural lighting, large overhangs or verandas are constructed beside the windows to greatly reduce solar glare, whereas verandas provide extra

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floor space. The traditional chalet has been installed with a veranda beside the windows that are facing the direction of the sun.

Aside from the traditional chalet, the application of large overhang could also be observed at the roof of the resort's restaurant, where large overhangs are constructed on both sides of the restaurant.

To enhance the effectiveness of ventilation, Belum Rainforest Resort allows the growth of vegetation around the structure, which also aids in keeping a cool environment around the area. Furthermore, the resort encourages vegetation on the structure itself. At the rooftop area, its design has taken an advantage of vegetation where its growth on cable wire partition and overhangs would function as a natural shading device.

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Figure 3.8 - The veranda beside the traditional chalet.

Figure 3.9 - The overhang roof of the restaurant; Figure 3.10 - The morning sun casts upon the roof of the restaurant.


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3.2 Longhouses in Sarawak3.2.1 Introduction

The longhouse is dwellings of the indigenous group that are commonly found in East-Malaysia, which also known as "orang asli" in the Malay language. These indigenous group includes Iban, Melanau, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu and their lifestyle and construction are represent though these houses. The main design of these houses is to accommodate large and multiple families, which could be as many as 120 people or more.

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Figure 3.11 - The traditional chalet is surrounded by vegetations that keeps the surrounding environment cool during the day.

Figure 3.11 - Vegetations are allowed to grow on the structural elements of the resort .


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Among its characteristics, the longhouse shares several common characteristics with Malay traditional houses such as the elevated platforms on timber post, where the longhouse differ in elevating their structure in much greater heights compared to the traditional Malay house, the house would be raised up to 6 metres off the ground on timber stilts, with only a long, timber staircase carved from a single wooden log as their only means of accessing their home, mainly to avoid the invasion of predators and the inhabitants could gain a larger range of view to their surroundings from the house. Other than that, the longhouse also shares similarities with the traditional Malay house in having an open interior space with minimum to provide optimum cross-ventilation and overhangs to provide shading from solar glare. The application of partitions in longhouses is to separate the space into family apartments, however, the partition does not fully extend to the ceiling, so that cross ventilation is still available.


Regarding the vernacular design of the longhouses in Sarawak, the side of the longhouse with larger surface area and width is generally orientated in such a way that it is facing towards the north-south direction, at the same time, minimizing the number of windows that are facing towards the east-west direction.

The structures in Belum Rainforest Resort were not only built in such a way that it does not interrupts the original contour of the landscape, instead of positioning the structure in facing the north-south

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Figure 3.12 - An example of a longhouse situated in central Sarawak.

Figure 3.13 - structure in the resort facing the south-west direction and towards the man-made lake.


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direction to reduce solar radiation, the structures in Belum Rainforest Resort emphasizes on cooling. Instead, each structure is orientated to face the direction of wind flow, which is the south-west direction. This greatly aids in catching the incoming wind to maximize ventilation through the structure to further promote cooling.

Apart from that, like the houses in villages of the indigenous group in Sarawak, the structures in Belum Rainforest Resort are built in clustered forms instead of connecting all the buildings and merging them into one large structure. This enhances cross ventilation by high velocity winds throughout and between the houses (Fig. 3.13).

3.3 Chinese Shophouses3.2.1 Introduction

The Chinese community has arrived and permanently settled in Melaka since the 17th century and are referred to as one of the major immigrant groups in Malaysia , which the community mainly consists of shopkeepers, craftsmen and farmers.

The Chinese community has provided a large contribution in terms of Malaysian vernacular architecture by bringing in the Straits Eclectic style, which is the combination of Chinese, European, and Malay architectural style, at the same time preserving the traditions of their

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Figure 3.14 - Cross ventilation between houses


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homeland. Examples that show these characteristics of Malaysian Vernacular Architecture by the Chinese community could be widely seen in the shop houses and town houses in Melaka. The construction techniques were widely influenced by the Chinese but based on building materials that are locally available. The Straits Eclectic style that involves the European includes western countries such as the Dutch and British where their influence on the Chinese shop houses design was during the occupation in Malaysia. For example, the Dutch has introduced the five foot way in front of every houses, plus, enforce narrow frontage in town houses, which cause the townhouses to have small frontage but very long length.


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The best example of the contribution provided by the Chinese community towards the development of Malaysian contemporary vernacular architecture would be the construction of the Chinese shop houses, especially the ones that are situated in Melaka. Due to the usage of building materials such as bricks and plaster, the cooling effect would not be as great as using timber in traditional Malay houses. Hence, the Chinese community has created an addition to its vernacular design in order to compensate for this loss of cooling.

Aside of having a straightforward open planning of space along with wooden screens in partitions to promote cross ventilation, the Chinese community has incorporated their tradition and design of a courtyard into the shop houses, which in return functions as an air well directing the wind flow through the building upwards and removes heat. The Chinese shop house too carries a similarity to the traditional Malay house, which is the usage of air vents and shutters to improve cross ventilation. Furthermore, the air well allows the inhabitants to enjoy the outdoor space in the comfort of their homes.

Although the architectural form of the structures in Belum Rainforest does not resemble the Chinese shop houses, there are a few characteristics that are inspired from its vernacular design especially in the Deluxe Suite, where this characteristic

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Figure 3.15 - Features of a Shop house


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could be observed in the bathroom space at the end of the suite. Like an air well, cool wind enters through the suite and exits upwards through the bathroom walls. At the same time, the generally indoor bathroom could also become an outdoor space

Besides having an air well for natural ventilation, it also provides natural lighting to the interior space, acting as a skylight during the day(Fig. 3.17). This could be observed in several areas of the resort such as the first floor hallway of one of the resort's accommodation section(Fig. 3.18), The bathroom (Fig. 3.19)and living area of the villa(Fig. 3.20).

The Five Foot Way on the frontage of shop houses(as shown in Fig.

3.15) was first introduced by the Dutch to provide shelter from sun and rain(Fig 3.21). During the British occupation iin the 19th century, the five walk way was eventually evolved into one string of walkway connecting to adjacent buildings, sheltering pedestrian plus, allowing them to walk from one building to another (Fig. 3.22). In the Deluxe Suite of Belum Rainforest Resort, the facade design may not carry a literal representation or resemblance of a five foot way, however, it is inspired by the function of sheltering from sun and rain. As shown in Figure 3.23, the roof extends to provide shelter to the frontage of the Deluxe Suite.

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Figure 3.17 - An air well in a shop house of Melaka also functions as a skylight during the day.

Figure 3.16 - The outdoor space that connects to the bathroom.

Top right: Figure 3.18 - Skylight in the hallway of the resort's accommodation section; Right:

Figure 3.19: Skylight in the bathroom of the villa; Far right: Figure 3.20 - Skylight in the

living area of the villa.


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4.0 ConclusionBelum Rainforest resort has successfully applied not only the vernacular architecture of the traditional Malay houses alone, but at the same time, applied the vernacular architecture in Malaysia that were influenced by foreign culture. Along with using the current technology of construction methods, Belum Rainforest Resort has successfully achieved its objective of structures that reduce energy consumption that would inspire more future architectural projects in reaching that goal in order to achieve sustainability. Malaysian vernacular architecture does not have its origin in its purest form, in fact, it is an ongoing process through a series of influence and change by any means, in any aspect. Therefore, this paper shall concludes that sustainability with

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Top: Figure 3.21 - The Five Foot Way introduced by the Dutch, the frontage was surrounded by plastered covered brick walls.; Right: Figure 3.22 - the evolved

Five Foot Way that was introduced by the British, connecting from one building to another; Below:

Figure 3.23 - The frontage of the Deluxe Suites.:


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Malaysian Contemporary Vernacular architecture does not involved the traditional architecture style alone, but a combination of various culture and style.

5.0 AppendixFigure 3.1 Old Traditional Malay House[Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.langkawi-

insight.com/langkawi_000079.htm

Figure 3.5 Lim, J.Y. (n.d.) Climatic Design of the Malay House. The Malay house : rediscovering Malaysia's indigenous shelter system[Diagram]. Retrieved

from http://pythonians.wordpress.com

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http://pythonians.wordpress.com/author/chenkianwee/page/4/


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Figure 3.12 Reid, G. (n.d.) On the Lemanak River of Sarawak[Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.perceptivetravel.com/issues/0108/reid.html

Figure 3.15 Tan, Y.W (n.d.) Features of a Shophouse[Illustration]. Retrieved from http://penangshophouse.blogspot.com/

6.0 Reference

Chen, V.F. (1998). Encyclopedia of Malaysia Vol 5: Architecture. Archipelago Press. Singapore.

Coch, H. (1998). Bioclimatism in Vernacular Architecture. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2. 67-87. Elsevier Science Ltd. Retrieved from April 14th, 2013.

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Essays, UK. (2013). The Traditional Malay Houses Construction Essay. Retrieved from http://www.ukessays.com/essays/construction/the-traditional-malay-houses-construction-essay.php?cref=1

Ramli, N. H. (2012) Case Study of Selangor Traditional Malay House & Low Energy Building in Malaysia. Re-adaptation of Malay House Thermal Comfort Design Elements into Modern Building Elements. Retrieved from April 24th, 2013. 10.5829/idosi.ijee.2012.03.05.04

Sim, S. (2010). Redefining the Vernacular in the Hybrid Architecture of Malaysia. Retrieved from April 23th, 2014.

Sufian, C.A. & Mohd, S.A.R. (2010). An Introduction to Its Genius Loci. An Analysis of The Traditional Malay Architecture as Indicators for Sustainability. Retrieved from April 23th, 2013.

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