scenes, the line of the roof and other features suggesting Malaya.
The "line of the roof," as suggested by Tun Abdul Razak, which may evoke some feeling of Malaya, has been attempted, for example, on the roof of the Language Institute, Pantai Valley (Swan & Maclaren). To some, it may not be a convincing solution. to incorporate a roof suggesting a Malaysian line to an otherwise con- temporary building. The design of the roof for the proposed Institute's Surau, on the other hand, seems to be more appropriate.
The only building which was de- liberately designed to create a Malayan look using modern structure and materials is the British Council Cen- tre by K.C. Duncan, P.W.D. It has succeeded in creating a pleasant and distinctive building for which the Royal Institute has recently awarded a Bronze Medal.
Let us now examine the characteris- tics of the present-day Malayan archi- tecture from the examples shown at the exhibition. Looking at it in gen- eral, two factors would be considered as having contributed to its develop. ment. The first of these has been the climatic problems in buildings. The second factor is the development in advanced methods of construction, especially the use of reinforced con-
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER
"Architect's own house..."
crete, resulting not only in light and elegant structures but appreciable economy in building costs.
These two factors correspond direct- ly to the four
conspicuous
A
features of current architecture in Malaya the use of large surfaces of glass, protected when necessary by brise-soleil (sunbreaker) or grilles; the use of horizontal and vertical fins; the extensive use of ventilating walls
Nathan Rd. School, Penang.
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