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surrounding area necessary for formulating richer attachment attributes due to the changing function of
the palace. The existence of this architecture is because of the public, and hence they stand by the past
for the present and for the coming future.

Methodology

The research is qualitative in nature and relies heavily on experience, visual documentation, and
observation. Thus, the phenomenology of architecture to experience a space through place attachment
is observed while employing the Istana Jahar as a case study.

Figure 12
Methodology flow chart

ISTANA JAHAR

Observation + Architectural Survey + Interviews
+
Architectural Change (Intangible & Tangible Values)
=
PLACE ATTACHMENT

The study of ‘phenomena’ or phenomenology is the study of the appearances of things appearing
in one’s experience or people experiencing moments, thus the embedded significance in one’s experience
or awareness (Altman, 1992). Istana Jahar is full of familiarities that one can experience through its
attributes, as in phenomenology, which relates to conscious experience from the personal or individual’s
point of interpretation and knowledge; in the physical setting; the individual’s internal psychological and
social processes; and its attributes and activities organised at the place. Among the methods specifically
employed were architectural survey in the form of measured drawings, observation of activities that took
place, visual data collection of the architecture, and communications with cultural experts in an
unstructured manner (Figure 12). The observation was done during school holidays (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.),
when the palace was bustling with visiting activities. This observation was done to record the approach
that visitors take to experience the palace in terms of understanding the creation of a sense of belonging,
a sense of place that offers a myriad of memories through various sensations that can be described as
phenomena.

Istana Jahar - Architectural Documentation

This process ran concurrently with the observation and architectural survey processes. Visual data
of architectural components, specifically the three main styles of the traditional Kelantanese Malay style,
Georgian style, and Siamese style, were the important components to be recorded. The architectural style
of the building is a blend of traditional Kelantanese architecture and Georgian architecture. The traditional
Kelantanese Malay architecture is found in its roof forms and components, intricate timber carvings on
wall panels, lattices, and ornamentations (Figure 13).

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