THE URBAN MORPHOLOGY OF MELAKA

Architectural conservation should be accorded the same consideration which is already being shown to the conservation of other resources, both natural and man-made, and for the same reasons. Nowadays we literally cannot afford to neglect the investment, the hard financial investment, stored in our built environment. Buildings--and not just historic ones-- represent energy, labour and materials, which either cannot be replaced or can only be replaced at enormous cost. The fight to save particular buildings or groups of buildings is not the fancy of some impractical antiquarian. It is part of a battle for the sane use of all our resources.
The SAVE report, published in The Architect's Journal 17 & 24 December 1975 The Architectural Press

Edifices in stone and mortar....like age-rings in a tree trunk they represent a time and an expression from the history of a nation. Like beads in a necklace each provides a link with our past and together they thread historical continuity enabling one generation to identify with and recognize the other and thus retain a sense of identity, unwashable by the waves of change. When we destroy them, we destroy part of our history; we destroy part of ourselves...and we deliberately impoverish the future generations
Syed Zaigham S. Jaffery Director, Design Bureau - Karachi Development Authority: Why preserve Karachi's historic buildings? KDA Publication No 9-86.04 January 1986

The preservation of historic buildings and monuments provides a vital link to the past. However, preserving isolated buildings in itself is not enough to create a great city with its own identity and character. It is also critical to retain entire old districts with their rich history, architectural style and ambience. Only then can a city come alive and assert its individuality.
URA: Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore (undated): Conserving Our Remarkable Past

Melaka was a simple fishing village at the mouth of the river in 1376, when, according to accounts, a Sumatran prince, Parameswara, fleeing Singapore settled and established the Melaka sultanate. The settlement's position at the narrowest point of the Straits of Melaka enabled it to dominate coastal shipping and in the late 15th century Sultan Muzaffar Shah made the town prosperous and influential. It became a trading port for goods from as far away as China and Gujerat in India. Many merchants built themselves permanent houses and the Sultan's palace and court were established on what is now St Paul's Hill. The focus of trading was the river mouth and the riverbank to the west which was soon crossed by a bridge.

Commercial prosperity attracted invaders; in 1511 the Portuguese forced the surrender of the town by capturing the bridge. They built St Paul's Church and fortified the hill with a substantial wall. This became the Portuguese administrative and residential quarter and the Malay village was re-established outside it. The town was constantly threatened or at war and the Portuguese population of the town probably lived inside the fortress. Here they had their administration and built churches.

In 1595 the Dutch entered the area and in 1641 conquered Melaka. With a powerful navy, they dominated the Straits and until 1782 the town was never again in danger. During this period, Melaka became a secure place to live and many of the Chinese homes along Heeren Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) were built. The Dutch built, or rebuilt churches and public buildings for their administration - most notably the Stadthuis.

Melaka was passed over to Britain in 1795 peacefully as part of strategy to counter the French during the Napoleonic War. The British, however, wanted to maintain Penang as their base in the Far East and so began to demolish the fortress in 1806 to remove its threat. Fortunately Raffles came to Melaka on holiday in 1808 and was in time to save the Dutch administrative buildings and the gateway, Porta de Santiago, which is now all that remains of the fortress 'A Famosa'.

The British did not want Melaka to compete with Penang, the capital of the Strais Settlements and its status as a trading port declined. They did, however, stabilise the politics of the peninsular under colonial rule and in the late nineteenth century and especially with the advent of rubber Melaka again became important as a centre for the agriculture of the surrounding region.

GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCES
The Melaka river has had a controlling effect on the form of the town in two ways: first, by limiting growth further back from the seafront behind Jalan Kg Pantai and secondly by giving importance to the river crossings. The river has also distorted a regular square street geometry, causing roads to divert along it. Though access from the river has always been important for goods, there is little direct interface with it. Several streets run down to what would have been landing stages, and many houses backing onto it have river gates.

The locations of river crossings have determined the road circulation pattern with streets leading to and from both the Old Town's bridges. The river is also responsible for the one major break in the uniform road pattern, the wide stretch Jalan Kg Pantai. At one side the houses follow the city grid and at the other the river. The result is a roughly triangular space: a singular and important open area.

The approach to the town has been vital to its shape. In the early years, access to Melaka was by boat, landing close to the river mouth. This was the centre of the town, with warehouses, jetties and moorings, overlooked by Church Square with the town fanning out from here.

For many years swampy land behind the town inhibited development inland from the coastline. Buildings therefore developed further north along Jalan Tengkera. As road traffic increased and Melaka became the hub of an inland transport system, this approach from Tanjong Kling was the major land entry. All traffic passed through or around the fortress south of the river and crossed either the Tan Kim Seng bridge or the later Chen Koon Cheng bridge. Only much later in the town's history did the road from Seremban and the Jalan Hang Tuah bridge start to direct development of the city to the north and north-west.

HISTORICAL FORM
We cannot be sure why Melaka was established where it is, but it was undoubtedly influenced by the conjunction of river, providing fresh water and mooring at its mouth, and the hill which was easily fortified and defended. These two features continued to dominate the development of the town and dictate its growth patterns. Both Portuguese and Dutch conquerors recognised the advantages and reinforced the form by fortifying the hill and building their religious and administrative buildings around it. The British too, reached the same opinion and destroyed the fort.

For many years, the Tan Kim Seng bridge was the only river crossing and the town's geography made the Clock Tower area the centre of Melaka. The Chinese town developed on the west of the river, initially along the sea front, (now filled for Kota Laksamana) and moved east towards the river as swampy areas were filled. Eventually this fairly homogeneous, dense, area of narrow streets came to occupy the whole area between sea and river as far north as Jalan Kubu. South of the river, the Dutch buildings remained when the British demolished the fortifications. The urban form of this area is quite different with individual buildings set in isolation or looking out onto open space - a feeling of openness rather than enclosure. This was particularly so before land reclamation was carried out, when Jalan Kota and Jalan Parameswara formed the coast edge, and views were out to sea.

Development also took place along the approach roads, south along Jalan Temenggong and north along Jalan Tengkera. This latter now forms a continuous spine of buildings leading to Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. Later twentieth century development extended north along Jalan Bunga Raya, only later parallel ,along Jalan Bendahara and later still along Jalan Hang Tuah, a later approach from the north-west and Jalan Munshi Abdullah, the town's first by-pass road.

The form of Melaka is therefore fragmented with only the historic Chinese area having coherence. Isolated villages and twentieth century development are dotted around the core of the Old Town.

CITY CHARACTER
Because of its history and the singular geographical circumstances of its development, Melaka has developed a dual character. On the one hand is St Paul's Hill, the former fortress, looking out to sea; open, elevated and largely non-residential. In contrast, the Old Town is introverted, enclosed, heavily built up and full of people; their homes and their businesses. The contrast is striking, full of historical resonances and needs to be preserved and enhanced.

The size and extent of the Portuguese fort is still able to be distinguished because the street pattern relates to it. Jalan Kota, Jalan Laksamana and (outside the walls) Jalan Bandar Kaba draw the line fairly clearly and the Muzium Budaya traces accurately the position of the old Fort Terrace. St Paul's Church and the ring of buildings on Jalan Kota effectively recall the defensive role of the hill: they are freestanding but combine to form a wall of building. The Stadthuis and the complex of buildings above it including the more recent High Court, are more dense and evocative of the old parts of many European towns with squares and steps. The focus of the Fort area is the square which surrounds the Clock Tower, formed by the Post Office, Christ Church and the Stadthuis. The Victoria Monument also gives interest and punctuation beneath a fine canopy of trees; the image is European.

Crossing the river and entering the Old Town is to move into a contrasting Asian place. Streets are narrow and roughly grid patterned. Religious buildings, mosques and temples are embedded within the network, like jewels in a setting. The streets are formed by predominantly Chinese houses and shophouses which are traditionally introverted, a protection against cold wind and hot sun in southern China. Lots are narrow and very deep, having no backlanes in the oldest areas. Each street varies according to its history. The oldest, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren Street) is predominantly residential. These family houses, many magnificently furnished and decorated, were built by the earliest traders who had decided to remain near the safety of the Fort. The the only visible part of the house, the street facade, is a demonstration of the wealth of the family, so there is great variety.

In this dense, narrow street of two and three storey buildings, one exception stands out, the Chee mansion at number 117. This three storey mansion with its 'watch tower' roof is quite different from the narrow houses around it and rises gleaming above them, the anchor on which the whole of the Old Town rests. It demonstrates the impact which even a small interruption in the 'sea' of buildings can have and in its way, in its non-use of the courtyard space in front it is as grand a statement of opulence as the decorated facades around.

Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonkers Street) is a mixed street. Here are many commercial buildings as well as family houses although the street is also narrow. Some buildings are more recent than others and some were built in blocks of three or four houses together, perhaps by a developer rather than by the owners.

The names of the next road inland reflect its origins and religious/commercial nature: successive lengths are called Jalan Tokong (Temple Street), Jalan Tukang Emas (Goldsmiths) and Jalan Tukang Besi (Blacksmiths). Houses of poor quality mingle with better built ones and temples, Chinese and Indian and the Kampong Kling Mosque. Temple shops cluster at the west end and blacksmiths can still be found in Jalan Tukang Besi.

The last main north-south street in this area is the latest and the closest to the river. Jalan Kg Pantai was mostly developed between 1920 and 1940 and it is predominantly commercial with a simplified form of shophouse facade. It is unusual because of its shape as the road width meanders from a narrow opening into a wide square.

The perpendicular minor roads which complete the grid pattern of the Old Town are generally lined with smaller buildings. Many of these are only as deep as they are wide. Across the river to the north are the remains of one of several scattered village areas around the former Central Market and the narrow Java Lane, which are connected to the Old Town by a pedestrian bridge. Development along Jalan Tengkera, Jalan Temenggong and, to a lesser extent, Jalan Bunga Raya, follows the pattern of the Old Town, though with wider roads since they are main access routes.

IDENTITY
Melaka has a strong identity, due in part to its geography and to the completeness of the old Chinese town. For hundreds of years of seagoing trade it has been a bustling seaport. The strongest element of Melaka's identity arises from the contrast between hill and town, colonial fortress and trading settlement; open, free-standing buildings set beside narrow streets of traditional houses.

The historic image is changing. The relationship between the town and the sea has always been important. The Portuguese fortress was built on the coastline but land reclamation, first to create the Padang and now for development beyond that has left the hill isolated inland. Hidden behind many of the facades and only glimpsed occasionally is a formative element of city's identity, the Melaka river. It winds through the Old Town from the area of the historic harbour and embraces a Malay village. Recent development has been outside the ring formed by Jalan Munshi Abdullah and has left the Old Town nearly untouched. High-rise buildings seem to enclose the historic core, giving the feeling of an amphitheatre.

BUILDING CHARACTER
The buildings of Melaka are extremely varied, both in character and size. The historic Dutch buildings along Jalan Kota follow European patterns and are built for defence with very thick walls. The shophouses and rowhouses of the Old Town are quite different. Built on long narrow lots, some are only 3-4 metres wide, whilst the biggest may be 10 metres. They can extend back 20 or 30 metres between parallel walls with successive roofed portions around open courtyards to provide light and ventilation. This is an intensely urban building type which is adaptable to lots of any width and depth.

In their simplest form, they are an interpretation of mainland Chinese shophouses: an open front with a pedestrian way for a shop on the ground floor and a residence above. Buildings vary in height, projections and architectural treatment. The simplest have bare plaster walls, an overhanging roof and a tile-roofed porch. The grandest have facades on the street line which are covered with plaster decoration. Many houses have decorated column capitals, a cornice below the roof, a first floor frieze and mouldings around windows.

Shophouses combine with family rowhouses and their facades are a distinctive hybrid. A typical rowhouse facade has an over-hanging roof, two well proportioned windows at the first floor with curved decorative fanlights and mouldings around them and full height shutters. Below this a decorative plaster, tile or broken tile frieze sits above the porch roof which is covered in bamboo-shaped 'roll and gutter' tiles. Where the upper floor projects over the verandah, a small part of this roof remains with decorative consoles at the ends and brackets on the columns to support it. The ground floor porch is semi-private with one door and two windows opening onto it. Door and windows generally have finely carved wooden doors and shutters, frequently ornamented with gilded Chinese characters and a family name board over the door. There may be floor and wall tiles and other plasterwork so that the overall effect is most decorative.

Many buildings are in the Straits Chinese style, found in Singapore, Penang and Kuala Lumpur as well as in towns throughout the Peninsula. Their facades are highly distinctive, with ornate plasterwork combining traditional Chinese and Western classical elements. Chinese elements include a small arcade roof with curved ends, stone brackets and plasterwork or broken tile ('chien-nien') pictures. They generally have shutters to close window openings, some extending to the floor with ornate railings. These combine with Classical columns, arches and balustrades and motifs in a stylish and remarkable way. One house in Melaka has squirrels running over the column capitals. Mouldings and brackets are used classically; there is a love of cartouches and swags. And all is worked in a high grade of plaster which has survived indifferent maintenance for over 80 years. Some of the plaster elements are detached from the facade and highlighted by the practice of painting the plaster silver.

There is great variety in the shop- and rowhouses built next to each other along the streets. Yet there is unity in the diversity. No building is over-assertive and, though some are rich in texture, they share materials, details, style and roof form with the simplest. The variety gives the streets a picturesque look: rooflines vary so that gable walls become part of the street scene and the porches and front steps unify the street in proportion and rhythm.

Melaka'S HERITAGE
As it stands, the city of Melaka is Malaysia's only coherent ancient city. Modern development has not spoilt the integrity of the historic core of the city. It has a fascinating and well-documented history going back to the fifteenth century and the successive invaders have added to the interest and appeal of the place. A proposal has been made to UNESCO that the whole city be declared a Historic City. Approval as a site on the World Heritage List rests on the city being shown to be of outstanding universal value for its history, art or science. Melaka's three centuries as a pivotal place in the histories of several European and Asian nations amply justify the nomination and therefore the city, and particularly the oldest areas, must be properly conserved. The identity of the Old Town as a whole is vital, so is its authenticity. The historical value of an old building lies in the fact that its materials are old: a modern reconstruction has lost such value.

A city is an organism and its ancient areas are very much the heart that still gives Melaka its life. It cannot simply be put in a glass case and it is important to Melaka that the scale and detail of the old part of the city be retained, that traffic be tailored to roads so that walking is a pleasant experience, and that any new development enhances the existing and fits, in form, scale and relationship to the street.