Customs and Culture Affecting the Interior Space of Malay Traditional House

Abstract

Malay Traditional house (MTH) is heritage architecture, also known as a vernacular house where it is located far away from the city area. This house is mainly resided by the Malay people, who practices Islam, Malay cultural customs and values in their daily lives. In the earliest eras, the MTH’s space was very small which particularly had only a basic main house. Throughout the times, the MTH developed from a basic house into several spaces which needed to be compatible with the Malays’ basic needs, culture and their environment. MTH emphasizes on the hierarchy, segregation of the spaces and interior architectural elements. The objective of this paper is to describe the relation between Malay culture, customs and religious belief and how these elements reflect the spaces of the house. The result reveals the interior space planning provision that would assist in providing new design recommendations for modern terrace houses in Malaysia.