An Analytical Study of the Terraced House - Part 1

By Nathaniel Rhine

At the beginning of the 19th century, a new building type was introduced to Malaysia by the British. It was a building type that many thought would help provide a solution to the housing problems and shortage in the world. It was a building type that allowed for mass construction techniques to be employed and the list of benefits goes on.

For almost a century, the terraced house building type has played a significant role in the Malaysian context. It was a new building type that has changed the way Malaysians live. At one time Malaysian lived in an area called the kampong, village. Due to the modernization of Malaysia, the vast majority of people have migrated to the urban areas to seek better employment, education and other aspects of living. With the migration to urban areas came the implementation of terraced housing.

The terraced house is comprised of either one or two storeys. The living spaces of the house are usually on the ground and first floors, leaving the kitchen on the ground floor at the rear of the house. In actual fact, the houses share a common wall in between, load bearing wall, which supports the structure of the houses. In other words, all of the houses are placed side by side, allowing for no openings on either side. Openings such as doors and windows were found only at the ends of each house.

The terraced houses within the city limits were slightly different in their design as compared to terraced houses further away from the city limits. The terraced houses in the city had to change or be adaptive in design due to business concerns. The ground floor was mostly used for commercial purposes whereas the first floor and occasional second floors had residential uses. They were appropriately named shop houses. The structure of such shop house was the same as terraced house as described earlier.
Furthermore, inner city terraced house design tended to lack any frontal yard at all, with narrow street frontages, hence the building's structure directly erected in front of the road. A five foot way porch was usually laid out at the ground floor for use by both the residents and pedestrians. Such designs became less common after the 1960s.

Terraced houses located on the outskirts of city centers were somewhat less restrictive, although the design of the building itself was not unlike those in the city. Certain homes tend to feature longer front yards, enough to accommodate cars. Others strictly serve as a small garden. This design remained in demand throughout the twentieth century, and a construction boom of the house design occurred in Malaysia since the 1940s, with numerous housing estates consisting of terraced homes sprouting in and around cities and towns. In the process, the design of the building began to diversify, with various refinements and style changes. Generally, the building's floor space and yards become larger and more elaborate through time, as is the modernisation of exterior construction and facade.

Moreover, the terraced houses which were and are still being used today primarily as residences are not what the Malaysians truly desire. With the advent of modern architectural designs, technological advancements and the greater appreciation for the finer things in life, I am compelled to discuss where the terraced house has failed to advance with the times. In the next few articles, I will supply supporting evidence as to why the terraced house in Malaysia has lost its appeal to the general population.

Must a Church Look Like a Church?

By Nathaniel Rhine

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to have received a wonderful email from an old friend of mine back in The United States, whom I shall call Yvette H, for confidentiality reasons. She informed me that her church congregation is in the process of designing a new church. At the moment there is a design proposal that has been prepared; however, she isn’t pleased with it. Therefore, she has asked if I could offer a design proposal for her congregation.

I have not seen the design proposal prepared by the architect that the church congregation is contemplating on engaging. However, I am confident that the church design that was proposed is your typical run of the mill church design. Perhaps it has a steep gabled roof, the main entrance at one end and the pulpit at the other. And let’s not forget the huge cross behind the pulpit. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not poking fun at what most people, including architects may picture in their heads when the word church is uttered.

Does a church have to look like a church? Does a church have to be rectangular in plan? Does an emblem of a cross have to be present in the design of a church? Is it necessary that the pulpit be located at the end of a church? Does a church have to have a front and a back?

We may all have seen movies where there is a scene with a church congregation listening to a sermon by a preacher or spiritual leader. The people are places in rows all facing the preacher. There are pews that look and are very uncomfortable to sit on for long periods of time. Most people can not see the preacher due to the obstruction of heads of people in the rows in front of them. There is nothing “wrong” with this visual description; however, I challenge us to have a different perspective of what a church is, and not what it should be.

The design of a church, irrespective of one’s religious beliefs, should be directed and guided by both the practical aspects of architecture and the spiritual. Architecture helps to create moods, feelings, states of being. It may even enhance one’s emotional stability or lack there of.

Allow me to give an example of how architecture may enhance one’s emotional stability or lack there of. As a student, has there ever been a time where you dreaded to go to the library to study and/or to do research on a subject matter that really didn’t excite you? A group of your friends got together after class to go to the library. Each step towards the library was a dreadful one. But once you entered through the large doors of the library what did you see and experience? You may have experienced the brightness of the interiors, saw the many rows of book shelves which houses various sized books each having its own design, the many tables and chairs at which students appeared to be studying and having a good time at it. The quietness. The seriousness of study.

Shortly after having found a desk, you pulled out your books. You began to have a different mindset, a different perspective of studying. Why? Perhaps because of the environment that you have subjected yourself to; an environment for learning, a library.

Moreover, the goal of a church, the physical building, is not limited to being a place where the congregation of a church gathers, to protect the congregation from the elements of nature. It’s more than that. Its ultimate goal is to provide a place in which the occupants of the church may have the sense of oneness with God, or their higher being. A place in which one may perhaps feel a sense of peace and security. A place of serenity. A place of bliss.

The architecture of a church may create the essence of the above mentioned feelings or states. In order to achieve that and more, one may find it rather difficult to settle for the typical design of a church as I’ve described at the outset of this article.

As architects, we must throw away the shackles on our brain which hinders creativity. We can not and should not design based upon what the vast majority of people think a particular building type should look like and its functionality. A building type that is a by-product of spirituality as that of a church, it would behove one to experience what it is like to be in a church, to experience the feelings of a church. I am not referring to the spatial perspective only, but inclusive of the spiritual enlightenment was well.

One need not change your beliefs or religion in order to get a feel for what a church is. It only requires an open mind, which will enhance one’s ability to design a church, or any building type for that matter.

Thank you Yvette H for giving me the opportunity to present a design proposal for a church for your congregation in The United States. Those who may be interested in utilizing my services as an architect and would like to know more about me, please contact me directly at the following email address: nathanielrhine@gmail.com.

You are most welcomed to share this article with your friends. If you have comments that you would like to share with me, please feel free to do so. Have a great day ahead and thank you for your support and for reading this article.

Please note that all photographs in this article are not my own. Nor do I take any credit for them. They have been downloaded from Google.

Show Units: A Misuse of Building Budgets

By Nathaniel Rhine

It is interesting to note that almost every property developer and architect would like to build a sample unit, or show unit of the project that they are in the process of developing. From the outset it appears to be a wise decision to produce a show unit for it may assist in the sales of the units, be they townhouses, semi-detached houses, terrace houses or even bungalows. But in reality, is that truly the case?

First, one must ask what is the purpose of building a show unit? Is it to encourage potential buyers/investors to part with their hard earned money and place it in owning a building?

I am of the school of thought, shared with an associate of mine, who share the view that show units are dead end exhibits. Yes, they serve the purpose of displaying what the finish product will look like, but in reality it is not your unit, even if you were to purchase one. Usually, the show unit is well decorated with the latest furnishings, carpets, paintings, light fixtures and the list goes on. Nine times out of ten, it may not even be the styles of interiors that you may fancy.

The grand launching of the project may take place on the weekend simply because that is the time most people are available to view the show units. After the viewing, how many people actually would come again to view the same show unit? Not many if any at all. Dead end exhibit. End of the show.

Why not do away with the show unit concept all together. Why not invite the public to view the unit while it is under construction. Crazy idea? Due to the nature of any construction, be it a house, a school or any building type, construction takes place slowly and gradually. For example, the first phase of construction may be the digging of the foundation. Yes, it is a messy phase of construction but yet it is a process that could be viewed by potential buyers. Still it could be viewed. Why not provide a clean and safe area not too far away from the construction site where potential buyers could actually view the earthworks process. A few weeks later, invite the same potential buyers and others to view the next phase of construction, which may be the pouring of the ground floor concrete slab. A few weeks later the next construction phase and so on and so on. Get my point?

By inviting potential buyers to actually view and eyewitness the various construction stages, it will not only educated one of the construction process, but it will further enhance the desire of wanting to buy a unit or two. They can anticipate the spaces of the unit as they are being built. While the units are being constructed, the once potential buyer became a buyer and is now in a better position to think of how they want to do the interiors etc.

At the end of the day, isn’t that what the developer wants? To sell all of their units so that they may make a profit faster? To sell the units in the easiest manner possible? To invest less money and time in engaging a sales team, which actually contributes very little to the closing of sales anyways.

When one is to look at larger developments such as high rise condominiums, usually the show unit is not on the actually site of the project. The show unit is a small building in itself, in the vicinity of the project site. Once the show unit has served its purpose and the actual construction of the building has progressed, the show unit would be destroyed to make room for the parking lot, the garden or whatever area that the overall development may require. So here is an example where money has been misused and wasted. Another dead end exhibit.

Like an exhibit at a museum, people tend to return due to the fact that the exhibit is always changing. That is the key word here; changing. Once a show unit is ready for the grand opening or launching of a development, it will never change again. The interiors are complete. The wardrobes are complete. Everything is complete. So once a visitor has visited the show unit, he has seen everything that has been offered. Therefore, there would be no need to return to visit the show unit ever again. On the contrary, the construction of the project is always changing, which creates a sense of dynamics. It encourages one to want to pay another visit to the project to see the progression of the project.

In conclusion, why not make a change for the better. It will save the developer time and money, increase their sales, encourage more potential buyers to view the property and as an architect, one will be encouraged by the responses from potential buyers to have the end users in mind more during design phase.

Please feel free to share your views with me. Thank you for your time.

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The Power of a Smile and a Few Kind Words

By Nathaniel Rhine

I had the opportunity of attending a seminar about properties and real estate recently. The first portion of the seminar had concluded so I wanted to leave and go home. Instead, I returned to the conference area and attended another presentation. Moments before the presentation was to begin, a woman entered the area. We made eye contact and shared a brief but warm smile. She sat one row behind me. As she moved towards her seat, we exchanged a few kind words and another smile.

The presentation is over. The last two people to remain in the conference area were the lady whom smiles were shared with at the beginning of the presentation and myself. We were last, not because we were slow at getting up from our seats, or that we had nothing else better to do. Instead, were engaged in wonderful conversation, which all began with a smile and a few kind words.

Upon having small talk, we discovered that we had many things in common, the greatest one being that we both are interested in properties, real estate. She has always wanted to get into real estate, and only recently was she able to do. I have always wanted to be involved in real estate in Malaysia, but I held myself back due to fear of the unknown. Fear of not having enough knowledge about real estate.

As an architect, I know about buildings and how to design them, however, I have no experience on how to sell real estate. It was the fear factor that prevented me from diving into this exciting field of interest.

Almost two hours later, my new friend and I were still engrossed in conversation. We moved from the conference area, which was like an icebox, due to the air conditioning, to a much warmer venue, outside having a cup of tea. The more we talked the more we found that we had in common.

Since we are both risk takers, I took the risk of asking her personal questions as to how she got involved with real estate. She willingly informed of so much valuable information that I knew nothing about. It was an opportunity for me to see that I had a lot to learn about real estate. So did she. However, because we were able to connect, she offered to teach me whatever she knew about the business. She was willing to be my mentor! Can you imagine, here we are two strangers who began working towards a relationship to become friends with only two small but meaning things; a smile and a few kind words.

To seal the deal, as it were, we shook hands. She would be my mentor in real estate. Not only that, she has offered me a partnership on a real estate deal that she is currently working on. That was just icing on the cake. The fear I previously had prevented me from getting into real estate has been eradicated simply because someone whom I’ve met, has helped me to realize that one must attack fear with action, doing just the opposite of what fear wants one to do, nothing.

So today, go out smile and share a few kind words, and surely you will see the benefits in so many ways. Try it, you’d be surprise.