Identification and characteristic of Malay landscape at Kutai houses along Sungai Perak for sustainability design / Mohd Khazli Aswad Khalid

Foreign landscape designs, such as Balinese, Japanese and English style have a big influence on the local landscape design setting. Furthermore, there is no understandable guideline in respect for national landscape identity or local characteristic by the Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM). In this regard, Malay landscape design should become a main direction towards creating national identity and should be preserved as national heritage for future generations. The purpose of the study is to identify, evaluate and document the cultural landscapes for compound areas of Malay Traditional house (Kutai House) along Sungai Perak. It will serve to provide a complete picture of the characteristic and identity of Malay landscape that will be offer valuable knowledge and enhance the value of Malay traditional houses. Eighteen (18) Kutai houses were selected as case studies, using a mixedmethod application to ascertain the distribution of the landscape components found in compound areas of Malay houses.The research methodologies used in this study are pilot study, field data collection (checklist of elements and features, interviews, and inventory for space and plant) and study approachs (qualitative and quantitative approaches).For the data analysis, the method applied is the Robert Buckle method to identify the relationship between environmental factors, cultural, visual and meaning. The Ian Mc.Harg Layer-Cake Relationship method is also applied to identify the elements of the natural and cultural landscape along Sungai Perak. At the end of the study, some characteristics of Malay landscape were obtained and could be used as a reference to design an appropriate Malay landscape which suitthe current lifestyle and also to introduce sustainable design identity of the Malay landscape.