POST-CONSERVATION EVALUATION (PCE) ON HISTORIC BUILDINGS: AUTHENTICITY OF ADAPTIVE REUSE MUSEUMS IN GEORGE TOWN, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Adaptive reuse has apparently become a favourable means of built heritage conservation in the UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) of Melaka and George Town. In most cases, adaptive reuse implementations inflict conflicting demands to historic buildings in terms of meeting new functional needs and retaining physical authenticity. Inappropriate implementation of adaptive reuse for historic buildings within WHS may result in the violation of Outstanding Universal Values (OUVs). The purpose of this study is to determine the authenticity condition of historic buildings on their post-conservation phase, after adaptive reuse implementation. Five historic buildings namely the Penang State Museum (PSM), Made in Penang Interactive Museum (MIPIM), Sun Yat Sen Museum (SYSM), Batik Painting Museum (BPM) and Dark Mansion-3D Glow in the Dark Museum (DM) were evaluated through field observation. In accommodating the museum function, three elements were found to be intervened inappropriately at these buildings namely the internal wall, windows, and building services. The findings of this evaluative study can be useful to technical review panels appointed by heritage authorities, in scrutinising heritage impact assessment (HIA) reports and evaluating future proposals concerning adaptive reuse projects of historic buildings within WHS.

ACCESSIBILITY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF URBAN AREA: CASE STUDY OF GEORGE TOWN, PENANG

Persons with Disabilities (PwD) confront several challenges that hinder them from fully exercising their rights and participating in social, professional, and cultural activities when it comes to accessing built environment. This paper is to investigate the accessibility challenges that PwD face in George Town, Penang. The questionnaire survey techniques employed was to obtain data from a group of PwD. The questionnaire was conducted on wheelchair users, the walking impaired, the visually impaired, and the hearing impaired in George Town areas. Most PwD three key challenges, such as narrow sidewalks, uneven sidewalk surfaces, barriers on sidewalks and dangerous drop curbs. Accessibility facilities in George Town still need to be improved to make it easier for PwD to get around. The findings and recommendations in this study would assist in improving current access to a built environment so that PwD may visit the George Town areas easily and safely.

The Role of ‘Sense of Place’ in the Revitalisation of Heritage Street: the case of George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

In revitalising heritage sites, understanding ‘sense of place’ is important as it represents a layering of histories, tangible heritage, and intangible heritage. This study examines the relationship between local communities and the cultural heritage in George Town World Heritage Site, Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews with local communities, observations and digital photo analysis were conducted. It is in the intricacies of intangible heritage practices and their authentic expression, the local communities feel attached to and claim ownership of the place. Understanding this and how it translates into the site's stewardship is critical in protecting its value, management, and ongoing revitalisation. Keywords: Sense of Place; Urban Revitalisation; Heritage Street; World Heritage Site eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i18.3080

Language, Social Networks, and the City

Research in Malaysian sociolinguistics has seen much development pertaining to its concerns over language in its multilingual, multiracial, post-colonial community. The majority of existing literature however tends to lean towards traditional ideologies to explicate the language situation and linguistic patterns taking place within society. As influential as they are, there is a growing need for research to extend and move beyond traditional parameters so as to better explicate the roles and values of language in the increasingly mobile, transnational, diverse communities found in the city. This is certainly true in the historical city of George Town, Penang where exists an eclectic mix of heritage and urbanity – a contest for fluid and fixed notions of identity, culture, traditions, and language. One approach which has been used to contribute towards the study of linguistic patterns is Social Network Analysis. A notable application of analysis network structures is attributed to Milroy (1987), where the following has emerged: close-knit and dense networks are resistant to outside influences whereas loose-knit, weaker network links are embracing of change. This paper therefore aims to explain Social Network Analysis as a framework and method, how it has been applied in previous studies, and the potential it holds to analyse language in contemporary, urban communities as is found in cities like George Town, Penang.

Malacca's “Straits Chinese traditional courtyard eclectic style shophouses”: facades' architectural design elements through place identity

PurposeThe traditional courtyard shophouses modifications, alterations and deterioration over the years have become a source of concern to major stakeholders. In George Town World Heritage Site Malaysia, studies have shown that the worst hit among its various shophouses are the Straits Chinese traditional courtyard eclectic style shophouses. This paper investigates the traditional courtyard shophouses concerning the role of architectural formation design components, and how this can sustain the place identity of the Straits Chinese typology.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological approach regards the collection of data and analysis of 30 face-to-face interviews and the observation of Lots number 3, 5 and 7, located along Lorong Ikan, George Town World Heritage Site.FindingsIt was found that these Lots express the place identity of the Straits Chinese, and its major exterior architecture components to be observed are the column head (Chi Tou) capital, parapet wall, bressummer beam and ionic column, and gable and gable ends.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to the role of architectural formation design components. Future research is needed to expand the scope of participant elements via a quantitative approach. This will enhance the validation of findings from this paper.Practical implicationsIt is recommended the use of the proposed checklist to enhance the sustainability of the architectural components regarding the place identity of these styles of shophouses, which provides salutary lessons on how to preserve the heritage buildings. Also, major stakeholders with leading evidence from relevant government agencies should ensure the preservation of these cultural and heritage buildings for the next generation.Social implicationsThis paper found that the family beliefs and social impact were the components that express the place identity of the Straits Chinese.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that the role of architectural formation design components regarding place identity of Straits Chinese traditional courtyard eclectic style shophouses cannot be over-emphasised.

GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Evaluation for Potential Inland Aquaculture Site Selection in the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia

Although the aquaculture industry contributes less than 0.2% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Malaysia, it has slowly become an important economic activity due to the high-value species productions for domestic and international markets. In addition, aquaculture can potentially be used as a sustainable solution for food security in the future. At present, the selection of aquaculture sites has not received much attention. Thus, this study aims to integrate a Geographic Information System and multi-criteria evaluation approach in identifying the potential sites for brackish aquaculture in the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia. ArcGIS 10.4 was used to perform site selection analysis together with the essential spatial data such as current land use, environmentally sensitive data, and soil quality that influence suitable sites selection for aquaculture. The selection was undertaken in ad hoc manners based on available land identified by aquaculture operators. The results indicated that the George Town Conurbation has a minimal potential site (0.37%) for aquaculture sites. This minimal number results from the expansion of built-up areas towards urban fringe areas; hence less land becomes available for aquaculture. A reasonable buffer zone should be designated as a boundary between urban development and aquaculture to avoid land-use conflict between these two activities.

Adapting to environmental challenges: The impact of COVID-19 on shophouses courtyard space and gathering (George Town heritage city, Penang)

Recent studies demonstrate that the Covid-19 pandemic is a health and daily life crisis unmatched in human history. Restrictions on the exercise of social distancing and using innovative technology to virtually hold gathering have been the key policy measures to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 and to protect public health. International health organisations and governments precautionary measures for their people advise for physical distancing, total lockdown, and handwashing hygiene measures. Social distancing has redefined, reshaped, and reconfigured Straits Chinese families’ gatherings in a shophouse courtyard space. Hence, this paper bids to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of these mechanisms by inhabitants and visitors in shophouses courtyard space and suggest possible ways to lessen future Covid-19, particularly concerning interior design components of a typical shophouse courtyard space. Thus, the paper adopts the phenomenology type of qualitative research. Data were collected via observations of selected traditional shophouses in George Town Heritage City, face-to-face interviews conducted and validated via secondary sources. Findings show that it is difficult to practice some of the precautionary measures as recommended by appropriate authorities in majority of the George Town Heritage City traditional shophouses. This is because of compact space, also renovation, and modernisation to the courtyard original design. Concerning the practical implications, this research is encouraging for the practice of social distancing on Straits Chinese gathering at shophouse courtyard space during pandemics such as Covid-19 to lessen the contagious pandemic spread in shophouses families in the future. This research further intends to trigger key stakeholders and conquer new areas for forthcoming study.

Assessment of Seismic Building Vulnerability Using Rapid Visual Screening Method through Web-Based Application for Malaysia

Rapid visual screening is a quick and simple approach often used by researchers to estimate the seismic vulnerability of buildings in an area. In this study, preliminary seismic vulnerability assessment of 500 buildings situated at Northern and Eastern George Town, Malaysia, was carried out by utilizing a modified FEMA-154 (2002) method that suits Malaysian conditions. Data were collected from online sources via Google Maps and Google Earth instead of traditional surveying data collection through street screening. The seismic assessment analysis of this study was based on the RVS performance score and the damage state classification for each building typology. This approach generates, for each building, a final performance score based on governing parameters such as structural resisting system, height, structural irregularities, building age, and soil type. The findings revealed the immediate need for effective seismic mitigation strategies, as 90% of the studied buildings required a further detailed analyses to pinpoint their exact seismic vulnerability performance. Most of the surveyed buildings were predicted to experience moderate-to-substantial damage, with 220 out of 500 being classed as damage state 2 (D2) and damage state 3 (D3). A GIS map, “RVS Malaysian Form-George Town Area”, was generated via ArcGIS and shared with the public to provide vital information for further research.

Biophilic design patterns and local knowledge of plants application in Baba-Nyonya heritage shophouses’ courtyard

Biophilic design is a well-known design philosophy based on human-nature relationships. However, it has not been explored extensively in the Malaysian context and most of the previous studies were based on plants which were not suitable for tropical climate. This paper analyses the application of biophilic design and the usage of local edible and medicinal plants in Baba-Nyonya heritage shophouses’ courtyards in George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site, Penang, Malaysia. The aim of this research is to enhance the human quality of life through biophilic design with local knowledge application in the urban setting. Qualitative method strategies were applied to collect the data: photographic survey, plant inventory and building observation. Three heritage shophouses that had been adaptively reused into contemporary cafes were selected for this study. Significant results showed that Biophilic Design Pattern under the ‘visual connection with nature (P1)’ has been achieved through the application of edible and medicinal plants. Unfortunately, the local knowledge for applying edible and medicinal plants for achieving biophilic design compliance is weak. In the future, a further study is needed to identify the species of local edible and medicinal plants which can be applied in the Baba-Nyonya heritage shophouses courtyards.

A Cityscape below the Winds

After a preface which describes the heritage of downtown Melaka, Chapter 1 introduces the theme of the book: UNESCO World Heritage and urban politics in Melaka, the most celebrated of Malaysian historic cities which is inscribed, together with George Town, on the World Heritage List since 2008. Afterwards, the chapter presents the field site, its history, and its inhabitants, in the context of the city’s geographic, political, and administrative configurations. This is followed by a reflection on the ethnographic fieldwork carried out by the author in Melaka between 2012 and 2014. This research is primarily based on interviews with, and participant observation among, a wide range of interlocutors: from residents to heritage experts, and from public officials to activists.