The Islamic Influence in The Architectural Design of Rumah Gadang

Abstract

Islam brings upon harmony and peace to humanity. From an architectural perspective, harmony is valued based
on how a space designed to bring comfort, peace and protection to the occupants. A comfortable home is a necessity. The
design of a house has to plan by taking into consideration the physical factors, environment and the major needs of the
occupants. Unfortunately, nowadays the design of the modern Malay houses has neglected the factor of harmony. The
design of the modern Malay houses no longer takes into consideration factors such as climate, the Malay culture, religious
restrictions and the comfort of the occupants. This has consequently produced designs of buildings, which are not
conducive to be occupants. The solution to this problem is the Malay heritage architecture. This research will look into the
benefits of the Malay architecture, specifically the Minangkabau architecture in Negeri Sembilan. The main advantage of
the Minangkabau architecture is the ability of the craftsmen in understanding the needs of the environment while designing
the houses. The living culture that is Islamic based has blended well among the Malays and the craftsmen have successfully
materialised it in designing the Malay houses. Generally, the Minangkabau architecture clearly follows the Islamic concept
in providing harmony and comfort to the occupants. This research attempts to see how the Minangkabau architecture has
practically applied the Islamic concept in the modern Malay houses to build harmony and comfortable houses in terms of
ventilation, the usage of natural sunlight, the design of nature-friendly space and the usage of space to preserve the tradition
and culture, which based on Islam. Research carried out by making comparisons between modern Malay architecture and
Minangkabau heritage architecture in relation to the concept of harmony in Islam. The finding of the research become as
guidelines in designing houses in Malaysia to provide harmony and comfort to the occupants.