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.