Architecture in Malaysia is a combination of many styles, from Islamic and Chinese styles to those brought by European colonists. Malay architecture has changed due to these influences. Houses in the north are similar to those in Thailand, while those in the south are similar to those in Java. New materials, such as glasses and nails, were brought in by Europeans, changing the architecture. Houses are built for tropical conditions, raised on stilts with high roofs and large windows, allowing air to flow through the house and cool it down. Wood has been the main building material for much of Malaysia’s history; it is used for everything from the simple kampung to royal palaces. In Negeri Sembilan traditional houses are entirely free of nails. Besides wood, other common materials such as bamboo and leaves were used. The Istana Kenangan in Kuala Kangar was built in 1926, and it the only Malay palace with bamboo walls. The Oral Asal of East Malaysia live in longhouses and water villages. Longhouses are elevated and on stilts, and can house 20 to 100 families. Water villages are also built on stilts, with houses connected with planks and most transport by boats.

Chinese architecture can be divided into two types, traditional and Baba Nyonya. Baba Nyonya households are made of colourful tiles and have large indoor courtyards. Indian architecture came with the Malaysian Indians, reflecting the architecture of southern India where most originated from. Some Sikh architecture was also imported. Malacca, which was a traditional centre of trade, has a large variety of building styles. Large wooden structures such as the Palace of Sultan Mansur Shah exist from early periods. Chinese influence can be seen in brightly decorated temples and terraced shop houses. The largest remaining Portuguese structure in Malacca is the A Famosa fort. Other colonial building include the Dutch Stadthuys, the Dutch Colonial town brick buildings, and buildings built by the British such as the Memorial Hall, which combines Baroque and Islamic architecture.

The shapes and sizes of houses differ from state to state. Common elements in Peninsular Malaysia include pitched roofs, verandahs, and high ceilings, raised on stilts for ventilation. The woodwork in the house is often intricately carved. The floors are at different levels depending on the function of the room. Mosques have traditionally been based on Javanese architecture. In modern times, the government has promoted different projects, from the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers, to a whole garden city, Putrajaya. Malaysian firms are developing skyscraper designs that are specifically for tropical climates.

Alor Setar Tower
Alor Setar Tower (Malay: Menara Alor Setar) is a 165.5 m (543 ft) telecommunication tower in Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia.

Apart from serving the role of a telecommunication tower, it also caters as a tourist destination for the town. The tower also houses some restaurants and a souvenir shop. The tower is an observatory tower to look for the crescent moon to mark the beginning of Muslim months such as Ramadhan, Shawwal, and Zulhijjah, to celebrate Ramadhan, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Aidiladha, respectively.

The observation deck is at a height of 88 m (289 ft) from the base of the structure.

Angkasapuri
Angkasapuri is the main governmental building for Malaysia’s Ministry of Information and it is also the headquarters for Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) located in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Berjaya Times Square
Berjaya Times Square is a 48-storey, 203 m (666 ft) twin tower, hotel, condominium, indoor amusement park and shopping centre complex in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was opened in October 2003 by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato Sri Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad.

Chin Swee Caves Temple
The Chin Swee Caves Temple is a Taoist temple in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. The Chin Swee Caves Temple is situated in the most scenic site of Genting Highlands. Within the Temple is seated a statue of Qingshui, a Buddhist monk who has long been referred to as a deity in Fujian province, China for his supernatural abilities to summon rain and drive away evil spirits. The Temple attracts many local and foreign devotees from Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and China. The Chin Swee Caves Temple is situated on a 28-acre plot of rocky forested land donated by Genting Group founder the late Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Lim Goh Tong. Located 4,600 feet above sea level, the Temple is about 5–10 minutes’ drive down from the peak of the mountain.

Connaught Bridge Power Station
Connaught Bridge Power Station is a combined cycle (2 gas turbines and 1 steam turbine) and open cycle ( 4 gas turbines) power station located near Kampong Java in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is one of the oldest power station in the country.

It was opened on 26 March 1953 by the High Commissioner for the Federation of Malaya, Sir Gerald Templer.

Kellie’s Castle
Kellie’s Castle (sometimes also called Kellie’s Folly) is a castle located in Batu Gajah, Kinta District, Perak, Malaysia. The unfinished, ruined mansion, was built by a Scottish planter named William Kellie-Smith. According to differing accounts, it was either a gift for his wife or a home for his son. Kellie’s Castle is situated beside the Raya River (Sungai Raya), which is a small creek to the Kinta River.

Kelong
A kelong (or kellong) is an offshore platform built predominantly with wood, which can be found in waters off Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia. Only a handful remain around Singapore due to rapid urbanisation.

Kelongs are built by fishermen primarily for fishing purposes, although larger structures can also function as dwellings for them and their families. In Singapore, some kelongs also double as a restaurants with boats carrying guests to and from the buildings.

Structurally, kelongs are often built without the need for nails, using rattan to bind tree trunks and wooden planks together. The decks of some kelongs have open spaces with nets that hang partially in the water, allowing for captured fish to be kept live until they are sold or cooked. Anchored into the sea bed using wooden piles of about 20 metres in length and driven about six metres into the sea, they are usually sited in shallow water, although some can be found in deeper waters. Some kelongs are less isolated and are connected to land via a wooden gangway. Other variants of kelongs can be mobile, with some portion of the building floating freely. Some buildings are large, being made up of groups of kelongs joined together into a massive offshore community.

Kota Ngah Ibrahim
Kota Ngah Ibrahim or Ngah Ibrahim’s Fort is a fort of historical value in Taiping, Larut, Matang and Selama District, Perak, Malaysia. The fort is located at Jalan Taiping-Kuala Sepetang road near Matang town.

Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) is a multipurpose development area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The area is located around Jalan Ampang, Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Binjai, Jalan Kia Peng and Jalan Pinang. There are a number of shopping complexes such as Suria KLCC and Avenue K. There are also hotels within walking distance such as G Tower, Mandarin Oriental, Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur and InterContinental Kuala Lumpur hotel.

Designed to be a city within a city, the 100-acre site hosts the tallest twin buildings in the world, shopping mall, office buildings and several hotels. A public park and a mosque is also built on the area and open to everyone. The whole project is cooled via district cooling located on the property.

Kuala Lumpur Tower
The Kuala Lumpur Tower (KL Tower; Malay: Menara Kuala Lumpur; Chinese: 吉隆坡塔) is a communications tower located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its construction was completed on 1 March 1995. It features an antenna that increases its height to 421 metres (1,381 feet) and is the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world. The roof of the pod is at 335 metres (1,099 feet). The rest of the tower below has a stairwell and an elevator to reach the upper area, which also contains a revolving restaurant, providing diners with a panoramic view of the city.

Races are held annually, where participants race up the stairs to the top. The tower also acts as the Islamic falak observatory to observe the crescent moon which marks the beginning of Muslim month of Ramadhan, Syawal, and Zulhijjah, to celebrate fasting month of Ramadhan, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Aidiladha. The tower is the highest viewpoint in Kuala Lumpur that is open to the public.

Malay houses
Malay houses (Malay: Rumah Melayu; Jawi: رومه ملايو) are traditional dwellings, originating before the arrival of foreign or modern influences, and constructed by the indigenous ethnic Malay of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.

Traditional architectural forms, such as tropically-suited roofs and harmonious proportions with decorative elements are considered by traditionalists to still have relevance. However traditional buildings require significant maintenance compared to modern construction; how to preserve wooden materials from the decaying effect of tropical weather as well as termite problems. These traditional skills are gradually being lost as Malaysia continues its process of industrialisation, while in Indonesia traditional houses have still survived in rural areas. The effort to preserve indigenous architectural styles of Indonesian archipelago has been conducted through documentation and create replicas in provinces pavilions in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta.

Malaysian Houses of Parliament
The Malaysian Houses of Parliament is a building complex where the Malaysian Parliament assembles. The structure is located at the Lake Gardens in Kuala Lumpur, close to the Malaysian National Monument.

Malaysian National Projects
Malaysian National Projects are major national and giant projects which are important in the development of Malaysia.

This is a list of national projects from Malaysian independence in 1957 to the present.

Pudu Prison
The Pudu Prison (Malay: Penjara Pudu) was a prison in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Built in phases by the British colonial government between 1891 and 1895, it stood on Jalan Shaw (now Jalan Hang Tuah). The construction began with its 394-metre prison wall at a cost of Straits $16,000, and had been adorned with the world’s longest mural at one point in its history. The cells were small and dark, each equipped with a window only the size of a shoebox. As of December 2012, the prison complex was largely demolished, leaving only the main gate and a portion of the exterior wall still standing.

Petronas Towers
The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Petronas, or Menara Berkembar Petronas), are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)’s official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world. The buildings are a landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.

Southern Integrated Gateway
The Southern Integrated Gateway (Malay: Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu) refers to a complex in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia incorporating the city’s main railway station, JB Sentral, and a customs, immigration, and quarantine complex (CIQ), the Sultan Iskandar Building (Malay: Bangunan Sultan Iskandar), named after Almarhum Sultan Iskandar ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail of Johor.

The station and complex are the main transportation hub of Johor Bahru and southern Peninsular Malaysia. The Malaysian Public Works Department was responsible for the design and construction of the project; Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd was the main contractor. This project is part of the Iskandar Malaysia development corridor project.

The CIQ complex was opened to vehicular traffic on 16 December 2008. As of October 2010, the JB Sentral railway station entered operation and service to the old Johor Bahru railway station ceased.

Wan Mat Saman Aqueduct
Wan Man Saman Aqueduct or Terusan Wan Man Saman is the longest aqueduct in Malaysia. The total length is 36 km, connecting Sungai Kedah at Alor Star to Gurun in the south of Kedah. It was built between 1885 and 1896 at the order of Menteri Besar of Kedah at the time, Wan Mat Saman. The structure enables Kedah to boost its rice production and through it, enables Kedah to earn the nickname “Malaysia’s rice bowl”.

The canal was a renaissance to the agriculture of the state. It symbolised the transition from the conventional way of life to the modern system. The construction of the structure used only the simplest tools. To ensure that the canal ran straight, the initial diggings were done at nighttime, in which rows of jamung or traditional torches were lit in a straight line.

Today the canal remains part of the state’s landscape, running along the Route 1 of the Federal Road, which is sandwiched by a smaller canal built later. Traditional Malay & Chinese houses, as well as new schools, shops, mosques, and cemeteries dotted the canal but the remaining part in Tandop, in the outskirts of Alor Setar have been covered by the municipal council in the road-widening project. Sometimes road users can spot traditional nets hanging from a bamboo poles (tangkui), ducks swimming around, schools of freshwater fish and even small rafts built by kids. In recent years however, the canal has fallen into disrepair & neglect. The canal is not a registered heritage site and the management of the canal is overlapped between various state & federal government agencies.

A few artifacts have been discovered along the aqueduct including keris daggers. The artifacts are now displayed in the State Museum in Alor Setar.

Source From Wikipedia