• Human Ecology Research
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.13-26
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• 2016

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the rationale behind the transformation process of unique shophouse spatial organization in Phnom Penh. We selected 20 representative shophouses located in the Chinese district of Phnom Penh according to construction period. A qualitative study methodology was applied and field surveys were conducted that included interviews with residents, photographs, sketches, measurements, collecting historic photos, and cataloging maps. Selected cases were analyzed in terms of: basic house data, urban block analysis, and unit analysis. Cases were then classified into two types: private courtyard shophouse (PCS) and shared courtyard shophouse (SCS). PCS refers to shophouse typology that maintains most of the characteristics of early shophouses while being transformed into a modern multi-story apartment within a limited one bay plot. However, SCS refers to shophouses adapted from the indigenous forms of PCS that evolved into a multi-storey and multi-family housing typology that includes features that might have been adapted from Western apartment buildings such as sharing a big courtyard, staircase and corridors. We conclude that shophouses in Phnom Penh have positively adopted a Western building typology, adapted it to local traditions, and finally formulated a new building type that represent indicators of a modernization process gradually accepted by society.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.109-119
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• 2010

Modernization of cities and housing in Malaysia is a reflection of the history of the establishment of colonial trading ports for worldwide maritime trade and exchange. In cosmopolitan cities, new housing typology appeared from the influence of various ethnic immigrants and with the fusion of traditional Malay housing characteristics. This study is to focus on classifying the housing typologies of Malaysia which were formed through the modernization process of cities. The typologies of modern housing in Malaysia can be classified into two categories. The first category is the 'transformation of traditional housing'. The representative typology of this group is the ubiquitous shophouse. The shophouse was originally brought in by the Chinese immigrants from the south coast of China and transformed into the Malaysian urbanscape. The other typology is a detached-house known as the bungalo, which was the housing style combining the Malay traditional timber house and European palazzo. The second category is the 'modern urban housing typology'. Modern urbanization after the independence from the British in 1957 required the maximum utilization of land. To accommodate new social and economic needs, the new typologies were developed in the form of medium-density terrace houses (row houses) and high-density apartment. In the suburban areas, the British terrace house was adopted and developed into unique Malaysian terrace house and semi-detached house based on the British system of land sub division. In premium area of the city, luxurious housing type in the form of high-end condominium is one of the popular housing for upper middle-class and high-class society.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.7 no.4 s.17
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• pp.175-190
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• 1998

The formation of Chinese Town in Malacca of Malaysia and Singapore would explain that Chinese gradually played an important role of commerce and urban service according to the Western European advance to southeast Asia and the construction of colonial cities from the 16th century to 19th and massed residence in many cites of southeast Asia. Chinese was usually separated from the Western European by western colonial policy and city planning. Common architectural characteristics in Chinese towns of Malaysia can refer to the transmission of the Chinese architectural material, the combination of dwelling and commerce in a house and the space organization centered on a court or an air well in the narrow and long site, lying adjacent to street etc. The Chinese dwellings in Malaysia rooted with Chinese settlement in southeast Asia. The Chinese dwellings was not always a shop on 1th floor and a dwelling on 2nd floor before the 19th century. But as Chinese immigration and commercial activity progressed in earnest in the early of 19th century, the row house of Chinese for dwelling was autonomously changed to two functional shophouse for dwelling and commerce. Chinese row house can refer to the use of Malay regional material, change of symmetrical Chinese traditional housing type by the narrow and long site and the tendency of the eclectic elevation of Western and China. Another architectural characteristics of the shophouse is an appearance of the continuous verandah with a cover regulated by Stamford Raffles in Singapore. This regulation was applied to architecture in Chinese Town as Stamford Raffles constructed Singapore. It was spread to South China reversely and became the regulation of streetscape for the modern city. Shophouse of Chinese towns in Southeast Asia and south China can be understood by context of Chinese immigration, colonialism, housing type of commerce and dwelling and the Western European city planning.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.9 no.2 s.23
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• pp.65-84
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• 2000

The region of Southeast Asia had already experienced rapid urbanization and cultural change before the East Asia region did. None the less, nowadays shophouses and rowhouses still form the major portion of streets in Chinese town in Southeast Asia countries. The purpose of this study is to examine the adaptation process of shophouse and rowhouse in the Southeast Asia region and the architectural characteristics between the middle of 18th and the early of 20th, which Chinese people of the region inherit and develop, for more thorough understanding of cultural adaptability and regionalism of Chinese architecture in Southeast Asia. The common fact found in the Southeast Asia region is that Chinese people in countries of this region gradually started to live densely as a group in a certain zone in city area since they got to play important roles in commerce, trade and service works related with cities, due to European countries' advance into Southeast Asia and their construction of colonial cities in the region. Chinese people in the region utilized residential rowhouse and special shophouse, which is a kind of shop adapted from rowhouses' sitting room or storage, for their commercial and industrial activities in urban areas, which had problems of limited space. They also realized high densities through vertical expansion of space in order to adjust to changing urban structure under execution of urban planning in cities of colonial area and rapid urbanization. Even though residence of Chinese in Southeast Asia was influenced by new political, social, economic and cultural rules of European colonies in Southeast Asia, it has continuously succeeded to the cultural tradition of China, their home country, in terms of planning principle which puts air well in the middle and hierarchial spacial construction method. Appearance of the open connected verandah, designed by Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, can be regarded as one of the architectural characters. Hence, Chinese residence in cities of Southeast Asia can be understood as a new regional architectural culture in the context of European countries' urban planning and urbanization of colonial areas, Immigrants from southern China and their role, their adjustment to urban areas by utilizing mixed type houses of residence and business, cultural tradition of Chinese home country.

• Proceeding of Spring/Autumn Annual Conference of KHA
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.151-155
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• 2008

Modernization of cities and housing in Malaysia is the history of the establishment of international trading ports due to worldwide maritime trade and exchange. In cosmopolitan cities, new housing typology appeared from the influence of various ethnic immigrants and with the fusion of traditional Malaysian housing characteristics. This study is focus on classifying the representative housing typology of Malaysia produced through the Modernizaiton of cities. Through reference review and field study, Malaysian Modern housing can be classified into 2 categories. The first one is the transformation of traditional housing. Representative typology is shophouse. Shophouses were imported from the South Coast of China and transformed into Malaysian urban housing. And the other typology is bugalow. Bugalow is the result of the fusion of traditional timber house and Western palazzo. Secondly is urban housing typology. Modern urbanization required maximum utilization of land and new typologies in the form of multi-story apartments, flats and terrace house were developed to accomodate new needs. In the sub-urban areas, the English terrace houses typology was adopted which is based on the British system of land sub-division. And nowdays luxurious housing typology, condominium is one of the popular housing for medium and high society.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.27-37
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• 2014

Early 20th century Singapore was faced with the problem of overcrowding. The attendant problems of a rapid increase in population density, namely the lack of proper housing and sanitation, resulted in the issue of an appropriate residential environment emerging as an important task in urban planning. It was necessary to construct housing estates in order to solve this issue. At that time, the British colonial government attempted to transplant modern technology into the construction process of a residential complex system. However, Singapore's climate and traditional lifestyle made it impossible to apply the British modern system in a straightforward manner, and in the process, a number of transformations emerged. With a specific focus on the Tiong Bahru estate, one of Singapore's representative public housing projects, from the 1930s through the 1950s, this study intends to look at the way in which such residential estates were assimilated into local surroundings, and the effect of the transplantation of British concepts of modern housing theory. Therefore, the study is divided into an examination of the estate both before and after the turning point of World War II. This study confirms that the difference between the pre-war and post-war planning strategies for the Tiong Bahru estate were made according to the concept of 'open space.'