Malay house

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Malay houses (Malay: Rumah Melayu; Jawi: رومه ملايو) refer to the vernacular dwellings of the Malays, an ethno-linguistic group inhabiting Sumatra, coastal Borneo and the Malay Peninsula. Traditional architectural forms, such as tropically-suited roofs and harmonious proportions with decorative elements are considered to still have great cultural value by many in the region. However, these buildings require significant maintenance compared to modern construction; such as the challenges in preserving its main material, wood, from the decaying effect of tropical weather as well as termite infestation. These vernacular construction skills are gradually being lost in Malaysia as natural timber becomes scarcer by deforestation alongside industrialization, while in Indonesia such traditional dwellings still survive in rural areas. Though urban transformation in Singapore has expunged almost all Malay urban wards, a few houses displaying this vernacular architecture have survived, mainly concentrated in the offshore island of Pulau Ubin. The effort to preserve indigenous architectural styles of the Indonesian archipelago has been conducted through documentation and the creation replicas in provinces pavilions in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta. Owners of many Malaysian traditional houses that still remain have also rented them to production studios as sets for films and commercials, and homestays, as additional sources of income.