Timber Affairs

Nothing equals the joy of a man feeling the warmth of the Sun beneath his skin and the touch of fresh unadulterated air in his lung than a man who has been cooped up at home for more than three months since the MCO (Movement Control Order) was implemented.

I have had the most opportune invitation during the weekend after the MCO restrictions were lifted to a coastal area house that was so masterfully done, it had to be one of the most underrated masterpieces of a residential project I have ever been so far.

The owner of the house, Ar Azman Zainal invited my friends and I to his house in Port Dickson, a short 2 hours away from Kuala Lumpur. The house was completed in 2015 and took around two years to be constructed. Using only 100% recycled timbers as material for the house’s structure and overall façade, Ar Azman who is also the architect of his house managed to encapsulate the beauty of timber construction that not only blends perfectly with the surrounding nature but responds ingeniously to the coastal climate.

Figure, frontage of the house. Source: Author

Timber has a strong aesthetic value and method of connectivity and is widely used in the construction industry. Commonly used material due to its high bending stiffness and is also lightweight compared to other building materials. Besides, it is Eco-friendly and easily accessible building material. Therefore, the main choice of wood Malay community tradition in the construction of their homes. Azhar, S., & Shafie, A. (1989)

Before the construction, he set up a working shed on the corner of the site and brought workers skilled in timber construction, carpentries and carvings together, to realize one of his longest dreams.....

Building his own house.

Ar Azman Zainal had a clear vision with what he wanted and that is, the house that he spends years designing prior to even starting the construction was to resemble his progressive approach in interpreting and incorporating the Malay identity into modern contemporary architecture.

To simplify it to non architecture language speakers out there, if the typical 'rumah kampung' had a baby with a modern tropical villa. This timber house is the ultimate baby.

And that visions were clearly interpreted in the design elements of the house such as the raised floor plan as opposed building the structure from ground up something principal in a traditional Malay house which also serves to facilitate ventilation because

most of the timber construction are not solid if to compare to a concrete construction due to being build piece by piece. Since it is build piece by piece so it will have a small gaps between those pieces of wood. This small gaps is one of the strategy in passive cooling system. The function of the small gaps is to allow the movement of air into the house so that it could ventilate and automatically improve the indoor environmental quality.

The columns that distribute weight of the structure into the ground are surrounded with stones thought to be using the same elements in traditional Malay house to prevent wild animals and termite infestation.

The open ground floor plan can also be interpreted as the 'serambi' for the house which in the traditional planning, a space where the host accepts visitors. Although in conventional 'serambi', only three quarter of the space is without a wall, in this Timber house however all the sides are wall-less which reminds me of another part of a traditional house, the 'Polong'.

Figure, timber workshop at the backyard. Source: Author

The timbers for the columns, beams, trusses, doors, frames, and many more have been brought from demolishing companies around the country. Being in the industry himself he sets up to source the materials on his own. Therefore, this building is not only a good example of one of the circular economy approaches but prompt a good example of how traditional Malay houses were built hundred of years ago by resourcing the materials available to the site.

Figure, side of the house, shows the curved wall with glass wall and overhang. Source: Author

Opted to fully use mortise and tenon joint throughout the timber structure instead of nails and screws which would have been much easier or known locally and around Nusantara as ‘tanggam dan sendi’ – a decision which in my opinion is what made this 3 storey house a sight to behold.

Although not required, in certain timber constructions, mounting materials such as nails, glue, screws, bolts, and nuts can be used to reinforce the built-in reinforcement.

Figure, wood joints traditional techniques. Source: Author

In this case, equipment such as wood table needles, G-pins, and long-sleeved needles are needed when making the beams and fusing parts. Azhar, S., & Shafie, A. (1989)

One of the most thought-provoking and interesting components of the whole building was definitely the floor to roof curves wall that also functions as a load-bearing wall for the structure.

When asked “why curve?”. He explains by stating he wishes to show and showcases the flexibility of timber as construction materials and in designing spaces that aesthetically are thought to be impossible with timber as the materials, besides, directing the space into the positive view from the site.

Figure, timber curved wall, exterior and interior views. Source: Author

Using only passive design strategies to achieve the desired thermal comfort was the main objective in this design. As Ar. Azman was inspired by the traditional Malay house approach in this aspect, he was determined to ensure the house would stays cool and well ventilated throughout the day.

This is to ensure that the wind velocity in the houses in the latter path of the wind will not substantially being reduced. Stack ventilation is the flow of air from outside which enter into the building and goes out from the upper side of a the building. Stack ventilation use different temperature to move the air. Hot air increases due to the lower pressure occur. It is sometimes being called as a buoyancy ventilation.

And he manages to achieve this through various design strategies such as a this house and traditional Malay house produce the ventilation by applying many of full length windows and doors at the body level. ( Yuan, 1987: 76 ). Hassan and Ramli ( 2010 ) conclude that huge openings on Malay house walls produce high air intakes outside to lowering the performance of stack effect.

So, the house is well naturally ventilated with positions of the opening and spaces within are planned to exploit the site proximity to the beach and its flow of wind with regards of fluctuating air pressure from the sea to the land throughout the day as well.

Figure, indoor opening to maximize natural ventilation and lighting. Source: Author

Figure, indoor kitchen opening to maximize natural ventilation and lighting, with wide overhang for precipitation protection . Source: Author

In my opinion, the house is a very good case study of circular economy approach and environmental sustainability with passions of the traditional Malay house in its essence yet somehow managed to fit very very well in today's demand and taste.

In a nutshell, the house is a very well built contemporary house that focuses on thermal comfort, social aspects and construction techniques as the main elements of its 'inner beauty'. I would nominate this house for a green building index GBI certificate from architectural board Malaysia as well.