Importance of Architecture Essay

After the independence, a lot of intellectual individuals pursued their studies overseas and developed as architects and engineers after they back to Malaysia. As a result, the philosophy and approach that they brought back no longer created local identity. Hence, our nation’s development is going ‘internationalism’ (Tahir, et al., 2010). The influence of modern architecture is entrenched in their mind and not easy to replace with the way of thinking about the local environment, climate, materials, and technique. In the face of internationalism, how is modern architecture able to assist in preserving Malaysian architecture? Modern architecture is defined as a new architectural style that emerged in the early years of the 20th century (McFadden, 2018). According to the principle, modern architecture promotes the concept of truth and justice in the materials used instead of ornamenting or plastering with other artificial materials (Arora, 2018). For instance, concrete, steel, glass, and wood are the most prominent materials used in modern architecture. Moreover, the other principle of modern architecture is simplicity to the core as simple is always sophisticated and a great ornament of art (Arora, 2018). The modern movement had come out of three “traditions” of modern architecture. First, the pure machine approach to architecture which is structural in emphasis, skin and bones in expression, and the less-is-more dictums of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Second, tradition came from Le Corbusier who argued that houses are machines for living in, and the whole of architecture must present on intellectual beauty of platonic forms. Lastly, the one by Frank Lloyd Wright argues for an organic architecture steeped in regional climatic and cultural responses complete with a serious system of ornamentation (Rasdi, 2005).

Before the influence of modern architecture, Malaysia's vernacular architecture’s identity reflects the local environment, climate, materials, and technique of construction. There are many factors reflecting the identity of architecture, such as nationhood which is related to the contributions made in the Malaysian architecture development after independence, the society which is the relationship between the architecture and built environment in conjunction with existing communities, climate which affects the usage of materials and cultural in which the building formation reflected the regional culture context. However, the idea and role of architectural identity in society have been widely discussed by prominent architectural scholars on the local and global scene. Being a process, identity cannot be prefabricated. ‘We develop our identity by tackling what we perceive to be our problems. Identity is not a self-conscious thing. We find our identity by understanding ourselves and our environment.’ (POWELL, 1983). Hence, the factors that affect the architectural identity will be the focus of this essay are climate and culture. These are the factors that reflect the local elements that are used to preserve Malaysian architecture.

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How does climate affect Malaysian Architecture?

Preservation is not only a protection of cultural property through activities that minimize either chemical or physical deterioration and damage but also prevent the loss of informational content. The goal of preservation is to prolong the existence of cultural property. Therefore, the final appearance is no longer the prime factor but retaining the maximum amount of building fabric (Bjorneberg, 2018). Preserving Malaysian architecture is very important because the local architectural identity of any particular society is an important life container that reflects the cultural values and meanings among others that evolve (Nooraddin, 2012). One of the identities of architectural works which is natural identity, can be defined as the “spirit of the times” and “spirit of the place” (Rasdi, 2005). The idea of the spirit of the times is known as a direct response of the users and builders to the available technology and the economic considerations of that particular time (Rasdi, 2005). For instance, Chef Shukri’s house was not only assembled without nails but also raised high above the ground on timber posts and beams based on the Malay house. This technique of construction is as true to its times as well as the mud construction of traditional Egyptian architecture and the arched masonry construction of the Romans (Rasdi, 2005). On the other hand, the idea of the spirit of the place is known as the direct response of the builders to the climatic considerations, the geographic makeup of the land, and the culture of a particular society as well (Rasdi, 2005).

Malaysia’s climate is dominated by the effect of two monsoons or ‘rainy seasons’ that affect different parts of Malaysia to varying degrees. From November to February, the east coast is affected by the north-east monsoon which results in heavy rainfall and strong winds while it is weaker during the southwest monsoon from April to September (Hyde, 2008). During the transition months between the monsoons which are March and October, the climate is characterized by light winds (Hyde, 2008). The weather in Kuala Lumpur is hot and humid all year with an average temperature of 23-32°C and 190mm rainfall (Miles, 2019). The hot and humid climate is uncomfortable and lacks variation when compared to the climate which is further away from the equator. Therefore, the climate could be a challenge in the perception of architecture when designing for passive cooling (Hyde, 2008). However, there are ways to maximize the natural ventilation. For example, ensure the north and south walls have large window openings and arrange the rooms to aid cross-ventilation. As it is virtual to make sure the cooling wind comes into the space, the orientation of the building is very important. Other than that, for the interior, the plans have to be open and free while the exterior which is the space between buildings has to be wide and access to wind. Therefore, the Malay house was designed with its isolated mass, raised platform, full-length windows, and high roof formed to ease the passage of air and shed off the heavy rainfalls.

The colonial and sino-eclectic heritage in Malaysia presents excellent examples of this type of natural identity. In the colonial and sino-eclectic architectural heritage, innovations and adaptation to the climate were developed in the high ceiling interiors, clerestory windows, and the use of internal courts. The colonial builders were aware of the phenomenon that masonry has a heat lag property that absorbs heat during the day and releases slowly at night. Thus, they experimented with the proportion of the interior space, placement, and size of air wells (Rasdi, 2005). The colonial heritage also provided Malaysia with its version of the Malay house with a louvered verandah and walls to replace the ornate scramble balustrade, the squat Palladian proportion to replace the high raised platforms, and the hipped roof with ventilation openings. It is a fortunate thing that the government of the day recognizes the importance of these heritage buildings but it is most unfortunate that the local architects do not appreciate their design solutions and go for more energy-active architecture of air-conditioning and electric lights. Hence, the local architects have to apply the knowledge that was learned from overseas to prolong the design that is suitable to our local climatic.

How Modern Architecture Preserves Malaysian Architecture Using Climatic Design

The climatic design of a building is a method that helps to reduce the building energy used for heating and cooling. It also aims to use natural energy resources to provide more comfort in buildings (Jahangiri, 2017). Therefore, the modern climatic design is all about doing the things right. Some people may get confused about climatic design and the particular design that is mainly the local vernacular style. The climatic design is all about responding to the contextual climate to achieve thermal comfort through the use of passive design elements such as sunshades, cavity walls, light shelves, overhangs, roof and wall insulation and even shading from large trees to block the sun (Lyee, 2015). Hence, the appearance not only looks traditional but also may look modern or high-tech depending on their designs.

A case study of modern climatic architecture was carried out – the Cempenai House was designed by WHBC architects and was completed in 2012. The house is designed with modernity by having an open floor plan that flows end to end through sliding doors. By having an open floor plan, the entire ventilation of the building is better compared to the traditional house. Besides that, there are openings all around the building that allow for cross ventilation as well. The main characteristic of this building is the egg-crate structure that is built of in-situ concrete as a sun-filtering device at a depth of 900mm and provides sufficient ventilation (ArchDaily, 2015). The structure is naturally allowing daylight to shine through with the resistance of radiation. As a modern architecture, the main construction material is concrete. It kept raw and ornamentation free for a clean visual presentation of material which is based on the principle of modern architecture that promotes the concept of truth and justice to material. It is one of the suitable materials for climatic design as it has a high thermal mass to absorb heat as an insulator. From the entry-level, the existing site slopes downwards to the back. Thus, the design takes advantage of the sloping terrain to keep the dampness and humidity out within a tropical environment. Lastly, there is another concept in this building which is the “Garden in the box” by integrates with the natural surroundings. Therefore, the pool assists in keeping the interior cool as well as the adjoining garden by blocking the sun as a shading. This is an evidence to show that not only large roof eaves can be the shading and keep the interior cool but it also can be done in a modern way. As a result, even though we are influenced by modern architecture, we are also able to develop our identity by tackling the tropical climate with the assistance of modern architecture. However, our architectural identity does not only rely on the climate but also the culture.

How does culture affect Malaysian Architecture?

Architectural identity can be described in many ways. It can be described as the identity of a particular architectural movement that is reflected in its particular way of forming buildings, spaces, and the social life it creates (Nooraddin, 2012). From a cultural point of view, architectural identity represents a living landscape with a common sense of place that is produced by the community’s accumulated efforts over time to contain meanings and ways of life (Nooraddin, 2012). Culture can be described as the totality of the values, beliefs, symbol systems, and schemas that are shared by a group of people who learn and transmit them through interaction (Yilmaz, 2006). People use their unique forms in the production of art, architecture, and environment and have their way and means of expressing their feelings or aspirations. To have more understanding of the built form and material environment operating as a sign in a cultural and social context, several case studies from the period of traditional era to the independent era were conducted.

During the traditional era, the Malaccan Sultanate’s palace was built. The palaces not only incorporated various beliefs of the sultans and reflected their way of life, but also adopted the style common to the various regions of the Peninsula such as Acheh, Sumatra, Java, and Riau (Ariffin, 2001). The main construction material of the palaces is wood from the local area. Based on the Malay culture, the palaces were constructed with dual functionality which is the residency of the sultanate and to accommodate the sultanate advisors as well as followers. Moreover, the space planning of the palace is arranged according to a hierarchical manner and represented in a linear syntax structure (Mohidin & Ismail, 2014). The spaces are divided into several areas with different functions such as places for the royal families and sultanate advisors as well as official gathering spaces to meet the commoners. These areas are separated by boundary walls and intermediate spaces like courtyards and open gardens. On the other hand, the interior spaces of the palace are also based on the subordinate organization. This can be shown from the arrangement of the spaces for assistants that surround the primary space and form one large assemblage that focuses on a main center (Sherwin, 1981). To symbolize the imperial power of the Malay sultan, the sultanate throne room was placed at the end of the long central axis (Sherwin, 1981).

According to Mohidin and Ismail (2014), this palace is structured as a human anthropological approach of 'Head-Body-Foot'. From the aspect of the 'head' of this palace, it was said to have a roof that resembles a pyramid and has several layers of 'body' and 'foot' as the base of the building. The roof consists of the characteristics of Minangkabau influence and has seven layers of levels and a tip at each edge while the ‘body’ creates the façade of the building. In this palace, the walls are divided into three parts. First, the lining and colored louvers at the top of the window or door, the second is the window or door itself, and the last part is the part below the window. The castle is said to have 40 doors that were either able to serve as passage or just as wall panels. As local architecture, the second part of the wall which is the windows is designed on a large scale and each has a wooden shutter to maximize ventilation and block the direct sunlight. The next layer is the part under the window, which also serves as a fenestration (Sherwin, 1981). According to Sherwin (1981) and Shellabear (1975), the 'foot' which also forms the basis of this building has itself lifted from the ground level which also proves its regionalism influences. The column and beam system was said to be more articulated and lavishly decorated than a commoner's dwellings. Using a rectangular plan, the palace was large in scale. In traditional times, the construction of this palace was considered amazing because the structure was of exceptional length and width.

However, during the British era, the architectural style was changed. This can be seen in the white-painted building that reflects the Neo-Baroque architectural style which presents extensive rustication. The building consists of a heavier base at ground level and exaggerated arched openings. The central structure of the building is raised taller resembling a tower-like element creating a lively rooftop silhouette (Mohidin & Ismail, 2014). Furthermore, elements like exaggerated keystones, segmental-arched pediments, columns with engaged blocks, and attached block-like rustication to window surrounds are also visible. Verandah on top of the ground floor arched opening can be seen at the entrance of the building. It comes from the Edwardian baroque style which is a mixture of French architecture in the 18th century and Sir Christopher Wren in England in the 17th century (Mohidin & Ismail, 2014). There are also stone railings attached to the edge of the roof. The windows are all topped with either arched blocks of stones or engaged pediments.