The Architectural Wonder of 818K
Hi All!
For today's post, I would like to share with you my thoughts on kampong architecture - particularly that of my late grandparents' house; 818K, Kampong Surau.
I continue to be astonished as to how kampong houses were built; even more so knowing that the entire house was built from scratch and were assembled and designed by the owner themselves. My late grandfather built his house from the ground up, along with the help of other villagers, and he too came up with the overall look and function of the house.
He was not an architect; or at least coined as one in today's day and age. Any architect would have had a blueprint in hand but back then, many kampong house builders - just like my late grandfather and the generations before him - would build their houses with just the power of visualisation and estimated calculations and measurements.
Let me bring you through the different parts of the house that really made me marvel on my late grandfather's creativity and hard-work. The following layout plans and drawings have been prepared amateurly by me through Microsoft Powerpoint with my mom's recollection and pictures in her album as an estimated reference to the overall look of the house.
The Ibu Rumah or main house located on the right in the images above contained what I would say as the geometric masterpiece of the house. While most would settle with a very simple design, the ventilation separating the walls and the roof of 818K was really something that could hardly be found on any other house documented on Pulau Ubin!
Another cool ventilation feature can be seen between the Ibu Rumah and Dapur or kitchen. As the Ibu Rumah was raised on stilts, the kitchen could only be accessed using stairs. To make up with the drop, a triangular ventilation had been built to cover up the awkward space right above the prayer room. Yet, for some reason, my late grandfather turned it into another piece of creative design. Consisting of a criss-cross pattern, one could only imagine the amount of skills required to carve this one out!
Another form of ventilation enhancement on the house also included the windows. Take note that even the windows itself have a special ventilation pattern above them; also the ventilation above the window's ventilation picks up a different design as well.
The window railing is however one of the more special ones I've seen as well. Usually, this type of railings can be found mostly in the styles and designs of Chinese kampong houses. Perhaps, this was just one of the many proofs that highlighted the significance and influence of a multiracial society even on Pulau Ubin itself.
From the front view as well, you would have been able to see two doors. One leading into the main kitchen area, with the other one leading into the second kitchen. The door towards the second kitchen would then serve as a guide as to where my late my grandfather would dig the well and build a small hut to serve as a showering room for the family.
What was most unique about this view was that the entire second kitchen and washing area did not have any windows. Instead, openings between the upper wooden planks of the wall would provide ample viewing of the surroundings. My mom would recall being able to see the outside just by standing up while she would cook or wash the dishes. These openings also served as a ventilation where smoke from the stove would be able to escape and the breeze from the outside could enter to cool down the kitchen and whoever happened to be in there.
As the kitchen was built at ground level, a cemented wall served as a perimeter marking out the entire section of the house.I could only think that no direct contact of wood was made to the ground to prevent immediate termite infestations and other wood damages. If it was not for this method of construction, I honestly would never have been able to locate and identify 818K when I was out searching for it.
Symmetry is at full force in this view of the house. As the anjung/serambi is slightly lower than the ibu rumah, it can be seen that there is quite a height difference between the main door and the serambi. To cover this up, instead of building a stairs consisting of literally one step, my late grandfather would build a small portable stool which can be placed anywhere.
The anjung/serambi plays an important role in the Malay kampong. This is the section of the house where guests and visitors are entertained. You might actually consider the anjung/serambi as the modern day living room, though the ibu rumah would actually fit that term better. Without a doubt, this part of the house would be the most windiest and could definitely inspire today's "open concepts".
I had a lot of fun in recreating my grandparents' house. For every extra detail I had to insert into the drawings, the more I learnt to appreciate my grandfather's discipline and creativity. When I conducted an interview with the residents there regarding 818K, nearly all of them would - without a doubt -recall it being one of the most beautiful houses in Kampong Surau. Pak Ahmad himself also has mentioned that my late grandfather was among the most skilled kampong house architect and that he too would share and even learn new knowledge from him when it comes to ways in building certain parts of the house.
Till this day however, the house remains a huge mystery to me; leaving behind a trail of unresolved questions: Where did the timber come from? How were they all assembled without the use of any nails? How did the designs come to be? How was it able to withstand immense weight? How could the fronds of nipah trees suffice as a cooling roof that would neither be blown away by strong winds nor drip in the midst of storms? How did the plumbing system work in the house? And really so much more! Yet, to my late grandfather, all of these answers are deemed as common knowledge to him.
Miraculously, my mom and her family did not have to worry much about the state of the house; for they all knew that her father's style of architecture could really stand the test of time following even a decade after his passing. But alas, more than 2 decades since its abandonment, 818K is now nothing but a reminder of what used to thrive in once the bustling neighbourhood of Kampong Surau with no documented trace of my grandfather's craftsmanship.
It is disheartening to see that so many houses and entire kampongs on Pulau Ubin have suffered the same fate as those throughout the rest of Singapore - wiped out and forgotten. The blood, sweat and tears put in by our forefathers - erased and unappreciated. Today, the remaining houses in Pulau Ubin serves as a testimony of the sheer determination, discipline, strength and ingenuity of our forefathers. To withstand the test of time and wrath of nature however, it is up to the generations that follow to uphold this legacy.
The knowledge of traditional vernacular architecture is in critical condition. As the population of people born and raised in Singapore's kampong generation declines over the years, so has the knowledge on how to build our kampong houses. Although it may be true that there are in fact certain books already written and published documenting how kampong houses were built, especially Malay ones from Malaysia and Indonesia - it was only recently discovered by Assistant Professor at NUS Department of Architecture, Dr Imran Bin Tajudeen, that the Malay kampong houses of Singapore were "one-of-a-kind". According to Dr Imran, the Malay kampong houses here are "not of textbook origins" meaning that none of it were ever documented or followed the traditional and conventional ways of other regions in the Malay Archipelago.
Currently, Dr Imran and his students from NUS are working closely together with the Friends of Ubin Network in conducting an intensive study on the vernacular architecture of our kampong houses on Ubin; with the hopes that the documentation would then serve as a proposal and guideline for future kampong house restorations on Pulau Ubin. In light of the recent reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall with Professor Tan Beng Kiang leading her team of wonderful students, also from the NUS Department of Architecture, we are possibly on the verge of entering a new era in Pulau Ubin history, and I hope to be able to play my part in it as well.
I have also provided the drawings above over to Dr Imran and his team upon his request to document the houses on Pulau Ubin; including the ones that have been dearly missed including 818K. God Willing, should restoration of existing houses become a huge success, the next step is to rebuild the houses that have been wiped off - and I pray and hope that 818K will rise up once again.
Find out more about Dr Imran and his team's effort in restoring Ubin's kampongs!
"STRAITS TIMES: FIVE KAMPONG HOUSES IN PULAU UBIN TO BE RESTORED FOR COMMUNITY USE"
Read up on Ah Ma Drink Stall's Grand Reopening!
"The Reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall"
For today's post, I would like to share with you my thoughts on kampong architecture - particularly that of my late grandparents' house; 818K, Kampong Surau.
I continue to be astonished as to how kampong houses were built; even more so knowing that the entire house was built from scratch and were assembled and designed by the owner themselves. My late grandfather built his house from the ground up, along with the help of other villagers, and he too came up with the overall look and function of the house.
He was not an architect; or at least coined as one in today's day and age. Any architect would have had a blueprint in hand but back then, many kampong house builders - just like my late grandfather and the generations before him - would build their houses with just the power of visualisation and estimated calculations and measurements.
Let me bring you through the different parts of the house that really made me marvel on my late grandfather's creativity and hard-work. The following layout plans and drawings have been prepared amateurly by me through Microsoft Powerpoint with my mom's recollection and pictures in her album as an estimated reference to the overall look of the house.
Layout of 818K
As you would have guessed from my blog's header, my grandparents' house was a simple (but rather long) rectangular shape. However, don't let the aerial layout plan fool you. The house consisted of three significant "levels" determined by the amount of steps needed to access the different sections of the house.
Front view
Front view (coloured)
The Ibu Rumah or main house located on the right in the images above contained what I would say as the geometric masterpiece of the house. While most would settle with a very simple design, the ventilation separating the walls and the roof of 818K was really something that could hardly be found on any other house documented on Pulau Ubin!
Ventilation of 818K
Typical Ventilation
The Triangular Ventilation
Another form of ventilation enhancement on the house also included the windows. Take note that even the windows itself have a special ventilation pattern above them; also the ventilation above the window's ventilation picks up a different design as well.
Main Window Design
The window railing is however one of the more special ones I've seen as well. Usually, this type of railings can be found mostly in the styles and designs of Chinese kampong houses. Perhaps, this was just one of the many proofs that highlighted the significance and influence of a multiracial society even on Pulau Ubin itself.
From the front view as well, you would have been able to see two doors. One leading into the main kitchen area, with the other one leading into the second kitchen. The door towards the second kitchen would then serve as a guide as to where my late my grandfather would dig the well and build a small hut to serve as a showering room for the family.
Left view - Kitchen/ Washing Area
Left view - Kitchen/ Washing Area (coloured)
As the kitchen was built at ground level, a cemented wall served as a perimeter marking out the entire section of the house.I could only think that no direct contact of wood was made to the ground to prevent immediate termite infestations and other wood damages. If it was not for this method of construction, I honestly would never have been able to locate and identify 818K when I was out searching for it.
Back view
Back view (coloured)
Almost mirroring the front view, the only difference here is that the rear of the dapur contained two small windows - built just like the window of the prayer room which can be seen at the image of the front view. There is also a door leading to the back of the house, which was built directly parallel to the front door that was facing the well.
In addition, in the event that the other doors were locked, my mom and relatives would be able to access the house through the back door, where they would be able to insert their hands through the opening and unlock the back door from the inside. It seemed like a security risk at this moment, but keep in mind that crime rates were amazingly low in the past in Pulau Ubin that most villagers hardly even locked their doors and windows at times! This just goes to show how much faith and trust the villagers had in one another!
Right view - Anjung/Serambi
Right view - Anjung/Serambi (coloured)
The anjung/serambi plays an important role in the Malay kampong. This is the section of the house where guests and visitors are entertained. You might actually consider the anjung/serambi as the modern day living room, though the ibu rumah would actually fit that term better. Without a doubt, this part of the house would be the most windiest and could definitely inspire today's "open concepts".
I had a lot of fun in recreating my grandparents' house. For every extra detail I had to insert into the drawings, the more I learnt to appreciate my grandfather's discipline and creativity. When I conducted an interview with the residents there regarding 818K, nearly all of them would - without a doubt -recall it being one of the most beautiful houses in Kampong Surau. Pak Ahmad himself also has mentioned that my late grandfather was among the most skilled kampong house architect and that he too would share and even learn new knowledge from him when it comes to ways in building certain parts of the house.
Till this day however, the house remains a huge mystery to me; leaving behind a trail of unresolved questions: Where did the timber come from? How were they all assembled without the use of any nails? How did the designs come to be? How was it able to withstand immense weight? How could the fronds of nipah trees suffice as a cooling roof that would neither be blown away by strong winds nor drip in the midst of storms? How did the plumbing system work in the house? And really so much more! Yet, to my late grandfather, all of these answers are deemed as common knowledge to him.
Miraculously, my mom and her family did not have to worry much about the state of the house; for they all knew that her father's style of architecture could really stand the test of time following even a decade after his passing. But alas, more than 2 decades since its abandonment, 818K is now nothing but a reminder of what used to thrive in once the bustling neighbourhood of Kampong Surau with no documented trace of my grandfather's craftsmanship.
818K used to have a roof made up of nipah palm fronds before it was later switched to a zinc one in the later years.
It is disheartening to see that so many houses and entire kampongs on Pulau Ubin have suffered the same fate as those throughout the rest of Singapore - wiped out and forgotten. The blood, sweat and tears put in by our forefathers - erased and unappreciated. Today, the remaining houses in Pulau Ubin serves as a testimony of the sheer determination, discipline, strength and ingenuity of our forefathers. To withstand the test of time and wrath of nature however, it is up to the generations that follow to uphold this legacy.
The knowledge of traditional vernacular architecture is in critical condition. As the population of people born and raised in Singapore's kampong generation declines over the years, so has the knowledge on how to build our kampong houses. Although it may be true that there are in fact certain books already written and published documenting how kampong houses were built, especially Malay ones from Malaysia and Indonesia - it was only recently discovered by Assistant Professor at NUS Department of Architecture, Dr Imran Bin Tajudeen, that the Malay kampong houses of Singapore were "one-of-a-kind". According to Dr Imran, the Malay kampong houses here are "not of textbook origins" meaning that none of it were ever documented or followed the traditional and conventional ways of other regions in the Malay Archipelago.
Currently, Dr Imran and his students from NUS are working closely together with the Friends of Ubin Network in conducting an intensive study on the vernacular architecture of our kampong houses on Ubin; with the hopes that the documentation would then serve as a proposal and guideline for future kampong house restorations on Pulau Ubin. In light of the recent reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall with Professor Tan Beng Kiang leading her team of wonderful students, also from the NUS Department of Architecture, we are possibly on the verge of entering a new era in Pulau Ubin history, and I hope to be able to play my part in it as well.
I have also provided the drawings above over to Dr Imran and his team upon his request to document the houses on Pulau Ubin; including the ones that have been dearly missed including 818K. God Willing, should restoration of existing houses become a huge success, the next step is to rebuild the houses that have been wiped off - and I pray and hope that 818K will rise up once again.
Find out more about Dr Imran and his team's effort in restoring Ubin's kampongs!
"STRAITS TIMES: FIVE KAMPONG HOUSES IN PULAU UBIN TO BE RESTORED FOR COMMUNITY USE"
Read up on Ah Ma Drink Stall's Grand Reopening!
"The Reopening of Ah Ma Drink Stall"
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