Houses in Malaysia: Fusion of the east and the west

A great number of architectural scholars in Malaysia learned about western architecture to be used as precedent studies in their design. Few realized that part of the origin of the modern western architecture was actually from the east. Segments of the new approaches in modern architecture was already part and parcels of the local eastern heritage. The trend of following the west was also evident in the design of the modern detached houses. However, the already existed easten local heritage inevitably also played a major contribution to the thinking process of the designers. The main aim of the book is to unfold or clarify the origins of architectural elements in modern detached houses in Malaysia. The significance of the book is to establish the factors that contribute to the architectural thinking of the local architects besides clarifying the current trend or direction of the present style in Malaysia. In other words, to get a clearer picture of the past architecture in order to formulate or suggest a clearer guidelines or criteria for architectural design in the future

Back Lanes as Social Spaces in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

The back lane is often associated with annoying, disgusting, narrow and dark. This paper concerns the use of the back lanes of the old shop houses in China Town, Kuala Lumpur.  The instruments used in collecting data include observation, unstructured interview and literature review.  The use and physical characteristics of back lanes were identified.  It was found that the back lanes of China Town in Kuala Lumpur showed the success of turning back streets into lively alleys.  Thus, the back lane could be considered as part of urban design strategies and not as leftover spaces.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: back  lane; social place; pedestrian; urba

Users' perceptions of shopping activities in the historic city of Malacca

The intent of this paper is to discuss the survival of the shop houses in the historic city of Malacca based on the research on the perceptions of the users, site observation and available documents. The findings of the research suggested that the shop houses were the most visited places. The users had both positive and negative perceptions on the shop houses in terms of comfort, circulation and other aspects that relate to shopping activities. The information can be used as a guide to ensure the continuous use of the shop houses as the setting for current and future activities

Reviving the Lost Place Identity of Batu Pahat, Johor

In the past, Batu Pahat was well known as a textile center to the locals and visitors. The paper aims to discuss the place identity of Batu Pahat, the factors that contribute to the loss of the identity and the possible ways in reviving the place identity. The research was conducted through the reading of past documents and records, observation, and interview of the locals. Several factors contributed to the loss of place identity. Possible solutions in reviving the place identity were to upgrade the waterfront, revitalize the old buildings, and to include a textile center. Keywords: place identity; textile; shop ISSN: 2398-4287© 2017. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Public Library as a Social Interactive Space

This paper elaborates on the current condition of the public library, focusing on the one in Alor Gajah.  One of the main issues faced by the public library today is the lack of visitors.  Scholars suggest that it is crucial to integrate the users’ perspectives into the building design as the sense of attachment of the user to a place can greatly affect their attitude towards the spaces perceived.  The study aims to investigate the new approaches in the design of a library, to upgrade it as a social interactive space, particularly in Alor Gajah, Melaka.  

Ikan (Pisces) dalam peribahasa Melayu: analisis semantik inkuisitif

Peribahasa Melayu merupakan satu daripada komponen penting dalam puisi Melayu tradisional yang mencorakkan nilai budi orang Melayu, yang telah sebati dalam kehidupan seharian. Keindahan peribahasa Melayu tidak hanya terpancar melalui susunan kata-kata dan perlambangannya, tetapi lebih jauh daripada itu, peribahasa Melayu adalah paparan tingkah laku, ketinggian ilmu dan falsafah yang terbit daripada akal budi orang Melayu. Satu perkara yang tidak dapat disangkal dalam penciptaan peribahasa Melayu adalah ketinggian tahap regungan orang Melayu terhadap alam sekelilingnya. Oleh itu, kajian ini bertujuan meneroka akal budi dan falsafah orang Melayu yang terkandung dalam peribahasa dengan memberikan tumpuan kepada unsur ikan melalui kacamata semantik inkuisitif. Kajian ini bukan sahaja dapat menghuraikan fenomena yang berlaku dalam peribahasa, malah dapat mencungkil kearifan dan kebijaksanaan orang Melayu pada zaman dahulu yang tinggi daya pemikirannya

The Lost Textile Identity of Batu Pahat

In the past, Batu Pahat was well known as a textile center to the locals and visitors. The paper aims to discuss the place identity of Batu Pahat, the factors that contribute to the loss of the identity and the possible ways in reviving the place identity. The research was conducted through the reading of past documents and records, observation, and interview of the locals. Several factors contributed to the loss of place identity. Possible solutions in reviving the place identity were to upgrade the waterfront, revitalize the old buildings, and to include a textile center.  Keywords: place identity; textile; shophouse eISSN 2398-4279 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v4i15.18

Effect of graphene oxide (GO) and polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP) additives on the hydrophilicity of composite polyethersulfone (PES) membrane

Membrane based separation system is considered as a promising technology to purify water, owing to its simplicity and efficiency in operation. However, the application is limited by membrane fouling, which can lead to the declination of water flux and premature failure of membrane. The fouling can be controlled through membrane surface modification by blending hydrophilic materials during the casting solution preparation. Polyethersulfone (PES) membrane is naturally hydrophobic due to lack of oxygen functional group, which limits its application in the filtration of water. Therefore, modification of PES-based membranes is required. In this work, modification of the PES membrane was carried out by incorporating carbon-based nanomaterials (graphene oxide (GO)) and a well-known organic polymer (polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)). The effect of each additive toward the hydrophilicity of composite PES membrane was then investigated. GO was synthesized using modified Hummers method due to its simpler and shorter process. Each additive was added during the casting solution preparation and the amount added was varied from 0.5 to 1.0 wt%. The resultant composite PES membranes were characterized using XRD, FTIR and TGA prior to hydrophilicity and pure water flux (PWF) measurement. It was observed that the additives (PVP and GO) have significantly affected the membranes hydrophilicity, resulting in lower contact angle and higher pure water flux. The highest value of PWF (230 L/m2.h) with lowest contact angle (42 °) were observed for PES-1.0GOPVP membrane due to high amount of GO and PVP. Improved PWF performance of composite PES-1.0GOPVP membrane was attributed to the better dispersibility of the PVP and GO and increased surface hydrophilicity of the modified composite membranes. This study indicated that PVP and GO are effective modifiers to enhance the performance of PES membrane