WOOD CARVING DEVELOPE

In certain Malay communities, particularly along the east coast of the Malay peninsula, wood carving has been developed into an art form. High quality Malay wood carvings can be seen in traditional houses and palaces. Generally the wood used is cengal or jati, and both of which are durable hard woods.

Extremely well‑executed works in the form of pulpits (mimbar) fur­niture, decorative window frames and door panels are the marks of this traditional craft. The art of wood carving is also expressed in Muslim calligraphy (khat. It is customary to classify wood carving techniques into ukiran tebuk and ukiran timbul. In the first, the process involves punching patterns into the wood, while in the latter the carving usually creates designs, floral and geometric, which stand out above the surrounding wood. A basic pattern or motif is repeated and adjusted according to the position in which the carving is done. Types of carving are usually classified.

It is possible to trace the basic qualities of these motifs in terms of Malay history. It appears that traditionally the preference was for geometric designs. With the arrival of Hinduism, there were figures and images of deities as well as animals were introduced into the designs. Islam has from its very beginnings discouraged the carving of living beings, with the result that geometric motifs and those derived from nature, principally from the plant world, were used. Also popular were designs incorporating calligraphy. Overall, motifs seen in contem­porary Malay wood carving reflect the influences of both Hinduism and Islam.

Flowers and leaves are considered eminently suitable as motifs in various sorts of carving because they represent the beauty of the natural world and do not offend the sensibilities of pious Muslims. Also seen in Malay wood carving are Quranic verses and heads of animals, depending upon where the carving is done. The use of calligraphic designs derived from the Arabic script or from the Holy Quran is fairly widespread. These may be featured upon walls window panes , the central post of a house (tiang seri) and elsewhere.

Carvings on the ambang pintu include calligraphy utilising verses of the Quran framed by floral or leaf motifs. The carving on the door is usually done in relief which is refined in workmanship. Motifs representing flowers such as the frangipanni (cempaka), lotus (teratai) and jasmine (bunga melur) are used. Often even the door post (tiang pintu) gets carved, and for this position the betel leaf (daun sirih) motif is popular. The centre post (tiang rumah) is usually decorated with floral patterns. Trellice work (jejala) plays an important part in a house or palace for ventilation as well as a means of providing variety in the decorations. At the verandah (serambi) side the jejala are usually shaped in diamond (empat segi bujur) design. Carved furniture items (perabot‑perabot rumah) include beds stands, tables and cupboards, with carved panels and legs.

                                   

Relief wood carvings frequently adorn the doors, walls and windows of traditional Malay houses. Popular motifs of such relief carvings are the various kinds of Malaysian flowers and plants. Relief carvings requires a high degree of skill, patience and determination. In the cities, relief carvings is still practiced on blocks of wood to be hung for wall decoration, on wall dividers, or on furniture. 

The best Malay woodcarving is from Terengganu and Kelantan. Passed down from one generation to another, the craft is divided into ukiran halus (fine carving) and ukiran kasar(literally meaning “rough carving”). Ukiran Halus involves the carving of relief patterns, hilts of keris (short Malay dagger), bed heads and cupboard tops. Ukiran Kasar, refers to the carvings on larger objects like furniture, pillars, windows, room portions and eaves of roofs.

                                                      The Design

The basic design behind Malay woodcarving is the awan larat (‘extending clouds”). Its usage in a composition is governed by four principles. Firstly, the design element must be evenly distributed in the composition. Secondly, the empty spaces or uncarved areas should be the same as carved areas.  Thirdly, animals or humans should never be depicted and fourthly, when there is a central motif, the other secondary design elements are to be repeated around it. Apart from the awan larat, other common inspirational elements include holy verses from the Qu’ran  and plants such as bean tendrils, groung leaves, and leaves of the water lettuce.

                                                        The Wood

Cengal is the preferred wood for building houses and boats. Being expensive, other woods such as balau or perah (which is slightly softer than cengal) might be used for the rafters, or floorboards of a house or for the prow of a boat. Some types of wood such as Merbauand Rengas are avoided as the Merbau tree is believed to be the home of evil spirits while the Rengas contains a poisonous sap.

                                                      The Carving

The carving process involves four stages. First, the design is traced and transferred to the object such as a panel. Then the outline of the design is chiselled. Thirdly, the unwanted parts are then cut out. The final and most intricate stage is the actual carving itself. This being accomplished using a myriad of carving tools to pare, chisel, shave, drill and dig to bring the design to life. The final carving is polished using emery paper now whereas the dried skin of the stingray or the leaf of a wild plant called mempelas was used before.

THE HOUSE

Explore the wonderful world of Malaysian timbers through various applications, as shown here in various luxury resorts, residences and commercial spaces.

The " Longhouse " is one of the five spaces in Ferringgi Garden Restaurant in Batu Ferringgi. A long stretch of beautiful beach on the Malaysian Penang Island.

Named after its owner Richard Long as well as in direct reference to the native longhouse in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, it is another property that is completely built from recycled materials, predominantly timbers sourced from old warehouses and schools. One hundred and fifty tons of recycled Merbau had been used to build the restaurant. Even the terracotta roof tiles are recycled.As the name suggests, the Longhouse is a long, one-room space with exposed timber trusses, beams, battens, flooring, and panelled walls and doors. The most interesting features of this space are the timber panels and doors featuring various symmetrical designs. The parquet pattern on the upper part of the wall came from the floor of a demolished school while the vertical pattern in the middle was newly created to mediate between the top and the bottom panels. All these had been skillfully composed into an intricate yet harmonious design and stained to a consistent finish. A verandah runs the full length of one side of the Longhouse, which opens to a lush, well-cultivated garden.

Chef Shukri’s House, Langkawi, Malaysia

Set on a hill among rubber trees, overlooking paddy fields and the local villages in the island of Langkawi, Chef Shukri’s house resembles a Malay dignitary’s abode of a bygone era.

It is a solid three-section wooden structure assembled without nails and raised high above the ground on timber posts and beams based on traditional Malay house-building techniques. The Malay kampong house is in fact a brand new house built with fresh Chengal. The entire house was built in the traditional method without the use of a single nail. Timber members were connected and held together by dowels and wedges.

The designs, from planning to detailing, were conceptualized by Chef Shukri himself. The design is of the Malay house of the noble families typically built in the Malaysian state of Kedah. Raised high on stilts, the space underneath was meant as a work area or for the storage of food supplies and farm equipment in the old days. In fact, every part of a traditional Malay house was designed with a specific purpose. Malay houses commonly have a linear design with its living quarters right in front, followed by the sleeping quarters in the middle section and the kitchen in the back.

The layout of Chef Shukri’s house presents a central living space, flanked by one large bedroom in the left wing and another large bedroom as well as the kitchen and dining area in the right wing. The construction process, which began in 1989, took three years. It involved the installation of 72 chengal pillars and beams.

One specific pillar positioned slightly to the left of the house as one faces it is the Tiang Seri or central post of the house. Its significance is both structural and symbolic: it is the first piece of wood to be erected in the construction of the house, and its installation is often accompanied by prayers and rituals to ‘lock in’ good luck and prosperity for the house owner. According to Shukri, the Tiang Seri is always positioned to the left (of the house), representing the position of the heart in a human body.

Choosing the right spot for the Tiang Seri is the all-important part of the pre-construction stage as it would be the main factor in determining the position of the rest of the house. The basic elements of nature are first taken into consideration. Shukri stressed that one has to know where the sun rises and sets to determine the position of the main entrance and the bedrooms. “It suits me well to have the morning sun coming through the front part of the house when the first meal of the day is served, and have the bedrooms face the back of the house to catch the sunset.” In Malaysia, West-facing bedrooms are also associated with the direction of Mecca for daily prayers, usually a private ritual in one’s sleeping quarters.

As one approaches Chef Shukri’s house, a covered grand staircase with ornate carvings on the balustrades leads to the anjung, the front verandah, which leads to the main section of the house, known as Rumah Ibu (Mother house). Typically, the main stairs would have been the entrance for the men, and ladies would use another set of stairs leading straight to the Rumah Dapur (Kitchen house). The verandah, with or without seats, would have been the space for receiving guests who were not that close to the family. The Serambi, on the other hand, which is also a verandah but situated at the opposite end of Rumah Ibu, is meant for family gatherings and discussions, usually accompanied by a spot of afternoon tea, before the family members retire for the day.

With a built-up area of 2,900 sq. feet (269.4 sq. m), the house comes with an A-frame roof with wooden gables resembling butterfly wings. This main roof sits atop the Rumah Ibu. Different living spaces are demarcated by wooden panels of Nyatoh.

Chef Shukri’s bedroom is in the right wing of the house, closer to the kitchen (naturally!). The Rumah Ibu in the middle connects all the other living spaces, and is also where the spacious formal-dining-cum-living area is. Nyatoh is used for all the doors, windows, wooden panels and plywood partitions with decorative beadings, while Merbau is used for the flooring. Timber lattices made of Chengal adorn both sides of the house for decorative and sun-shading purposes.

The centre of the house has a two-tiered roof with the end gables featuring the Suluh Bayu design found on boats. Other carvings such as the window panels depict jasmine flowers, a local Malaysian fruit called the mangosteen, and palm trees. The fascia or papan cantik is in the shape of a house gecko. Most of these carvings are based on traditional Malay designs incorporating some Chinese elements. For example, the window panels carry pineapple motifs which look like temple vases.

The house is very airy and cool: a perfect cocoon against the harsh tropical heat. Despite its traditional design, the spacious kitchen and en-suite bathrooms are fitted with modern conveniences, making the house a perfect showcase for the seamless fusion of the old and the new.

The Four Seasons Langkawi, designed by Thai architect Lek Bunnag, is one of the most exquisite havens on this Malaysian resort island.

This Arabic-Indian-Moorish-inspired beachfront resort in a Malaysian kampong setting comprises 91 guestrooms and 20 spectacular beachfront palatial suites featuring double-height ceilings and private plunge pools.

The structure featured here is the Rhu Bar, a freestanding West-facing pavilion with a cruciform plan located on the resort’s own strip of private beach. An oversized swing fixed in one external wing of the Rhu Bar adds a nice touch for a romantic sundowner. A timber latticed screen suspended from a horizontal beam is an elegant shade against the glare of the tropical sun and when viewed from the inside out, frames the seascape nicely with its simple but classy arc.

The shingled roof on exposed timber trusses and battens is supported by round timber columns on masonry stumps. Inside, the central space is characterized by a system of trusses forming an inverted pyramid which adds drama to the central space. From this dramatic core, other spaces emerge and are partitioned by a series of delicate timber screens with intricate carvings, providing a semi-private space for several alcoves set for two.At the Rhu Bar, the internal timber screens hint of an Arabic influence, particularly with its mihrab-shaped doorways. Mood illumination is provided by inverted cones of pendant lights which, although a strong design feature in itself, do not overwhelm the bar’s overall design.

FOREST ARE NOT JUST TREES

Forests provide a wide range of services which include providing building and medicinal materials, prevention of soil erosion, floods, landslides, maintenance of water supply and soil fertility, and neutralizing carbon from the atmosphere as biomass and soil-organic carbon.

Forests Are Not Just Trees

Many centuries ago, forests began to be felled to provide for man’s developmental needs. Forests had to give way to housing and wide-scale agriculture, and the timber harvested was widely used to support transportation and industry requirements for man’s economic progress. These days, however… 

Given the global population growth, it may not be possible for us to totally leave the forest alone. Nevertheless…

How much do you know about the Malaysian forest and its value to us? Not all of us know or have the chance to experience the forest firsthand. This brochure aims to keep you informed on:

mtc.com.my

NATURE OF WOOD

Wood has been associated with man since time immemorial. Unfortunately, many architects, builders, contractors and specifiers shy away from using wood because of their lack of understanding of the material and the common myths and fallacies associated with wood.

One fundamental aspect of wood that must be understood is that it is a biological material and therefore subject to environmental factors that influence its formation and growth. This makes wood variable i.e., with different densities and technical properties, so no two pieces of wood are similar. Once this tenet is understood, wood becomes a more accommodating material, lending itself to a huge variety of uses and applications, largely due to its ability to fulfill both form-and-function requirements.

Technical research on Malaysia’s timber species done by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia has contributed significantly to how different timber species can be treated, cured, dried and utilized.

This section:

1. Addresses the common concerns that surround the proper usage of wood by explaining why wood behaves as it does.
2. Lists the green credentials of wood and its inherent advantages over other building materials.
3. Explains how specifying timber, particularly from certified and/or legal sources, actually contributes to forest conservation and climate change mitigation.

Our aim is not to promote the exclusive use of wood. There is a place for all materials in enriching our built environment. This is a case for using more timber, particularly from legal and sustainable sources. Through this better understanding of the properties and proper usage of timber, more timber will be specified for construction projects.

The Nature of Wood

Wood is a Biological Material

Wood is made up of cells, which tend to be elongated and are arranged along the longitudinal axis of the tree trunk. These cells are made up of a complicated mixture of polymers of cellulose, interspersed with other noncellulosic
carbohydrates and lignin. These cells act as tiny elongated thin-walled tubes and impart some outstanding physical and mechanical properties to the wood.

Wood is Anisotropic

Wood behaves differently along its three major differential axes in terms of strength properties and dimensional movements.

Wood is Hygroscopic

Wood is subject to changes in moisture content of its surroundings. The temperature and humidity of the surrounding atmosphere and the amount of water already in the wood will determine whether wood absorbs or loss water vapour. These absorptions or loses of water vapour will cause the wood to swell or shrink. The anisotropic nature of wood will cause unequal dimensional movements in the three directions.

Wood is Inert

Wood is inert to the action of most chemicals. This property makes wood suited for many industrial applications where resistance to corrosion is important. When wood is exposed to atmospheric conditions, it will only erode at a rate of 0.25 inch per century. Even this can easily be prevented by applying coatings and proper treatment on the wood surface.

Advances in R&D by many research agencies globally have contributed to a rich and growing repository of knowledge on timbers, resulting in the development of various treatments and techniques as well as recovery and engineering solutions to manage timber’s natural properties to enhance its usage, enabling timber to be used more intelligently with a lot less wastage.