Landscape Architecture

Landscape in Malaysia

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The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque (Malay: Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz) is the state mosque of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located in Shah Alam. It is the country's largest mosque and also the second largest mosque in Southeast Asia after Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta in Indonesia. Its most distinguishing feature is its large blue and silver dome. The mosque has four minarets, one erected at each of the corners

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The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque (Malay: Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz) is the state mosque of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located in Shah Alam. It is the country's largest mosque and also the second largest mosque in Southeast Asia after Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta in Indonesia. Its most distinguishing feature is its large blue and silver dome. The mosque has four minarets, one erected at each of the corners

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Gunung Angsi is one of Malaysia's relatively minor mountains with a height of 2702ft or 824m. It ranks 241st on my list of Malaysia's highest mountains and it is the 3rd highest peak in Negeri Sembilan state, after Gunung Datuk and Bukit Bintongan which are both slightly higher. Gunung Angsi is only an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur being located in Ulu Bendul Recreational Park, about 20 km from Seremban, the state capital of Negeri Sembilan.

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Mount Nuang (Malay: Gunung Nuang) is located in Malaysia with the height of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). Its peak borders Pahang and Selangor state and is close to the Pahang-Selangor-Negeri Sembilan border tripoint. The mountain itself is the highest point in Selangor and part of the Titiwangsa Mountains.

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"...(iaitu) Orang yang mengingati Allah sambil berdiri atau duduk atau dalam keadaan berbaring dan mereka memikirkan mengenai penciptaan langit dan bumi (seraya berkata): “Ya Tuhan kami, tiadalah Engkau menciptakan ini dengan sia-sia. Maha Suci Engkau, peliharalah kami daripada seksa neraka." (Surah Ali-Imran : 191).

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Culture in Malaysia

The culture of Malaysia draws on the varied cultures of the different people of Malaysia. The first people to live in the area were indigenous tribes that still remain; they were followed by the Malays, who moved there from mainland Asia in ancient times. Chinese and Indian cultural influences made their mark when trade began with those countries, and increased with immigration to Malaysia. Other cultures that heavily influenced that of Malaysia include Persian, Arabic, and British. The many different ethnicities that currently exist in Malaysia have their own unique and distinctive cultural identities, with some crossover. Arts and music have a long tradition in Malaysia, with Malay art dating back to the Malay sultanates. Traditional art was centred on fields such as carving, silversmithing, and weaving. Islamic taboos restricted artwork depicting humans until the mid-20th century. Performing arts and shadow puppet shows are popular, and often show Indian influences. Various influences can be seen in architecture, from individual cultures in Malaysia and from other countries. Large modern structures have been built, including the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers. Malaysian music has a variety of origins, and is largely based around percussion instruments. Much early Malaysian literature was based on Indian epics, which remained unchanged even as Malays converted to Islam; this has expanded in recent decades. English literature remained restricted to the higher class until the arrival of the printing press. Locally created Chinese and Indian literature appeared in the 19th century. Cuisine is often divided along ethnic lines, but some dishes exist which have mixed foods from different ethnicities. Each major religious group has its major holy days declared as official holidays. Official holidays differ by state; the most widespread one is Merdeka day which celebrates the independence of Malaya. Although festivals often stem from a specific ethnic background, they are celebrated by all people in Malaysia. Traditional sports are popular in Malaysia, while it has become a powerhouse in international sports such as badminton. Malaysia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1998, the first Commonwealth Games where the torch passed through more countries than England and the host. The Malaysian government has taken the step of defining Malaysian Culture through the "1971 National Culture Policy", which defined what was considered official culture, basing it around Malay culture and integrating Islamic influences. This especially affected language; only Malay texts are considered official cultural texts. Government control over the media is strong, and most media outlets are related to the government in some way.

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Religion in Malaysia

Malaysia is a multicultural and multiconfessional country. As of the 2010 Population and Housing Census, 61.3 percent of the population practices Islam; 19.8 percent Buddhism; 9.2 percent Christianity; 6.3 percent Hinduism; and 1.3 percent traditional Chinese religions. The remainder is accounted for by other faiths, including Animism, Folk religion, Sikhism and other belief systems.[1] Numbers of self-described atheists in Malaysia are few; the state has come under criticism from human rights organisations for its discrimination against atheists.[2] Islam in Malaysia is represented by the Shafi'i version of Sunni theology and jurisprudence.[3][4] Islam was introduced by traders arriving from Arabia, China and India. It became firmly established in the 15th century. The constitution makes Malaysia a secular country and guarantees freedom of religion, while establishing Islam as the "religion of the Federation" to symbolize its importance to Malaysian society.[3][4] The king is generally seen as the defender of the faith in the country and members of the royal family may lose certain privileges if they leave Islam and convert to another religion. Malaysian Chinese practices various faiths: Mahayana Buddhism and the Chinese traditional religion (including Taoism). Hinduism is practised by the majority of Malaysian Indians. Christianity has established itself in some communities, especially in East Malaysia. It is not tied to any specific ethnic group. Other religions, such as the Baha'i Faith and Sikhism also have adherents in Malaysia. Relations between different religious groups are generally quite tolerant. Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Deepavali have been declared national holidays alongside Islamic holidays such as Muhammad's birthday etc. Various groups have been set up to try to promote religious understanding among the different groups, with religious harmony seen as a priority by Malaysian politicians.

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The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Petronas, or Menara Berkembar Petronas), are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)'s official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world. The buildings are a landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.

the Petronas Towers feature a diamond-faceted facade consisting of 83,500 square metres (899,000 sq ft) of stainless steel extrusions. In addition, a 33,000-panel curtain wall cladding system resides within the towers. While the stainless steel element of the towers entices the illustrious sun, highlighting the magnificent towers, they are composed of 55,000 square metres (590,000 sq ft) of 20.38-millimetre (0.802 in) laminated glass to reduce heat by reflecting harmful UV rays.[30]

On the top of each tower is a pinnacle standing 73.5 metres (241 ft) tall. The pinnacles were more than just the finishing touches to the height of the towers, each taking over 19 weeks to construct and both being assembled outside the country. One was constructed in Japan and the other in Korea. Each pinnacle is composed of 50 unique parts making up the main components: the spire, mast ball and ring ball. Together these parts weigh 176 tons. While the pinnacles may seem to be an aesthetic feature of the towers to enhance their presence and height, they also play function to aircraft warning lights and are an essential element to the overall Islamic minaret design that the towers embody.

The interiors of the towers highlight the Malaysian cultural inspiration to the design through traditional aspects such as fabric and carvings typical of the culture, specifically evident in the foyer of the entrance halls in the towers.

The construction of the Petronas Towers turned out to be a multinational effort. The structural design engineers worked out of New York City, while the wind-tunnel consultants and elevator design engineers were from Canada. To meet local safety construction codes, the towers had to be able to withstand 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) winds. To assure this requirement would be fulfilled, the engineers tested the towers twice within a wind tunnel, first by computer simulation and second by building an actual model of the towers. A unique typographical font was created for the KLCC precinct signage by the Australian design firm, Emery Vincent, who also designed the building's architectural graphics and way-finding maps. The design team was lead by Gary Emery and included Alvin Chan, Gini Lee, Linda Popovic and Marius Vogl. 

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Most of Malay houses are built as Rumah Panggung (lit: "stage house") houses built on stilts. The main characteristic of a typical Malay kampunghouse is its on stilts or piles. This was to avoid wild animals and floods, to deter thieves, and for added ventilation. In Sumatra, traditionally stilted houses are designed to avoid dangerous wild animals, such as snakes and tigers. While in areas located close to big rivers of Sumatra and Borneo, the stilts help to elevated house above flood surface. In parts of Sabah, the number of dowry buffaloes could even depend on the number of stilts there are in the bridal family's home.

The traditional Malay house require stairs to reach the elevated interior. Usually the stairs connected the land front of the house to the serambi (porchor verandah). Additional stairs might be found on back of the house. The stairs can be made of wood or brick structure covered with tiles. For example, in Melaka and Riau the staircase is always decoratively moulded and colourfully tiled.

The roof of traditional Malay houses are designed to provide shade and protection from heat and rain, as well as to provide ventilation. The basic design of a roof on a Malay house is gabled roof, an extended frame with ornaments on the edges of the roof. The vernacular Malay roof is best suited for hot and humid tropical climates. An example of the gabled roof can be found in the design of Rumah Lipat Kajang. However a pyramidal styled pitched roof can also be found on houses such as the Palembang Rumah Limas.

In Riau and Jambi there are several different styles, especially of the roof design. The Rumah Lancang or Rumah Lontik have curved roof with boat-like structure on stilts.[2] The design somehow similar to Minang Rumah Gadang. The Rumah Lipat Kajang have flat roof structure with crossing edges forming "x" pinnacle on corners of the roof. The larger structure with similar crossed corner roof is called Rumah Limas. This type of roof and structure often used in palaces of Malay kings as well as government buildings. The Rumah Limas is also known as the traditional house of South Sumatra and Sundanese West Java, although they have same "Rumah Limas" name, the design is slightly different. The modern government and public buildings often based on Malay style roof design, such as government buildings in Riau and Jambi, as well as the roof design of Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

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materials for rural landscape in MALAYSIA

Using renewable natural materials including timber and bamboo, the dwellings are often built without the use of metal including nails. Instead pre-cut holes and grooves are used to fit the timber elements into one another, effectively making it a 'prefabricated house'.

Although nails had been invented and in later houses used minimally for non-structural elements (for example, windows or panels), structural flexibility was a benefit which nailing inhibited. Without nails, a timber house could be dismantled and reconstructed in a new location. Most of the ancient Malay peoples of South-East Asia maintained a form of self-regenerating environmental culture.

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traditional architectural forms, such as tropically-suited roofs and harmonious proportions with decorative elements are considered by traditionalists to still have relevance. However traditional buildings require significant maintenance compared to modern construction; how to preserve wooden materials from the decaying effect of tropical weather as well as termite problems.

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6/8/16

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pulau Helang, the untouched island is located in Langkawi island. Pulau helang consist of mangrove so the trees’ roots are in the sea.

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‘rumah rakit’ is a traditional design of a house near the island. most of the structure are made up of wood. hence, it is blend with nature so this settlement is a rural landscape

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Land Topography

The geography of Malaysia with its overwhelmingly beautiful natural landscape and spectacular topographical formations covering hills and mountains, jungles, rivers and highlands holds one spellbound. The Banjaran Titiwangsa or the Main Range running between Malaysia-Thai border in the north to the southern state of Negeri Sembilan successfully separates the eastern and western part of the Peninsula. Gunung Tahan , with 2,187m is the highest peak in the state of Pahang. Mount Gunung Jerai in Kedah, Bukit Larut in Perak and the legendary Gunung Ledang (Mount Ophir) which straddles the Melaka-Johor border are some of the other high peaks. One of the prominent highlands of Sabah is the Crocker Range with an average height of 457 to 914m. Even the three highest mountains in Malaysia the Mount Kinabalu (4,101m), Gunung Trus Madi (2,597m) and Gunung Tambuyukon (2,579m) are present in this range. Gunung Murud (2,425m) and Gunung Mulu (2,371m) are the two highest peaks of Sarawak . The world's largest natural cave system is also present here. The longest river Sungai Rejang (563km) flows through Sarawak and is navigable by small coastal steamers as far as Kapit, 100km upstream . Malaysia covered with forested hills and 18 mountains ranges make it one of the most jungle-covered mountainous countries in the region. Malaysian terrain changes systematically offering richness in resources and biological diversity.

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Malaysia borders a total of 2,669 km of land with Brunei covering 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km and Thailand 506 km. The coastline covers a total of 4,675 km with the Peninsular Malaysia bordering 2,068 km in south of Thailand, north of Singapore and east of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and East Malaysia with 2,607 km located on the island of Borneo and sharing borders with Brunei and Indonesia. • Area: Total area covered: 329,750 sq km • Land: 328,550 sq km • Water: 1,200 sq km

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Malaysia has the fourth-largest amount of built-up land in East Asia as of 2010. Its urban land grew from about 3,900 square kilometers to 4,600 between 2000 and 2010, an average annual growth rate of 1.5%, which was lower than the 2.4% average for the region.