Asian Architecture Paper presentation Case Study: Telegraph pole house, Langkawi, Malaysia Adaptation of vernacular Malay architecture into contemporary design of the Telegraph Pole House, Langkawi
Tutor: Ms. Shahrianne Student name and ID: 1. Ang Wei Yi 0317885 2. Foo Shi-Ko 0318262 3. Neoh Jia Wen 0318228 4. Wong Carol 0317742 5. Tang Ju Yi 0317335
CONCEPT MAPPING
Telegraph Pole House
Design Concept
Elements
ABSTRACT In the recent years, the numerous studies have undertaken by scholars, architects, and professions unfold how significance of traditional architecture can resolve the issues of contemporary architecture. The findings will expect to reveal the richness of traditional architectural design values by the means of preserving the originality of contemporary architecture through consideration of traditional values and attributes. The paper will conclude to implicate a framework of cultural context in relation to regional contemporary architecture, which will perform based on the values of traditional architecture. Chosen the site, the telegraph Pole House in Langkawi, it is aimed to address the new approach in adopting traditional malay architecture into the contemporary architecture. The house has alter and convert the abandoned materials into a unfamiliar technique additional feature to the design. The house is unique as it is sitting atop a little hillock, surrounded by lush tropical greenery and kampong houses in the valley below. Thus, this paper will focus on the adaptation of Malay Architecture with historical context as a way of achieving the continuity in cultivate this soon forgotten traditional heritage of this country. As having this hot and humid environment in a tropical climate, the choice of construction method and materials used of its design concept is highlighted to explore on this issue in comply its design within the old built context surrounding. Fundamental aspects such as materials and texture, form and layout, construction method, climate and neighbourhood context which adopted in the house are taken into consideration to discuss in this topic. A deeper scrutiny will capture the visual harmony establishment between Kampung Lubok Buaya and Telegraph Pole House.
Research Question(s): Question 1: What are the significant features of vernacular Malay houses? Question 2: How does the site climate affect the climatic control features of Telegraph Pole House? Question 3: How does the vernacular Malay House affect the architectural form and layout of Telegraph Pole House? Question 4: How does the traditional construction material integrated into the Telegraph Pole House? Question 5: How does the construction methods applied in the Telegraph Pole House result in a unique and eccentric design compared to the typical traditional vernacular house ?
Question 1: What are the significant features of vernacular Malay houses?
Thermal Comfort 1. Allowing adequate ventilation for cooling and reduction of humidity. 2. Using of low thermal capacity building materials so that little heat is transmitted into the building. 3. Controlling direct solar radiation 4. Controlling glare from the open skies and surroundings 5. Protecting against heavy rain 6. Assuring adequate natural vegetation in the surroundings to provide a cooler microclimate .
Figure 1: Climatic response of traditional Malay house
Form
Figure 3a: Cross ventilation. The elongated open plan with minimum partitions allow easy passage of air and good ventilation
Figure 3b: Wind velocity gradient. Traditional Malay house are built on stilts to capture winds at higher velocity.
Figure 3c: Orientation Traditional Malay houses are orientated to east-west which minimized areas exposed to solar radiation.
Figure 3d: Ventilation at Body Level. Traditional Malay houses have many fulllength fully openable windows and doors at body level which allow natural ventilation at body level.
Figure 3e: large overhangs and low exposed vertical areas To provide good protection against driving rain, provide good shading and allow the windows to be open most of the time for ventilation
Figure 3f: Lighting Level Traditional Malay house tends to be underlighted. This gives the psychological effect of coolness. The under lighting, can be replaced by artificial lighting.
Adequacy of Spaces Use Interior spaces are defined by changes in floor level. The split level indicates the room functions and give a sense of spatial transition in the building
Figure 4: There are minimal partitions in the house allowing for flexible use of space and for good ventilation and lighting of the interiors.
Building Materials
The basic building materials are usually timber or bamboo, in which timber usually became the main structures while the bamboo is used for the walls and thatched roof. These materials actually promote coolness in the house due to its low thermal capacity. The low thermal capacity materials hold little heat and cools adequately at night. The attap roof is an excellent thermal insulator.
Figure 5: The Honese State of material of Malay Vernacular Architecture (Sabrizaa & Najib, 2005)
Construction Method
The posts rest on concrete or stone footings without any foundation required (Yuan, 1987). Dismantled and reassembled of house on site are allowed as it use prefabricated construction methods. The houses are often built without the use of nails, instead, the carpenter use dowels and grooves to fit the timber elements into one another which even more effectively making it a prefabricated house. Figure 6: The structural framework for the house consists of posts braced by floor joists and roof girders. (Anonymous, 2016)
Vernacular design and contemporary design The vernacular traditional architecture and contemporary architecture are augmenting to generate theory to describe the product as the collective notions of different ideology. Modern transition were found from traditional vernacular Malay house into contemporary design. Telegraph Pole House is one of the building that successfully adopt the elements of traditional Malay house in this modern days. The traditional Malay house is undergoing many changes and is faced with constant threats to its continued existence. The traditional Malay houseforms are being vulgarised and replaced by modern houseforms. Appropriate local building materials and the coherent and holistic design principles of the traditional Malay houseforms are being replaced and disintegrated by modern influences. While houseforms should change to fit the changing needs of the users, modern changes in the Malay houseforms are disruptive and inappropriate because such changes are often imposed from external sources and are not understood by the local communities. These changes are often irrelevant to and disregard local and socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions.
Figure 7: Evolution of vernacular Malay architetcure. (Carol W., 2016)
Question 2: How does the site climate and context affect the features of Telegraph Pole House?
Site Climate 1. Ventilation (i.) Orientation and Position Located on the tip of the hill further enhances its ventilating system as it increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation because wind speed are faster at greater heights.
Site Climate 1. Ventilation (ii.) Open Floor Plan The orientation of of the building is located to maximise benefits from cooling breeze. The direction of the building is faced that such that the shorter axis aligns with prevailing wind will provide moist and ventilation. Located on the tip of the hill further enhances its ventilating system as it increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation because wind speed are faster at greater heights.
Site Climate 1. Ventilation (iii.) Openings Windows and doors are the main elements of ventilation at body level. Ventilation approaches from openings as well as other design elements in order to achieve thermal comfort. The design characteristics of the openings are as follow: a) Having many full-length openable doors and windows at body level to allow cross ventilation. b) The position of windows of the Telegraph Pole House can be found at all panels of the house, especialy at public spaces at the ground and first floor.
Figure (i) Ground Floor Plan
Figure (ii) First Floor Plan
Figure (iii) Section
Site Climate 1. Ventilation (iv.) Gable End Roof Gable roofs will easily shed rainwater providing more space for an attic or vaulted ceilings and allow more ventilation. It also ensures adequate ventilation in the interior of the house and allowing the wind to flow in and out of the house. Their inherently simple design makes it easy to build them and cheaper than more complex designs especially in a fairly-poor village context like Langkawi.
Site Climate 1. Ventilation (v.) Minimal Partition Walls Elongated structure with minimal partition in the interior allows easy flow air passage which is essential for ventilating system. Building raised by stilts has posts structure to be able to catch wind on a higher ground.
Site Climate 2. Sun Direction (i.) Big roof, Large Overhanging eaves Sun path of this Telegraph pole house being located at the equinox of the tropical climate of Malaysia, the sun The large overhang of the roof aims to provide good shading and protection against the rain. This also allows the windows to be left open most of the time especially during the day for ventilation purposes.
Site Context 1. Materiality (i.) Timber Building with timbers is a traditional craft in this region, but good hard timbers are running scarce. These timber poles are beautiful hardwood timber. They have been in the elements for decades while maintaining their soundness from impending termite attacks and weathering.
Site Context 1. Materiality (ii.) Steel Pin Base The steel pin base also acts as a termite shield. This steel base prevents termites from attacking the timbers unnoticed. The main beams of the houses are formed by three tiers of poles. These beams are connected with scarf joints with multiple sections.
Question 3: How does the vernacular Malay House affect the architectural form and layout of Telegraph Pole House?
3.1 FEATURES RELATED TO THE FORM OF THE BUILDING
Roof structure which is made up of two timber post and beam structures, supporting a high-pitched, gabled roof called the bumbung panjang Sail-like tebar layar (gable end) of the roof is used to trap and direct air to ventilate the roof space Simple and easy roof construction explains the popularity of this house form among the villagers and those who build houses themselves
ROOF
House form is the bumbung panjang, characterised by a long gable roof Large overhangs which provide good shading and good protection against driving rain Juxtaposition of the roofs with different sizes and at different orientations creates interesting visual form
OPENINGS
Full-length fully openable windows are used since the body level is the most vital area for ventilation
Louvred windows with horizontal slats to admit light and air but avoid rain, direct sunlight and noise
High air intakes outside to reduce the performance of the stack effect
Doors slide horizontally to allow more airflow into the kitchen between indoor and outdoor
Openings are used mainly as ventilation and solar radiation devices to provide climatic comfort
Flexible folding doors in terms that having customisable levels ventilation
STILTS
House raised on stilts exhibits a quality of openness which is unseen in most modern houses
Traditional design elements has been integrated in this modern architecture
Stilts allow building to catch higher velocity of winds to attain maximum ventilation
Four telegraph poles connected together to form a column (stilt) Open stilts space are designed to become an open ground floor
Space of open stilted bottom is used as storage and to avoid flooding
3.2 SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT 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
BACK
The dapur (kitchen) is always situated at the back of the house, and is on the lowest floor level
FRONT
The anjung (porch) acts as a good transition space between the public and the private domains. It also acts as an important focal point for the entrance
PUBLIC SPACE Kitchen is the only space can be closed off using full-height glazed sliding doors PRIVATE SPACE
The layout of the house is simple & similar to a longhouse on stilts with the rooms on the upper floor & an open ground floor
The centre of the upper floor acts as family area
Each bedroom has its own bathroom, located at the extreme ends of the floor
On either ends are the sleeping quarters: one is occupied by the huge master bedroom, while on the opposite side, 2 smaller rooms share the remaining of the floor
Question 4: How does the traditional construction material integrated into the Telegraph Pole House?
Recycled building material Quality hardwoods are no longer the abundantly and freely available material they were in the past. In the same time, the architect want to build a house which is environmentally conscious and eco-friendly as possible.
(ii) Reclaimed timber Considering the local climate- tropical climate. Lightweight construction material such as timber is the best building material for Telegraph Pole House due to its low thermal capacity characteristic can hold little heat and cools adequately at night. The timber used in a traditional vernacular Malay house are usually taken from the local places because they are easier to accessed. But the idea of cutting down trees as a source for their building material did not appeal to the architect, not only due to the fact that it is not a sustainable approach, freshly cut timber may be problematic if not properly dried.Therefore, floor and wall boards in Telegraph Pole House were from jetty in Penang and Berlin roof shingles were from an old airport hotel in Penang.
Recycled building material (i) Reclaimed utility pole To enhance the unique identity of the house, the telegraph pole gathered for the construction of this house is left exposed with the patina of weathered timber. The main structural frame and roof trusses were all 5 by 5 utility poles salvaged from a timber yard in Kedah.To create the main columns of the house, 4 telegraph poles were used for each column. The telegraph poles proved to be a particularly useful building material as they are both strong enough to pass structural performance tests, but old enough to develop a thick patina that gives each piece its own unique characteristics.
New building material (i) Steel To better highlight the worn timber textures of the house and make the construction easier and quicker, dark steel are integrated in the structural detailing of the staircase, window and door frames. The stark contrast between timber, steel and glass gives a dash of modernity to the house, engaging the architecture with contemporary lifestyle and ideals. Four of the 5 by 5 utility poles were connected to a steel pin base and form a structural column to the house. The steel pin base also acts as a termite shield. This steel base prevents termites from attacking the timbers unnoticed. The main beams of the houses are formed by three tiers of poles. These beams are connected with scarf joints with multiple sections.
New building material (ii) Concrete It looks like the house is constructed entirely by timber, but fact the ground floor is concrete and the kitchen space is divided by a brick wall with steel and glass and stainless steel light fixtures. These modern construction material do not affect the overall appearance of the Telegraph Pole House.
The construction material of Telegraph Pole House is similar to the traditional vernacular Malay houses, both using timber as the main constructing material. Selection of the building material of telegraph pole house is one of the key factor which causes it to merge naturally into the context.
Question 5: How does the construction methods applied in the Telegraph Pole House result in a unique and eccentric design compared to the typical traditional vernacular house ?
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION METHODS Various methods of construction were applied on different building materials, with the final result of a combination of traditional and modern construction methods applied in the Telegraph pole house.
1. Columns The design details incorporated into the construction of the column are the results from critical thoughts on problem solving. They were derived from the situation and function that the house needs.
TRADITIONAL CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF COLUMN IN TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSES
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION METHODS 1. Columns The column of the house is the main feature of the house. 4 columns were used to create a main column, for each column the 4 poles are bolted and elevated above the ground with a dark steel pin base. By having the columns as main structure on ground floor, it omits the need of load bearing walls.
NEW CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF COLUMN IN TELEGRAPH POLE HOUSE
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION METHODS 2. Beams In the telegraph pole house, timber columns carry beams supporting floor and the roof above. A joint method of traditional and conventional timber construction was used in connecting the beams. Each beam that go across the house is made up of 3 telegraph poles joined by traditional scarf joints and bolted in the sections.This is to create the correct length for the framework to support the roof.
OLD CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF COLUMN IN TELEGRAPH POLE HOUSE
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION METHODS 2. Beams Scarf joint is one of the recent innovations and is used in the Telegraph pole house to transfer loads within a structure from one member to the other and then through the structure to the foundation. The structure balances its large overhang roof on the sturdy sets of columns. Meanwhile, the mass of the structure is carried by the steel pin base that elevates the columns from the ground, making the structure stable and enhances the visual experience.
SCARF JOINTS DETAILS OF TELEGRAPH POLE HOUSE
CONCLUSION The use of the traditional Malay house forms as mere decorative ‘cultural symbols’ in modern architecture is another retrogressive step in the development of the Malay house. This can be seen in the use of traditional Malay roof-forms in the big hotels, the Penang Airport, the Bank Bumiputra headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, other commercial and recreational buildings and even in the little pondoks of local police bases and taxi stands. This attempt to create a ‘Malaysian’ architecture is not only superficial but vulgar. The traditional Malay house form has been brought down to the most simplistic and vulgarised form - just as a decorative piece - denying it of its deeper significance and uses, and putting it completely out of context. What such buildings have popularised among the Malays are in fact pseudo-traditional house forms which have funny-shaped and inefficient roof forms and the inefficient use of modern materials for the traditional Malay houses. Such pseudo-traditional Malay houses are now gaining popularity and are accorded a high status by the villagers. Without a proper understanding of both traditional and modem design principles, the pseudo-traditional Malay houses become deformed with inefficient adaptations and designs. Instead of using the traditional Malay houses as mere cultural symbols, positive steps must be taken to promote and adapt the qualities and lift the status of the traditional house, specifically for housing purposes.