ARCHITECTURE CULTURE & HISTORY 2 [ARC 1323] ARCHITECTURE HERITAGE BUILDING ANALYSIS ESSAY DOCUMENTATION: PRE- WAR SHOPLOTS AT JALAN RAYA TIMUR Tutor: Ms Sharrianne Group Members: Goh Yee Thong (0310044) Kiew Wee Kee (0310202) Ho Leon (0310402) Teo Kean Hui (0310165)
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ARCHITECTURE CULTURE & HISTORY 2 [ARC 1323]
ARCHITECTURE HERITAGE BUILDING ANALYSIS
ESSAY DOCUMENTATION:
PRE- WAR SHOPLOTS AT JALAN RAYA TIMUR
Tutor:
Ms Sharrianne
Group Members:
Goh Yee Thong (0310044)
Kiew Wee Kee (0310202)
Ho Leon (0310402)
Teo Kean Hui (0310165)
PRE-WAR SHOPLOTS
Source: Google Maps
Klang city is located in Klang region in Selangor, Klang used to be the capital of Selangor
before this. Klang is connected to Kuala Lumpur by two main ways which are Lebuh Raya
Persekutuan and Lebuh Raya Lembah Kelang. Klang is separated to Northern Klang and
Southern Klang by the Klang River. The Northern Klang is more to commerce area and mostly
are new buildings. While for the Southern Klang, most of them are old buildings like pre-war
building.
According to local people say that the name of Klang is actually from the sound produce by
Indian’s metal chain on their legs during the trading in Port Swettenham (Port Klang).
From the research that have done, there are a total of 453 unit of pre-war shop lots in the Klang
city which is about 38.9% of pre-war shop lots in whole Selangor.
Most of the pre-war buildings were built in Eclectic style shop houses in Jalan Raya Timur while
the other building style found are early shop houses, Neo-classic and Art Deco style.
Source: Google Maps
The site chosen is shophouses
located in Jalan Raya Timur. Built in the
year of 1930 to 1940, the shophouses
displayed a strong relationship between the
building users and contextual quality. 45
shophouses were constructed during the
pre-war times. The architectural concept is
strongly influenced by European
architectural style and Chinese
architectural style. Located right opposite
to the Klang KTM Railway station, it was a
strategic location for trading in the past. Due to the decline of economy in small town, the
occupancy rate of the shophouses decreased. The double storey shophouses also served the
purpose of residential. Ground floor of the shop house was used for trading and second floor
was the residential area. As for the present, the function of the shophouse remained the same.
The prewar shop-lots in Klang came from the idea of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffle (born
July 6, 1781~ died July 5, 1826), who was a British statesman. According to Jon S. H. Lim
(n.d.), rumors has been spreading that the pre-war shop-lots found in the Malaysian region
originates from China due to certain similarities between them. Nevertheless, it was in fact Sir
Stamford Raffles who was the ‘founder’ of this prototype. Hence, it is also widely known as the
‘Shop house Rafflesia’.
Raffles grew up in an arduous atmosphere and was forced to drop out at the age of 14 as
mentioned by H. F. Pearson (n.d.). Despite his formal education was rather unconvincing, yet
he studied the basic sciences and several languages at his own leisure, realizing that it might
help him a lot in the future.
On the basis of Heirwin Mohd Nasir’s (2004) research, after Singapore was founded in
1819, Raffles implemented ‘The Raffles Ordinance (1822)’ for Singapore which stipulated that
every house erected should have a common type of front open to all sides as a continuous and
open passage on each side of the street; also known as the ‘five-foot way’.
As said by S. H. Lim (n.d.), the term ‘five-foot ways’ is a colloquial expression from the
Anglo-Asian origin referring to the pedestrian walkways normally located in front of shophouses.
It is made up from two parts: ‘Five-foot’ is a direct translation from ‘kaki lima’ or ‘goh kaki’, a
Malay and Hokkien term; while ‘way’ refers to the term ‘footways’.
By-laws in The Raffles Ordinance (1822) required every shophouses to have a veranda-
way of at least 7 feet measuring from the boundary of the road and the footway within any
veranda- way must be at least 5 feet in distance. This practice or trend was first spread to the
Straits Settlements of Malacca & Penang, as they were established as two of the most
important trading port in Malaya during that era. The concept of building a ‘Five- foot way’ shop-
lot was then widely propagated to other states in Malaya.
The concept was then brought into Klang as well by a Chinese- born business magnate,
Loke Yew (1845-1917), a famous businessman and philanthropist in British Malaya. Being the
contractor as well as the developer of the pre-war shoplots located at Jalan Raya Timur, Klang,
Loke Yew adapted the idea of connecting the shoplots with a covered walkway, creating a
continuos walkway on the inside and unified facade on the outside. Hence, the pre-war shop-
lots in Klang characteristically features a five-foot way (kaki lima) or veranda way, which in
return resulting them to be known as the “Five-Foot Way’ Shop-lots.
Figure 22: Abandoned shop houses were once belonged to a Chinese family but now a parking area for the neighboring shop houses’ owner
Figure 23: Mr. Mah’s tailoring shop
9
Tukang Jahit Sang Cheong tailoring shop had an 80 years old history and Mr. Mah, who is the current owner of this shop inherited this shop from his father.
This tailoring shop only produce hand make western men suit.
According to Mr. Mah, not like other shop owners, the money he earned was not all gave it for rental because the owner of this shop house, Loke Yew is generous and kind enough and decide to leave this shop house free to Mr. Mah to continue his business.
Façade
Five- Foot Way
British colonial administration specified that all shop lots had to apply the concept of having a five-foot-wide veranda under the ruling of Sir Stamford Raffles, which was first imposed in 1822.The linear space provides shelter for the pedestrian. It is a semi-public space for social and economic activities. As a major path of pedestrian circulation, five-foot way was a strategic location for shopkeepers to display their products.
Metal Folding Door
It was a key feature of security element in the shophouse. The size of the door had to be relatively big to ensure a smooth flow of circulation into and out of the shophouse. Its non-rigid setting of placement allowed transportation and loading of goods to take place. Maximum work efficiency was achieved due to its ease of operation. It created a different level of openness of space as the shopkeepers could change the size of door according to their needs.
Corrugated Metal Roof
It acted as the main component of shelter for the interior space of shophouse, protecting the occupants from tropical weather of rain and sunshine. The pitched corrugated metal roof allowed drainage of rainwater to gutters. It displayed great weatherproof properties.
Water Gutters
They were made up of galvanized iron. Rainwater flowed from the roof and to the drainage system through the gutters. Water is a great cooling agent as it has high heat capacity. The flow of water through the gutters formed an effective cooling system to lower the temperature of the interior space.
Granite Edge
It acted as a separation between the spaces of five-foot way and public road. It also protects the five-foot way.
Metal Framed Air-Vent
Geometric or organic shapes were arranged in repetitive manner to allow ventilation. It was placed on top of the metal folding door to allow maximum ventilation. It was one of the security features to prevent break-ins.
Pillar
Pillars with minimal ornamentation were placed along the row of shophouses. Simple geometric ornamentation was used. The repetition of same design of pillars created the sense of unity and harmony.
Interior
Airwell
The central airwell opens directly to the sky is a key feature for ventilation of interior spaces. Airwell placed at the kitchen and toilet area allows penetration of natural lighting which illuminates the space. The well-lit and airy area serves as washing and drying area for laundry. It is to be considered as a feature for sustainable design of the past as it conserves energy to light up the interior space by using fuels. Rainwater can be collected and to be used for other household purposes. It also eliminates the smoke or odour produced while cooking. The size of the airwell is directly proportional to the depth of the shophouse. The deeper the shophouse is, the bigger the airwell is.
Timber Structural Members
Timber Beam
According to Ong (1999) the horizontal elements which run parallel to the façade connected the wall from one end to another and provided structural support to the
whole building. Acting as loading-bearing surface, the timber beams were arranged in a linear pattern and were exposed.
Timber Floorboards
These were found on the second level of shophouse. They are thin horizontal structural elements which were joined to one another through the traditional tongue and groove method.
Timber Rafters
Timber rafters support the pitched roof. These inclined structural elements are then supported by timber purlins, roof beams spanning between the party walls.
Side Hung Timber Window
The window was installed for ventilation purpose and allowed the penetration of sunlight. Metal wire net was installed for safety purpose and to prevent objects from falling out of the window.
Exposed Steel Structure
Steel structure with joints and bolts provided structural support to the whole building. It is long lasting and has high load bearing capacity.
Timber Staircase with Metal Railing
It is the main access of circulation path from ground level to second level. The metal railing was constructed by direct joint of metal bar with metal base without using nails. It provided a safety barrier for the usage of occupants.
Party Wall
Party walls are constructed of bricks laid out in continuous stretcher bond courses with a smooth layer of lime mortar. According to the owner, the bricks used to construct the party wall were imported from England and were constructed by skilled workers from China. It acted as a fire-breaking device to prevent the spread of fire in the
neighbouring shophouses. It is an essential loadbearing structure which transfers the load to the base of foundation.
In conclusion, Jalan Raya Timur shophouses were located in the strategic location of
Klang, which is nearby Klang KTM Railway Station. This enables commercial activities to take
place efficiently with the ease of transportation. Planning of the shophouses is influenced by
town planning system implemented in the Straits Settlement, which is named The Raffles
Ordinances, directed by Sir Stamford Raffles. The architectural style changes chronologically
along the timeline to adapt to the users and its context. From Straits Eclectic style to Art Deco
Style, the architectural elements changed to further enhance the practicality of the building.
In terms of social context, the shophouses accommodate the trading of a multicultural
social background which consists of the Malay, Chinese and Indian. It was caused by the import
of manpower from China and India during the pre-war time for ore mining industry. In terms of
transportation, it has great access as it is located opposite of KTM Railway Station and
surrounded by roads.
In terms of architectural elements, the design of shophouses emphasizes on its ventilation,
lighting and safety. The elements response to the site climate and social content. Windows, air
vents and airwells are the elements for ventilating the interior spaces. Timber structural
members are used as load bearing structure.
(2389 words)
Reference List
1. Pearson, H.F. (n.d.) Sir Stamford Raffles. [online] (Updated n.d.n.m. 2013) Available at <http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/489451/Sir-Stamford-Raffles> [Accessesed 2 November 2013].
2. Mohd Nasir, H. (2004). Sir Stamford Raffles' career and contributions to Singapore. [online] (Updated n.d.n.m. 2004) Available at <http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_715_2004-12-15.html> [Accessed 2 November 2013]
3. Grey, C. (n.d.). Dearie Russell: Family History. [online] (Updated n.d.) Available at < http://www.clairegrey.co.uk/rd_grandchildren/george/klang_bri.html> [Accessed 11 November 2013]
4. Kohl, D.G. (1984). Chinese Architecture in the Straits Settlements and Western Malaya: Temples, Kongsis and Houses. Petaling Jaya: Heinemann Educational Books (Asia) Ltd.
5. Ong, K.S. (1999). The Conversation of Pre – War Shophouses: A Case Study of Penang and Singapore. Kuala Lumpur: Department of Building Surveying, Built Environment Division, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya.
6. Jon Lim, S.H. (n.d.). Georgetown: Heritage Buildings of Penang Island Georgetown. Kuala Lumpur: Badan Warisan Library.
7. ARTS – ED and Re – cap (2010). Georgetown: World Heritage Site. George Town: CIMB Foundation.