Construction techniques of traditional Malay house : a case study of Rumah Kutai Perak

Abstract

The uniqueness of Rumah Kutai in terms of the fineness of the carvings on the doors, windows openings, walls and the wide use of its ceilings. It is also reinforced by the long-standing history of the building and its occupants. In view of the uniqueness of the architecture, it appears to be inseparable from some of the influences of the exterior architecture, especially the architectural influences of the Rumah Aceh and Rumah Adat Bugis from Sumatra. However, certain features of the architecture and its structural materials remain with its own identity, namely the architecture of the local people of Perak. These special features are especially noticeable in the lebah bergantung and the use of kelarai wall to glaze over the screen. The Kutai House consists of two types, namely the tiang 12 and the tiang 16. The roof structure with a unique technology system, the sliding doors and the windows of its own could never be seen on other traditional Malay house architectural elements both in Malaysia and other regions. Due to rapid modern development, traditional Malay houses seem to disappear from the landscape of Malaysia. The advancement of technology has deteriorated the construction of traditional Malay houses, making people choose a modern house over a traditional Malay house because of its efficiency and effectiveness. Such action has made these traditional houses less practised in Malaysia and made it difficult to preserve these structures. The research aims are to study the specific construction techniques applied for Rumah Kutai and identify the jointing system type used by the house based on its type. Its objectives include understanding the sequence and chronological process of erecting Rumah Kutai; to identify the method of construction applied for Rumah Kutai, and to document the selected construction method applied for Rumah Kutai for future reference and preservation. Rumah Kutai is a type of indigenous Perak traditional house which was selected for detailed observation. Five (5) houses which comprised of two (2) Kutai Asli and three (3) Kutai Anjung Beranda were analyzed and compared on their construction techniques and tanggam system that was applied to the house. The houses were investigated using graphical documentation and measured drawing which is done during the site visit and via semi-structured interview. A semi-structured interview was conducted with the surrounding neighbourhood and the caretaker of the houses to collect information pertaining to the house especially on the alteration that has been made to the house. Also, a semi-structured interview was conducted with six (6) experts in Rumah Kutai and traditional Malay construction techniques. The results revealed that the construction of Rumah Kutai between Kutai Asli and Kutai Anjung Beranda has depicted similarity on the sequence of constructing the house, which starts with the erection of structural components followed by the non-structural components. The findings indicated that the construction of traditional Rumah Kutai was mainly influenced by the knowledge of the tukang of the house especially on the use of tanggam system. By having this data, it was possible to document the techniques of the construction applied for Rumah Kutai. It is expected that the documentation of the construction method of Rumah Kutai could give insight and reference to the generation in inquiring knowledge of traditional Malay construction, and could benefit heritage body, society and those concerned with traditional buildings in Malaysia.