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An avid collector of Malay World artefacts is also'determined to obtain and restore as many traditionalMalay houses as he can, writes ninotaziz

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APRIL 30, 2017

APRIL 30, 2017

Runiali Beranjimg fromNegriSembilan.

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ITTING on the verandahof the Pahang House herestored in 2016, Prof DrMuhammad' Pauzi AbdulLatif looks thoughtful. Ashegazesout at the greenlandscape beyond, he says:

"I'm not quite sure how this started ....this adventure [n Iocatinq traditionalMalay houses all over the country. I justknew I had to do something to rescue thisbeautiful part of our heritage."

A, lecturer in Communications atUniversiti Putra Malaysia (UPMl, Pauzias he's fondly known, is an avid collectorof ancient Malay World artefacts, a hobby

. which turned into a full-blown vocation.A lover of traditional craftsmanship,

he's also passionate about restoringtraditional houses -:- his inherent interestand love for woodcraft cultivated byobserving his boat maker grandfatherat work. .

As director of the Malay Heritage Centreat UPM, Pauzi's interest lies in the function,story and heritage value of his collectionas well as the traditional architecture hepainstakingly restores to originat_sjJlendour:The story behind these houses unveils atime long past, resplendent with culturesand lifestyles that's swiftly dissipatingfromour mernories.. ,

"There must be many tales that canbe told about this Pahang House," musesPauzi. "It's so well-made and survived twogreat floods. one which occurred in the19705and the other, 40 years later. '

"Built in the style of Rumah SerambiPahang in the early 20th century, it oncebelonged to Ismail Khatib Bakar, the villagechieftain of Kampung Kelola, Jerantut."

He continues to postulate: "This is oneof the few houses I know that comes witha balai [hall], a section where thePenqhuluor village chieftain conducts his business

, with the village felk.l'd imagine the men. having meetings in the balai while thewomen of the house busied themselvesat the pack preparing delicious meals andkueh (traditional desserts] for tea."

- He recalls that while clearing the housefor restoration work, they stumbled upona lovely baju ku~ung belonging to a younggirl, complete with aSimple solid gold neckfastener. 'When I sit quietly in the corner ofthis house, I can al,~ost imagine the pastcoming back to life, he says, half-wistfully.

THE TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSEThe traditional Malay house has existedfor as long as anyone can remember.'Embodying t,he kampung (village]atmosph~re, It s often aSsociated with ahome that's full of merriment and familycheer .

The house is almost always surrounded

APRIL 30, 2017

Runiali Beranjimg fromNeg;';Sembilan .

. ;~,": " .:

, Rumah Bujang ,Selasar fromTerengganu.

.The structure must be at least 80 percentlntact but luckily old buildingsthose days were built to last, and oltcnhave good foundations.Prof Dr Muhammad Pauzi Abdul Latif

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by a spacious compound called laman,which is really an extension of the houseitself. This is the place-where people gather,children play after school and wherelivestock like chickens, duck, geese andeven goats, wander freely, During festiveoccasions such as weddings,kenduris orHari Raya,preparation of food like lemang[glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk inhollowed bamboo lined with banana leavesland wajik [a sweet glutinous rice dessertlis carried out in the compound. .

Unfortunately, well-maintainedthatched-roofed Malay houses' are few

• and far between, and rarely built today. Assuch, the kampung scene described aboveis fast fading. However, Pauzi disclosesthat there are still masters, albeit onlya few, specialising in traditional Malay'architecture. In recent years, however,appreciation of traditional Malay houseshas increased as owning such a property isperceived as a symbol of wealth and statusdue to the fact that prices of these houseshave skyrocketed due to their rarity., Pauzi, together with his wife, LatifahNor Mahat have been rescuing old Malaytraditional houses since 2008, assembling

the architectures on theirfamily land theycaUSeri Siantan.

His passion is not restricted tohouses alone; he's gone on to restoringtraditional mosques as well. "I often lookat the history and unique architectural

. decoratives like wood carvings. Thestructure must be at least 80 per centintact but luckily old buildings those dayswere built to last, and often have goodfoundations. In fact, those built withcengal wood in particular, can last for acentury or even longer:' he.explains.

UPM has fully supported his efforts.In 2012 the university showcased its firsttraditional house from Negri Sembilan atthe Malay Heritage Centre. To date, thecentre has a collection of tour traditionalhouses: Rumah Beranjung from NegriSembilan, Rumah Kutai from Perak,Rumah Bujang Selasar from Terengganuand Rumah Serarnbi from Pahang.

AU the houses were dismantled atthe original site and put together at thecentre's compound known as KampungWarisan. While both the Negri Sembilanand Pahang houses belonged to villagechieftains, the house from Perak [Rumah

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Kutail belonged to a Millay warrior, UdaNoh Kanda Jaafar.

,and a dilapidation study conducted; Oncedismantled, and carefully labelled, thepiecesare moved to a newsite where they're 'cleaned and repaired where necessary.Once the structure is reassembled, thefinishing touches, including varnishing,are carried out.

Pauzi is no longer alone in his quest.'.'There area growing number of enthusiastskeen to revive interest in the traditionalMalay house. This has evolved to be amovement and a lucrative venture forsome, including Alex Lee of Terrapurifrom Terengganu and the Bon Ton Resortin Langkawi.

Adiguru Ukir Kayu or Master inWoodcarving, Norhaiza Noordin, restoreshouses at BakawaliSari Ukir in KampungRaja,Besut, while renowned architect HijjasKasturi has his Rimbun Dahan project inKuang, Selanqor,

Many years back, Datuk RudinSalinger's beautifulhandmade house,Rudinara, won the prestigious Aga KhanArchitecture award. It was built using thetechniques employed in the construction ofthe traditional Malay house of yesteryear:

Sitting under the shade of thehouse he'd painstakingly rebuilt, Pauziconcludes: "It's my ultimate dream thatthe current revival of these beautifulhouses will be sustainable enouqhtomake a difference." ' _

A faraway look in his eyes: hecontinue-s to gaze at" the green lamanoutside, perhaps imagining a day whenhis beloved traditional houses wou.ld be'an integral part of the/modern Malaysianidentity, offering a haven of bliss and'beauty that will be known and appreciatedboth locally and worldwide.

WELL DESIGNED AND PRACTICALIn the course of restoring old architecture,Pauzi discovered the many advantagesthese houses had. Not many peopleknow that Malay traditional houses applythe modular concept of easy assemblingarid dismantling. They can be easilytransported from one location to another.He explains that the construction wasgreatly systematised with a' high degreeof flexibility and variation, 'and the houseswere often built without the use of nails."Pre-cut holes and grooves were used to fitthe timber elements into one another, akinto modern prefabricated homes of today,"he discloses.

The traditional house was designedto suit the warm and humid Malaysianweather, Fenestration features, especiallyfloor-ta-ceiling windows and wide opendoors, allowed sufficient air flow to cool theinterior. Louvres and vents under the roofserved the same function. These housesbuilt on stilts further allowed good air flowthroughout the entire structure.

Primarily made ofwood; the architecture, often showcased the wealth of the owners.''Themore affluent the owner, the more he'dinvest in the aesthetic aspects of the house,including wood carvings on doors andgables, and beautiful wooden balustradesto decorate windows, staircases andverandahs," explains Pauzi.

With so many elements to retain andfeature, restoring a traditional homeinvolves a systematic but detailed process.

The house must first be obtainedlegally after being identified and assessed

A house being dismantled for relocation.