3rd year / 05 semester >> 04 project 

House of Songket

Design idea: the golden layer
Location: Pantai Cahaya Bulan, Kelantan
Client: The songket cottage industry
Material and Construction : Concrete structure
Category : Industrial and residential
Site context : nearby the beach for tourism and locals

The brief :

Behind the beautiful creation of Songket is a rich heritage that spans many centuries in the Malay peninsular.

Appreciation of beauty was the assimilation of nature into design. Adages, metaphors, proverbs and philosophy were reflected on the motifs with much wisdom. Spaces, gaps between motifs and even number of motif's repetition was of significance as it conveys the unity of the community.

Through the passage of time, new generations of weavers created many unique masterpieces, surpassing the high standards and quality set by previous weavers - inventing a new range of motifs that dictated their period and sumptously appealing to the royal families.

From their admiration on the elements of God's creation to food and objects of the court, these innovative weavers skillfully produced yards of fine songket for their noble patrons whenever a religious celebration, festive occasion, wedding, social event or state function calls for the elaborate attire.

Today, thanks to enthusiastic private collectors, various bodies and organisations, songket is experiencing a revival as both ornamental and functional art. From its revered status as the symbol of royalty in the past, contemporary society has elevated its status to representing the dignity of the Malay community, an anchor for the sense of belonging, an icon of unity, and the cultural identity of every children of Malaysia.

The brief:

- Malay house - vernacular architecture
- proportion and human scale
- narrow plan - bring a lot of natural lighting and perfect cross ventilation
- passive design - reflecting of living in tropical by the seaside, a rustic charm of village life
- showing identity - the purpose of whole complex as cottage industry
- inspired by nature - give an idea to bring the user and visitor closed to nature
- sustainability - low energy and less maintainance, using the local material with the principle of local design
 

ground floor plan

01 floor plan

02 floor plan