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Glossary of Shop Houses Features

Glossary of shop houses features is described in brief on this page. Some of the terms used are part of architectural jargon.

Early Shophouse (1800-1850's)

  1. Wood panel wall (spandrel) above the horizontal beam with minimal decoration. Later on the spandrel is made of bricks and finished with concrete.

  2. V-shaped, India terracotta or clay roof tiles, before that, most used attap roof.

  3. Timber support beam (in this example, the timber beam is present.

  4. A row of continuous wooden shutters on the top level

  5. Wooden panel doors for shopfront with collapsible metal gate for security

  6. Low, squat, simple two-storey terrace building

Early traditional shophouse (1850's-1890's) (or transitional shop house) 

  1. V-shaped, India terracotta or clay roof tiles

  2. A row of continuous wooden shutters on the top level

  3. Brick wall above horizontal beam with ceramic or cast-iron air vents

  4. Symmetrical timber windows with vertical iron bars on the outside for safety

  5. Bat shaped air vents above the windows for ventilation

  6. Plain timber door

  7. Terracotta tiles with geometric pattern or plain cement floor on the 5 foot way

  8. Tall and slim two storey terrace house

Glossary of shop houses features to describe Straits Eclectic Shophouse (1890's-1940's)

(Straits eclectic is divided further into two: early straits eclectic and late straits eclectic)

  

  1. V-shaped, India terracotta roof tiles or interlocking clay tiles

  2. Normally, it has three pairs of wooden shutters on the top floor, framed with decorative arches

  3. Decorative glass panel (fanlight) for all windows (upstairs and downstairs)

  4. The wall below upper window (spandrel) is decorated with floral design made of plaster (stucco work)

  5. The head of pillars (capitals) have ornate plaster decoration

  6. Bat shaped air vents above the windows for ventilation and light

  7. Carved wooden door with family name plaque above the door

  8. Colorful, glazed and embossed ceramic wall tiles

  9. Colorful and elaborately decorated two or three storey terrace house

Art Deco Shop house (1930's-1960's)

  1. Flat wall (parapet) extended above the roof 

  2. Flagpole rising from parapet wall

  3. Elongated colored glass windows with metal frame

  4. Simple decorative elements, geometrical design running down pillars. 

  5. Geometrically designed iron window grills

  6. Horizontal air vent incorporated into spandrels

  7. Date of building placed strategically into spandrel

  8. Shanghai plaster finish for the front wall

  9. Two storey building emphasizing horizontal and vertical lines

Early Modern Shop house (1950's-1970's)

Early modern shop house style

  1. Glass louver shutters. In this example, glass panels are used instead.

  2. In case of commercial building, the signboard is incorporated into the building wall

  3. Extensive use of brick and concrete

  4. High parapet walls extending above the roof pitch

  5. Repetitive window opening framed by horizontal and vertical concrete fins

  6. Use of mosaic tiles on floor and pillars and sometimes on the walls also

  7. Two or three storey building with clean and vertical lines and a lot of plain walls. 

Do not forget that the glossary of shop houses features written here serve as a guide only in identifying the types of shop house. In some cases, the design is truly eclectic and it is hard to pinpoint the actual type. Maybe, if you happen to have the date of the structure being built only then you can classify it correctly.

In shop houses in Penang page, the type of neo-classical is mentioned. Neo-classical elements are also added in straits eclectic style.

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