Heritage Is..
What is Heritage? Heritage is refer to cultural property, either tangible or intangible. (UNESCO, 1972) It can be a culture, can be a historical building, can be a monument, and it can be caves like Lenggong Valley, Perak as well. It is something like pass from one generation to next generation, they are our memories, they tell us where we come, where's our roots.
Conservation of buildings is related to the processes and efforts to maintain, repair, restore the heritage buildings in order to prolong the building life and its functions. To do so, it include rehabilitation and adaptive re-use. Rehabilitation is to make old buildings reusable, while adaptive re-use is likely changing the main function uses of buildings but maintaining their original forms and structure.
Adaptive re-use..
Conservation of these historical buildings is important, especially Malaysia where full of local colors and cultures. However, in my point of view, conservation should based on the fundamental economic viability.
There are many historical places been renovated and maintained become museums and beautiful nice places / hot visitor's spots. All these are good efforts. For instance :-
St George's Anglican Church is the oldest Anglican church in Georgetown, Pulau Pinang
The Studhays in Melaka where once is government house now become a museum.
But I still think that the best way to prolong the life span of those historical buildings is that of adaptive reuse. --- Just like I mentioned above: modify the main functions and activities inside the buildings with original forms and structure. What I mean is just carried out the most routine activities in our daily life in those colonial buildings. For example, when you travel a colonial shop houses, you wish to see a well preserved and maintained shop lots but is like a static museum, although there might found some guides explains about the history and things happened before, but we just can't get the feeling. Or you more prefer to pass-by the colonial shop houses where local activities just like you are leading the local ordinary life, make us feel like back to that times? Have a cup of Kopi-O in cans under the strong historical colonial design buildings. I am pretty sure most of the people would choose the latter one.
Kopitiam.. Kopi-O.. Traditional feelings..
Below are some good examples found in Malaysia :
Central Market, 1888
Located along Jalan Hang Kasturi, a few minutes away from Petaling Street. Central Market was a wet market and now become a cultural center.
MATIC, Kuala Lumpur
In 1935, it once the residence of a wealthy miner, Eu Tong Seng. In 1941, it is war office of the British Army. Now, it become one-stop visitor center and offering a wide
range of facilities and services to assist tourists in
planning an enjoyable and eventful holiday in Malaysia.
Economic Viability..
Economic viability of a building depends on the use to which it can be put. For a building to function efficiently, it must not only be convenient to use but also capable of use at reasonable cost. Adaptive reuse of buildings is more economic not only in general terms like "conserved buildings" but more practical and considerable from aspect of relative costs of old and new built space.
Adaptive re-use is likely bring a new life to these historical buildings. Without much interrupt our environment, we are taken care both built and natural environment instead. Why we have to built new and new shop houses and housings but why not just look on our beautiful existing heritage? Aren't they most represent us and local culture? Maybe some people might wondered: how if such historical buildings torn / vandalized when many people enter and go out? In fact, conservation of historical buildings or places not only local authorities efforts, but all the citizens who come from this community. Feel yourself like part of it : would you paint / graffiti on your house's wall? No. Because you know that belongs to you. Same to these heritage. It take time to educate people, but it work.
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