The Breathing House: Contemporary approaches for traditional house design principles in tropical Malaysia

Abstract

In a tropical country such as Malaysia, the outdoor climate is a monotonous fluctuation of hot and humid theme. Architectural forms and programs that do not address the local climate lead to poor thermal performance of buildings. Most contemporary residential buildings in Malaysia are adopted foreign design that display little to no modification from their original type of architecture to suit local climate and needs. To compensate poor thermal performance, mechanical cooling systems are widely used to create desirable interior thermal comfort which subsequently lead to environmental heat issues.

This study finds that Traditional Malay Houses have features of good thermal performance capable of reducing thermal stress caused by the local climate. To be a successful equatorial responsive building, the building architectural forms and programs have to address the four factors that contribute to thermal stress in Malaysia which are temperature, humidity, radiation and glare. Notable features of good ventilation performance pertinent to Traditional Malay architecture such as having thatched roof, built on stilts and fenestrated walls have been found to play the most important role in regulating interior ambiance of houses in the country. These traditional features are steadily being eroded by the introduction of foreign housing designs. Fear of losing the traditional passive ventilation features becomes the driving force behind this thesis which aims to understand and modernize the traditional designs to suit contemporary style.

Passive thermal performance forms and programs of Malay traditional architecture are examined in this thesis to understand their principles that are capable of reducing thermal stress. Emphasis is given on ventilation performance. This research employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches to understand the logic behind the excellent ventilation performance of Traditional Malay Houses. The principles are retranslated to produce modern residential building design which is compatible with the local climate.

‘Breathing House’, the proposed residential complex with good ventilation performance in Precinct 4 Putrajaya, is the translation of these research findings.