Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Architecture
Traditional Malay
Vividly painted and handsomely proportioned, traditional wooden Malay houses are also
perfectly adapted to the hot, humid conditions of the region. Built on stilts, with high,
peaked roofs, they take advantage of even the slightest cooling breeze. Further ventilation
is achieved by full-length windows, no internal partitions, and lattice-like grilles in the
walls. The layout of a traditional Malay house reflects Muslim sensibilities. There are sep-
arate areas for men and women, as well as distinct areas where guests of either sex may be
entertained.
The best examples of this type of architecture in KL are found scattered across Kampung
Baru, the most Malay part of the city.
In the grounds of Badan Warisan Malaysia, the National Museum and FRIM, ornate examples of tradition-
al wooden architecture have been transported from other parts of the country, reconstructed and opened
for public inspection.
Shophouses & Colonial
Thanks to fires and civil war, not to mention their own fragile nature, none of the wood and
attap
(thatch) huts of the original settlers of KL have survived. However, from the 1880s
onwards the city was built in brick with tiled roofs and stucco facades. Grand civic build-
ings such as those around Merdeka Square signalled the British desire to stamp their colo-
nial mark on the city. It's also from this era that KL's first brick shophouses started appear-
ing, some of which can still be found along Jln Tun HS Lee.
Shophouses are exactly what they sound like - a shop at the front with living quarters
above and to the rear. Constructed in terraces, each unit is long and narrow, approximately
6m by 24m. An open courtyard in the middle of the building provides light and ventilation.
Walkways sheltered by verandahs at the front provide protection from both the rain and
harsh sunlight. They are know as
kaki lima
('five foot ways') because they were supposed
to be five feet wide - not all are.
As KL became more prosperous so did the style of shophouse architecture. Look around
Chinatown and the Masjid Jamek and Masjid India areas and you'll see shophouses with
Grecian pediments and columns and fancy window frames, the Neoclassical style of the
1910s; Dutch-inspired gables, a style known as Dutch Patrician from the 1920s; and the
