Asian Architecture Case Study Report Louvrebox House

1. Asian Architecture [ARC 2213/2234]
PROJECT 1: CASE STUDY
The Adaptation of Nature Design Approaches from A
Traditional Malay Kampong House into Contemporary
Architecture to Achieve Thermal Comfort
NAME: CALVIN SUAH JAKE GINN
STUDENT ID: 0313324
LECTURER: Mr. Koh Jing Hao
SUBMISSION DATE: 28th June 2016

2. Table of Content
Abstract
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Thermal Comfort
1.2 Design With Nature
1.3 Tropical Nature Design Approaches: The Traditional Malay Kampong House
1.4 Overview of the Louvrebox House
2.0 Adaptation of Nature Design Approach 1: Building placement to achieve thermal comfort
2.1 Building Orientation
2.2 Building with Landscape and Contour
3.0 Adaptation of Nature Design Approach 2: Building component to achieve thermal comfort
3.1 Built Form and Layout
3.2 Openings: Doors and Windows
3.3 Safari Roof
4.0 Adaptation of Nature Design Approach 3: Sustainable materials to achieve thermal comfort
4.1 Types of Building Materials Used
5.0 Conclusion
6.0 References

3. Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze the adaptation of nature design approaches from a
Traditional Malay Kampong House into Contemporary Architecture in achieving thermal comfort
in tropical climate. Thermal comfort is an important aspect of a space as it affects the users in a
certain space. However, the Traditional Malay House is designed in a way that natural ventilation
can occur throughout the house with the support of its site context and its surrounding in this hot
and humid tropical regions like Malaysia.
Today, modern contemporary architecture is gradually replacing traditional vernacular
architecture. And with this being said, cultural designs and even multi-function design purposes
are slowly forgotten due to the lack of awareness of nature considerations that can cause thermal
comfort problems. There are many methods architecturally that can be done to achieve thermal
comfort. Regarding the Louvrebox House, the design approaches are rather similar to the Malay
Kampong House as there are many openings to allow natural ventilation. Furthermore, the house
is orientated to face the incoming prevailing wind and is well shaded by tall trees in its surrounding.
The house also has high ceilings with minimal interior partitions that can induce cross ventilation
which eventually cools the interior spaces by means of natural ventilation.
In conclusion, the Louvrebox house has both contemporary and vernacular design features
to achieve thermal comfort in tropical climate. Designing with nature as a basis of architecture
which can provide an ideal comfort level for the user in tropical context is clearly showcased in
the Traditional Malay Kampong House, and thus it is important to adapt the innovation of its
design approaches into contemporary architecture in achieving thermal comfort.

4. 1.0 Introduction
Geographically, Malaysia is a tropical climate country located in the equatorial doldrums, with
uniform temperature from 20 degree celcius to 30 degree celcius, high relative humidity and
copious rainfall all year round with light and variable wind flow. And this has direct impact on the
design consideration of a building in achieving effective thermal comfort for its users. In this case,
the traditional Malay Kampong House which is being classified as richest cultural heritage in
Malaysia is very well designed to suit the warm and humid climate. The purpose of this research
is to explore the adaptation of the nature design approaches in achieving thermal comfort of a
traditional Malay Kampong House into a modern contemporary house like the Louvrebox House.
The research of these adaptation nature design to achieve thermal comfort is based on three areas
of study which is the building placement, building component and sustainable materials by
responding to the following research questions:
1. What are the factors to achieve thermal comfort in Malaysia and how does it relate to the
Louvrebox House?
2. What are the nature design approaches of the Traditional Malay Kampong House to be
adapted into the design features of the Louvrebox House in terms of thermal performance?
3. Responding to tropical climate, why and how does each innovative design features are
adapted into the design of the Louvrebox House?
4. Why is the innovative adaptation needed and how does each design features act as a
solution in achieving thermal comfort in the Louvrebox House?

5. 1.1 Thermal Comfort
Factors to Achieve Thermal Comfort
Human Factors
Human factors are hard to determine as architects can only come to an approximate
assumption about the users clothing, culture, behaviours and activities that are not fully accurate.
Example, if there were 100 staffs working in an office, it is impossible to get all the human factors.
This is as no one can predict for sure the exact behavior of a user but rather make an assumption
of majority of the targeted users. In addition, prospective researches on different new cooling
technologies were marked. With the results, the thermal comfort range can be concluded that it is
larger than expected by international standards for hot-humid climate. Proper ventilation and
healthy indoor air quality has also been found that it is a great influence of sensation of thermal
comfort via occupants of buildings.
Climatic Factors
To achieve thermal comfort, climate is an important factor. This is as heat from the body
to the surrounding and vice versa happens until thermal balance is achieved when there is a net
flow of heat from the body to the surrounding. If the surrounding is hot, more heat will flow into
our body causing us more discomfort and if the surrounding is cold, less heat will flow into our
body causing us to feel colder.

6. Serdang, Malaysia is located in the equator and it has a warm and tropical climate. The
average temperature is around 30degree Celsius while having a humidity level of 85%. This makes
people feel very humid faster in this hot weather as people are more prone to sweating compared
to a less humid country. Therefore, maximum ventilation for buildings in Malaysia is important.
Building Factors
Buildings and architecture creates the environment where people are. The materials used,
structure designed and orientation of the building can create a microclimate which affects the
thermal comfort of the place. Properties of materials used such as its U value should be studied as
well as the microclimate of the site before a building is built to enable architects to design to the
site’s fullest potential.
Some buildings in Malaysia are built based on their believe in having a close relationship
with nature and thus respond to the site and climate very well. This allow natural ventilation and
provides a more comfortable environment for the people. Materials that are normally chosen to be
used are materials that have low thermal mass such as timber so that there is less heat trap in the
building since Malaysia is hot throughout the year.
Figure 1.00: Figure above shows the climate weather throughout the year in Serdang, Malaysia

7. 1.2 Design-With-Nature
The two different ways that any design and a construction of a building can be classified
as directly or indirectly. A good example of a direct way is by destroying current landfills and
also taking away vegetated landscape instead of reusing them and extracting resources to make
building materials. However, the indirect way would be relocating construction and building
materials to the site, the emission of greenhouse effect and the amount of energy used during the
operation of the building (Cairns Regional Council, 2011). Thus, sustainable design with nature
strategies is about reducing these negative issues on the environment by designing a building that
suits the climate of that particular region. Also, taking into consideration of having minimal
environment impacts when constructing and the health and comfort of the users.
In this case, the energy consumption and emissions, waste and construction materials,
local environment and indoor environment quality are the priorities of designing a sustainable
tropical building matching its context. Thus, it is important for architects nowadays to design
buildings that work with, not against with the natural environment because designing with nature
offers the first truly holistic approach to making architecture compatible with a broad range of
vital ecological concerns (Yeang, K. 1995).

8. 1.3 TropicalNature DesignApproaches:
The Traditional Malay Kampong House Features
The tropical climate of Malaysia is known for its hot and humid weather since it is located
in the equator of the Earth. In addition, rainfalls are very common too in this tropical climate in
Malaysia. Therefore, lots of precautions needs to be taken care of like buildings must have proper
ventilation for cooling. Heat gain in tropical region needs to be reduce tremendously. And with
that being said, climatic responsive building factors such as site context, openings, building
envelopes, building orientation and construction materials are needed to be considered to ensure
that the building is built and design well in this climate. In this case, the Traditional Malay
Kampong House which is very well known for its rich cultural heritage of vernacular houses in
Malaysia is well designed with proper understanding towards nature and its surrounding in this
climate.
The Traditional Malay Kampong House has unique characteristics. Firstly, the house on
stilts or elevated from ground. Secondly, large roof eaves which are overhangs for sun shading.
Thirdly, fully openable windows for body level ventilation in regards to east-west orientation.
Furthermore, to provide effective ventilation, the interior has minimal partitions. The surroundings
of the house also plays an important role. For example, vegetation like tall trees provide shading,
therefore enables the interior of the house to be cooled. The house is also raised on stilts to catch
prevailing wind. Also, by using lightweight construction materials with low thermal-mass and
good insulating properties enables the house to achieve thermal performance. These features
shown in the traditional Malay Kampong House are the most effective means in designing for
optimal climatic control and comfort in this hot and humid country.

9. 1. House ison stilts /Elevatedfromground
2. Large roof eaves
3. Fullyopenablewindows
4. Openplanwithminimal partitioninthe interior
Figure 1.01: Traditional Malay Kampong House
Figure 1.02: Malay Kampong House elevated from the ground
Figure 1.03: Malay Kampong House with large roof eaves
Figure 1.04: Malay Kampong House with fully openable windows
Figure 1.05: Malay Kampong House with minimal partition interiors

10. 1.4 Overview of the Louvrebox House
The Louvrebox House is unique in a way that it is not built in a forest but it was built in a
residential area. The size of the Louvrebox House is big as it has an open ground floor with a
seven foot wide lap pool along the garden.
In Malaysia, it is pretty common that traditional Malay Kampong are lifted off the ground.
The reason being so is that is enables wind to enter the house and allow natural ventilation. Also,
other factors like avoiding water entering the house and providing extra space underneath for
multiple usage.
The louvres provide privacy and shade. Therefore, the house poses fresh uses for a form
sensitive to its origins. With the blend of different type of building materials, it makes the house
look like one with the trees surrounding it.
Figure 1.06: Perspective view of the Louvrebox House

11. 2.0 Building placement as a solution to achieve thermal comfort
Building placement is the placement of building on site with consideration of the local’s
climatic and site context. The placement of building is considered when it has the ability to
minimize the impact of building to site and its interruption to the topography. Not to forget the
function of a building speaks in accordance to the site as well. For instance, a building that is built
in nature like the forest should avoid negative impacts relating to nature like preventing the
excavation of landfill and trees in its surrounding. However, there is a way to overcome it by
manipulating the form of a building in order to achieve sustainability and conserving these trees
and their context.
Architect Kevin Mark Low derived the Louvrebox House massing from the priority given
to the creation of ample garden room and the narrowness of its site as related to its depth on the
smallest lot in a gated suburb.
The Louvrebox House is designed for a family. The contour of the site is rather high
compared to the other houses in the neighbourhood. This site with the width of 15metres went
through a design process which highly focuses on the concept of a Traditional Malay Kampong
House. Thus, some similarities of it can be found in the Louvrebox House itself.

12. 2.1 Building Orientation
To design a proper spatial arrangement in a building, the building orientation needs to be
properly thought of based on its site context. One of the ways to ensure that the building is placed
well is to check the sun path movement and also the wind direction. With this taken place, solar
heat gain can be minimize throughout the building. Also, with the good building orientation, the
house can easily capture wind to ensure natural ventilation and at the same time allowing sufficient
natural lighting to lit the interior of the building.
With the site context, by orientating the house to face the East and West direction, it enables
the house to capture enough wind to get natural ventilation. For example, the Traditional Malay
Kampong House normally faces the East and West direction which is rather similar to the
Louvrebox House. Architect Kevin Mark Low uses this way of design so that most of the windows
and walls of the house can get enough shade to prevent them from the exposure of heat and also
direct solar radiation. Furthermore, with the good building orientation, the wind that passes
throughout the house is enough to cool the interior.
Figure: 2.00 Optimization of building orientation for natural ventilation

13. 2.2 Building with landscape and context
The Sustainability Hub of RIBA suggest that “the use of elements such as landforms, trees
and hedges can help to ensure the new or modified buildings can be positive elements.” With the
result of the house being in a residential area, the Louvrebox house blends in well with its site
context and landscape, establishing a dialogue with the terrain.
The layout plan of the Louvrebox house is unique because it is designed to have in and out
views with its surrounding. In Figure 2.01 below, the house is isolated with its landscape and
context. The tall trees surrounding the house provides shade and thus preventing heat gain from
the building itself to achieve thermal comfort..
The existing vegetation is not disturbed nor deconstructed before as it plays an important
part towards the Louvrebox house. The placement of the house within the inland creates a cooler
environment not only due to transpiration of plant, reducing air moisture level but also provide
shading for greater temperature reductions.
Figure 2.01: Trees surrounding the ground floor of the
Louvrebox House

14. 3.0 Building Component as a solution to achieve thermal comfort
3.1 Built Form and Layout
Having elongated open floor plans in the Louvrebox House actually allows cross-
ventilation to take place as the air is moving freely throughout the house. This concept also applied
in the Traditional Malay Kampong House. Instead of having separate spaces with wall partitions,
Kevin Mark Low combined the spaces like the kitchen, dining area and living area together with
less wall partitions in the interior to allow the air to flow throughout the house without any
obligations.
Furthermore, the rooms and façade are located at the North and South direction. The reason
is because it enables that particular space to catch prevailing winds during day and night. With this
taking into consideration, the house is always naturally ventilated to achieve thermal comfort and
preventing internal heat gain as there are minimal obstruction of internal walls.
Figure 3.00: Elongated open floor plan of the Louvrebox House
with minimal obstruction of internal walls

15. 3.2 Openings
One can never neglect natural ventilation to be a part of a building. Designing a building
in such a way that maximizes natural ventilation will greatly reduce the need for mechanical
cooling. (Caims Regional Council, 2011). Based on the Traditional Malay Kampong House, their
full-length windows helped ventilate the interior as it allows ventilation at the body level.
In relation to the Louvrebox House, the openings as we can see in Figure 3.01 and 3.02,
are designed to reduce direct exposure to solar radiation. The doors and windows which are known
as stacker doors are commonly used in the Louvrebox House. This is to allow cross ventilation to
take place and help ventilate the interior.
As heat is being gain naturally in the inside of the house, the openings will help cool the
interior by allowing natural ventilation to achieve thermal comfort. As we can see in Figure 3.02,
there are lots of trees and vegetation surrounding the house. Therefore, with the help of the trees,
the house is being shaded from direct sunlight thus reducing the amount of heat gain in the house.
Figure 3.02:House is covered with trees in its surrounding to provide
shade and cools the interior
Figure 3.01: Long wide stacking
doors to induce cross ventilation

16. 3.3 Safari Roof
Roof ventilation is also vital in the traditional Malay Kampong House in which hot air
accumulated is infiltrated out and being replaced by cool air from the outside via the roof joints or
grills at the gable end roof.
Regarding the Louvrebox House, the main roof above is distinguished by a safari roof,
which, like the roof of the Traditional Malay Kampong House, permits conducted heat to be cross
ventilated before being transmitted into the actual building mass.
Diagram showing the effectiveness ofthe Safari Roof
Figure 3.03: Wind flow when there is no roof
in a structure
Figure 3.04: Flat Roof added to capture
prevailing wind
Figure 3.05: Flat Roof and Double Roof added
to carry away heat gain
Figure 3.06: Flat Roof and Double Roof(Safari
Roof) collects excessive wind to allow natural
ventilation
To the roof top
Ventilation Gap
The air gap located
beneath the support
allows the
evacuation of
humidity.
Figure 3.07: Ventilation Gap

17. 4.0 Sustainable materials to achieve thermal comfort
Building Materials
The building materials selection is one of the consideration during the design stage
considering its substantial impact on its long-term sustainability ranging from the aesthetics and
appeal of a building and its buildability and cost (Sassi, P. 2006).
The hot and humid weather in Malaysia causes the Traditional Malay Kampong House to
use the basic post-and-lintel structure being built with lightweight construction materials. Also,
the lightweight construction materials have insulation properties with low thermal mass. Also, to
sustain an eco-friendly environment, the Traditional Malay Kampong House is built using low-
thermal-capacity building materials.
Building materials which are commonly used in buildings these days such as concrete,
bricks and glass are also used in the Louvrebox House. However, Kevin Mark Low made use of
the building materials wisely to ensure that the house is sustainable and eco-friendly.
4.1 Types of Building Materials Used
Brick
Bricks are strong materials, and therefore it is used for structural and aesthetic purpose in
the Louvrebox House. Some of the brick walls are actually being built by recycled bricks. The
intention is to reduce the cost and also preventing damages towards to site by having to transport
it from a certain place to the house. Also, since bricks are durabl, it has a long lifespan due to its

18. high embodied energy and low operational energy properties. Also, it is low maintenance and can
be recycled and reused over and over again.
Glass
A glance at the Louvrebox House and the first image to see is the long glass panels. To
blend in with the nature, Kevin Mark Low applied the concept of openness and transparency to
connect the ins and outs of the house. With proper ventilation in the interior, the glass wouldn’t
affect much heat gain in the house as natural ventilation occurs throughout the house from day to
night by means of cross and stack ventilation. The glass that is being used has good insulation
properties and thus, functioning better than brick wall with high thermal capacity. Full height glass
panels are being used instead of the low openable windows in the Traditional Malay Kampong
House because it allows the occupants to enjoy the surrounding nature and context.
Concrete
Taking weather and climate into consideration, concrete is a very good building material
to be used because it can withstand almost any type of climate. Concrete is very durable and it is
not weakened by mould, moisture and pests. Concrete has high thermal mass which can slow down
the passage of heat into the building via conduction. Furthermore, it absorbs heat when it is cool
and releases heat when it is hot. This shows that concrete is a good choice as the construction
material as it consists of low embodied energy, low operational energy and recyclable.

19. 5.0 Conclusion
From the case study, natural ways and ecological balance was prevalent in the Traditional
Malay Kampong House by considering the climatic adaptations into their design and hence is a
good case study to develop innovative adaptations of contemporary yet sustainable modern
building. The Malay vernacular architecture conveys the design which are suited to the tropical
climate, geographical, social and respond to site context. It is also clear that there is integration of
traditional Malay architecture in contemporary architecture in achieving thermal comfort. What
has been practiced in the past to achieve thermal comfort is still applicable today and in fact, and
sometimes is a much better way to solve problems as traditional ways do not damage the
environment. The thermal comfort concept in the past has been developed through a trial and error
process. Therefore, traditional architecture can be one of the greatest reference for today’s
architecture. It is always important to learn from the past and as the saying goes “The past will be
your teacher if you learn from it; your master if you live in it”.

20. 6.0 Reference
Galindo, M. (2010). Asian architecture. Salenstein, Switzerland: Braun.
Low, K. M. (2010). Small projects. Singapore: ORO Group.
Jodidio, P. (2006). Architecture: Nature. Munich: Prestel.
Rahman, A. M. (2009). Towards a low-energy building design for tropical Malaysia. , Pulau
Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Louvrebox House | Louvrebox House Presentation Panels | Archnet. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27,
2016, from http://archnet.org/sites/6728/publications/2224
Smallprojects. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2016, from http://www.small-projects.com/p7.php
Louvrebox House by Kevin Low. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2016, from http://www.habitat-
my.com/house-renovation-design/336-louvrebox-house-by-kevin-low
H. (2015). Kevin Low on L45 -- Context and Relevance. Retrieved June 27, 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3khIGL_ly6M
H. (2016). Adaptation, Kevin Low, Malaysia. Retrieved June 27, 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1LbkrweKD0