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CHAPTER 7

ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS

INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURAL STYLE AND ELEMENT ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCES ARCHITECTURAL STYLE ELEMENTS

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7.1 Introduction to Architectural Style and Elements Architectural elements are the unique details and the components that together, forms the architecture style and structure of the building. Changes in architectural elements reflects the evolution of social cultural trends, as well as economic and technology devolopment. The architecture of the early 20th century of Ipoh is assimilated by the process of a fusion of traditional Malay archipelago architecture and the introduction of culture and architecture from the Chinese Immigrant and the British Colonial Government.

The rainbow shop houses too comprises of Malay, Chinese and colonial influences, specifically, late transitional style and straits eclectic style that the latter sub-chapters will be focusing on.

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7.2 Architectural Influences The main architectural influences of the seven rainbow shop house is Southern Chinese Architecture as well as Colonial architecture.

7.2.1 Southern Chinese Architecture Chinese architecture revolves around Chinese tradition and culture starting from the Shang dynasty. In the early 19th century , there were an influx of Chinese immigrants from the southern province of China. These immigrants brought in Chinese architecture, combining the principles and tradition with local Malay architecture and Colonial influences to form Southern Chinese Architecture. Many Chinese architecture elements and details were expressed throughout the exterior and interior facades.

Southern Chinese Styled Shop House [90]

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7.2.2 Colonial Architecture Ipoh has once been colonized by the British, and its’ architectural style has been influencing the local architecture scene since the 17th till mid 20th century. Colonial architecture is a representation of European aesthetics that the locals have been fascinated with, and progressively implemented it onto the building facade as decorations.

Some of the main elements that features the Colonial architecture style is

Colonial Styled Town Hall.

[91]

Greek column, portico and louvred windows.

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7.3 Architectural Style The architectural style of the rainbow shop houses can be classified as transitional and straits eclectic style.

7.3.1 Transitional Style The transitional style is characterized by buildings with relatively restrained use of ornaments on its façade. Doors and windows remain predominantly timber framed and shuttered although the use of glass in small plates on the shutters later became common. Transoms are flat arched or semicircular infilled with glass. Vents are employed with an elegance of economy, architectural composition as squares or diamond between windows. Ground floor masonry walls have symmetrical double doors, a pair of window and bat shape vents above. The style incorporates many of the features of the ‘grand’ classical style, reinterpreted and adopted to suit the shophouses vernacular may include pediments, pilasters, keystones and arches. From 1910’s the use of reinforced concrete allowed wide roof

Transitional Style [92]

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(consoles). This style exhibits almost exclusively a bipartite elevation order, i.e elevation with two windows. Structurally, buildings of this style incorporate extensive use of masonry with the introduction of reinforced concrete lintels and beams, timber upper floor and tiled roofs.

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7.3.2 Straits Electic Style This is the most spectacular style particularly in the use of ornamentation. The tripartite arrangement of three windows on the façade reduces the actual wall space to the minimum and provides maximum ventilation.

In later examples, the wall surface is replaced by columns or pilasters framing the windows. The constrained indigenous façade designs borrowed freely from the various ethnic traditions. Chinese panel frescoes are often combined with Malay timber fretworks that fringe the cape of the roof. Brightly coloured ceramic tiles and plaster delicately moulded into bouquets, festoons, plagues and other elaborate ornamentation bear testimony to the artistry of the shophouse builders. The development of reinforced concrete in the 1910’s enabled large spans to be achieved and more elaborate cantilevered details to be incorporated into facades.

Structurally, buildings of this style incorporate extensive use of masonry with first floor timber fenestration and tiled roof.

Straits Electic Style [93]

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7.4 Elements 7.4.1 Columns The Tuscan order has a very plain design, with a plain shaft, capital and base. These Tuscan columns can be found around the exterior of the shophouses. Other than the normal round shaped column, some columns are rectangular in shaped, with the Tuscan order elements of astragal, ovolo and abacus at the bottom and top part of them. As mentioned, Tuscan order is originated in Italian architecture predating the Greek order.

As seen from the first floor of the shophouses, a Tuscan pilaster is installed on both sides of each shophouses. Tuscan orders are commonly used in Early Shophouses style. Tuscan is a type of order originated in Italian architecture predating the Greek order, while the pilasters are originated from Greek architecture and borrowed in the structure of these shophouses.

The square Tuscan columns and pilasters.

[94]

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7.4.2 Exterior Columns With Relief Writing This characteristic is common and widely used in the art deco era, where the art deco style is introduced to replace strait eclectic style. The columns are made up of bricks and lime plaster finishing. The words are made with molds and pasted on with plaster and let them dry. The words literally represents their shops’ name.

The column with relief writing, ‘department store’.

[95]

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[96]

Columns of the Purple and Blue shop house featuring rounded Roman Tuscan column with Chinese relief writing.

[97]

Columns of the Indigo and Blue shop house featuring rounded Roman Tuscan column and rusticated column.

[98]

Columns of the Green and Yellow shop house featuring rounded Roman Tuscan columns with Chinese relief writing.

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[99] Columns of the Orange and Yellow shop house featuring rounded Roman Tuscan columns with Chinese relief writing.

[100] Columns of the Orange and Red shop house featuring rounded Roman Tuscan column with Chinese relief writing and tiled covered column.

[101] Columns of the Red shop house featuring rusticated columns and tiled column.

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7.4.3 Balcony A balcony is an external extension of an upper floor of a building, which allows a greater movement of air inside the building, as the doors opening onto it are usually louvered. This function response to the Malaysian weather perfectly. It also serves to enlarge the living space and range of activities possible. The use of balconies were first manifest in the city of Valleta as the result of the increasing influence of the baroque movement, in which the balcony was Europeans favourite device. In the past,

Figure shows column supporting the balcony, the highlighted outline of the balcony and the small openings on the front wall of balcony.

balconies are supported by corbels made out of successive courses of stonework, or by large wooden or stone brackets. The balcony of the shophouse is supported by the main columns situated around the shophouses, which is considered a modern balcony in the balcony history. The exterior and also the interior wall of the balcony is made up of bricks and lime plaster finishing. Also, the outline of the balcony is highlighted with white protruding plasters and also decorated with openings on the front wall of the balcony.

Balcony of Orange Shop House [102]

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7.4.4 Column Finial As the name implies, a column finial is an element which marks the top or end of some objects, where the finial head and base neck are the two main parts of the column finial. In this case, it’s the small ornament which located on top of the column, which is usually for decorative purpose. The delicate and artisanal handicraft shows how much details and curves was projected on this ornament. The column finial can be found on the columns of the balcony, which added some interesting element to the front elevation.

Parapet of the Ipoh Rainbow Shop Houses [103]

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7.4.5 Pilaster, Windows and Arches A full-length French window is paired with a full-length timber shutters and a louvered arch above the it to accommodate the hot and humid weather in Malaysia. The Straits Eclectic style developed a style of breaking the façade into 2 or 3 moulded openings. The tripartite arrangement of three windows on the façade reduces the actual wall space to the minimum and provides maximum ventilation. It is seen that the Western architecture style is working with the Malaysian architecture and its climate. These windows are used on the front and rear façade of the first floor of the shophouses.

The window trim is made up of plaster and bricks, which consists of the arched part (header casing) and the column part (jamb casing). The header casing is made up of few layers of arches with a keystone at the center.

There’s no particular function for the keystone but for decoration only. The jamb casing is in the style of a Tuscan column, which include the elements of astragal, ovolo and abacus, in where it is in contact with the arch ends

French Windows on Rainbow Shop Houses [104]

and the ground.

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7.4.6 Timber Louvered Shuttered Windows This type of window is used widely in the “Southern Chinese” Eclectic Style. Normally, it is place at the upper floor facade of the shophouses. It allows a minimum light to pass through and is used mostly for the air ventilation of the shophouses. Direct sunlight should not be used for day-lighting as it is accompanied with thermal radiation, which will make the internal temperature increased. The windows adapted the materials that are easily find in Malaysia, which is timber.

[105] The timber louvered shuttered windows can be find at the back façade of the shophouses.

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7.4.7 Decorated Fascia Roof Trim A detailed Islamic influenced ‘tumpu kasau’ can be found on the roof eaves. ‘Tumpu Kasau’ also means fascia board in malay, where it is the exterior part of the house that serves as the first line of protection and defence from the harsh weather. It gives the roofing system a smooth appearance as well as offer protection such as prevent rain water from splashing to the One of the Islamic element found on the building.

Tumpu Kadau decorated fascia [106]

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7.4.8 Chinese Styled Air Vents Chinese-style air vents are found on some shophouses, where it is made of lime plaster. It is also one of the Chinese element present on the shophouses. It serves as a decorative element which gives the elevation of the shophouses an interesting element. Also, it provides air ventilation and allows light to penetrates in.

Chinese Styled Air Vents [107]

7.4.9 Jack Roof Among the shop houses, it can be seen that the parapet gable roofing is for intermediate shophouses and hip-styled roofing is for the corner shophouse. But within the shophouses, some roofs have the additional jack roof on top of them. A jack roof is a gable roof with a raised secondary rood that allows for the movement of air and also allows lights to come in. The addition of this roof reduces the internal heat built-up especially

Jack Roofs in Rainbow Shop House [108]

during day time. This is a building element that response to the local climate condition of Malaysia.

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