Malay House

Traditional Malay House

As for the China group, the next visit after the King’s Palace is the Malay house which is located at the National Museum. So, these are the information for the Malay house.

The Houseform

The traditional Malay house is a timber house raised on stilts. It is basically
a post-and-lintel structure with wooden or bamboo walls and a thatched
roof. Windows are plentiful, lining the walls and providing good ventilation and views for the house. This quality of openness is also reflected by the large open interior spaces with minimal partitions. From a distance, the Malay house seems to merge naturally with the environment.The roof, which is large, dominates the low walls and the open stilted bottom of the house. The juxtaposition of the roofs with different sizes and at different orientations creates an interesting visual form.The traditional Malay house was evolved by the Malays over generations, adapting to their needs, culture and environment. It may not possess them grandeur or ostentatiousness found in modern buildings designed by modern self-conscious designers but it reflects other qualities lacking in the modern
buildings - a clear expression of the way of life and culture of its users.

A Malay House Building Ritual

In the ceremony, ‘Searching for the base of the house’, the bomoh(shaman) places incense in a burner filled with embers(kemeyan) and blesses the site chosen for the house.

The rumah ibu (woman of the house) measures a piece of rattan to the length of her outstretched arms (one depa), then she does the same for a stick. The bomoh ties the rattan to the stick.

Incense is burnt again and prayers are recited by the bomoh.

The stick with the rattan is planted on the site and a pail of water with a dish at the bottom is placed beside the stick.

Prayers are recited by both the ibu rumah and the bomoh.

The next morning at dawn, the ibu rumah measures both the stick and the rattan. The water is also checked. If the rattan or stick has lengthened during the night, or if the water has overflowed onto the plate, the site is chosen.

The site becomes the exact spot where the tiang seri (main post) will be erected. It is believed that the semangat rumah (spirit of the house) lives in the house.

Types of Malay House

Various traditional and hybrid Malay house forms can be identified in Peninsular Malaysia. They are classified mainly by their roof shapes i.e. bumbung panjang, bumbung lima, bumbung perak and bumbung limas. Besides defining the house by the roof-form traditional Malay houses are also defined by number of columns uses for the house as seen in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

The most common houseform is the bumbung panjang, characterised by
a long gable roof. The bumbung panjang houses are the oldest identified in
Peninsular Malaysia, many of them being over a hundred years old and still in
good condition.The bumbung panjang is the simplest of the four houseforms. It has a
simple gable roof, supported by kingposts. The most common roofing material
used for the bumbung panjang is the attap (a thatch made from nipah and
other palm trees found in the local natural vegetation).

Use of Interior Space

Spaces in the Malay house are multifunctional. The use of space changes at different times of the day and year. There are minimal partitions or interior walls in the house, allowing for the flexible use of space and for good the interiors. Minimal furniture ventilation and lighting is used and most activities are done on the floor.

Basically, the traditional Malay house can be divided into the front and
back portions which are centred around the rumah ibu (the core house) and
the dapur (kitchen) respectively.

At the entrances of most traditional Malay houses, stairs lead up to a covered porch called the anjung. The porch acts as a good transition space between the public and the private domains. The anjung also acts as an important focal point for the entrance. Unfamiliar visitors and guests are entertained here. It is also a favourite place for the house occupants to rest, chat and watch the goings-on and passers-by in the village.

From the entrance porch, one enters into the serambi gantung (hanging verandah). This is the place where most guests are entertained. The low windows in the serumbi guntung allow for good ventilation and good views to the exterior.

From the serumbi guntung, one enters into the rumuh ibu, which is the core area. This is the largest area in the house where most activities are conducted. Sleeping, sewing, praying, ironing, studying and even feasting (kenduri) which is held during marriages and other festivals, all occur here. The importance of the rumuh ibu is expressed by its floor level being the highest in the
house.

The selung is a closed walkway used to link the kitchen and the rumuh ibu together. The side entrance to the kitchen is also located here. Besides being a circulation space, the selang is often used by the womenfolk as a space to chat and socialise. The selang is a very effective linking device which leaves an open space between the two portions, allowing good ventilation and
lighting for the house.

The dapur (kitchen) is always situated at the back of the house, and is on the lowest floor level. Modern kitchens in new Malay houses are often dropped to the ground level where floors are cemented. Preparation of food, cooking, eating and washing are all done here. The womenfolk also often group here to chat.

The court space, which is peculiar only to Malay houses in Malacca, is an intimate, private interior open space in between the rumuh ibu and the dupur. This space is the wet core of the house where the washing, drying and toilet areas are situated. It is often beautifully decorated with flowers and plants. It is a favourite resting place for the users. Sometimes, informal guests, especially ladies, are entertained here.

Design For Climatic Control

From the preceding explanation of the climatic characteristics of Malaysia,
it is obvious that to attain optimal climatic control, a houseform in Malaysia
should provide for the following:
(a) allow adequate ventilation for cooling and reduction of humidity;
(b) use building materials with low thermal capacity so that little heat is
transmitted into the house;
(c) control direct solar radiation;
(d) control glare from the open skies and surroundings;
(e) protect against rain; and
(f) ensure adequate natural vegetation in the surroundings to provide for a cooler micro-climate.