CHAPTER 2

HISTORICAL BUILDINGS IN MALAYSIA

2.1 A Brief Historical Preview of the Historical Buildings in Malaysia

In Malaysia, there is very tiny record on the history of urban settlement. The
earliest buildings found in Malacca and Penang was built as early as in the 16th
century. They are located strategically along the trade routes from of Malacca and
Penang. Having evolved to be among the earliest urban settlements in the country,
Malacca and Penang are now popular with their historical pre war buildings that
attract tourists[6]. Meanwhile, the settlements in Kuala Lumpur, Taiping and Ipoh
were developed as a result of tin-mining activities in the 18th century.

There are approximately 37,000 of historic pre war buildings built between
1800 and 1948 in Malaysia[7]. The designs as seen on the pre war buildings today are
as a result of combination and influence of Malay, Southern Chinese, Sino-European
and Anglo-Indian cultures. Their architectural mix and unique characteristics have
made the pre war buildings unique. Apart from the cultural influences, the designs
had been influenced by series of circumstantial and climatic considerations.
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Frank Swettenham, the British Resident was responsible in the earliest urban
development of Selangor, Malacca, Penang as well as Kuala Lumpur. He introduced
building regulations as such that original extract shelter settlements to be rebuilt from
bricks with tiled roofs and buildings were to be built five-foot away from the road
allowing for passageway. This was copied from the Town Plan of Singapore initiated
by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1822. Being an agent for the East India Company, Sir
Stamford Raffles obtained a lot of experiences in India as well as in Malacca. Those
experiences had influenced many of his planning decisions[8].

Older established settlements like Selangor, Malacca, Penang and Kuala

Lumpur were the models for other developing urban centres in the country. In these
towns attention was given to the design and the regulation of the shop houses since
the number of shop houses were much higher compared to other buildings types. The
building designs also consider the effect of heat, rain and glare of tropical climate by
using thick brick walls and high ceilings, ventilated roofs and balconies in the front
of the buildings[9].

2.2 History of Historical Buildings in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur was developed in the 1850s when the Malay Chief of Klang
sent a group of Chinese workers upriver to open new and larger tin mines[10]. During
that time, Kapitan Yap Ah Loy emerged as the leader, responsible for the survival
and growth of the town. In view of its strategic location and the business brought by
the tin mining activities, the Selangor state capital was moved from Klang to Kuala
Lumpur in 1880.

Frank Swettenham, the British Resident who was instrumental in the

development of the town, required the buildings were to be constructed of brick and
tile. The development of the buildings intensified in the 1890s. The advancement of
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technologies and the advent of the railways had increased accessibility between
towns. This had resulted to the development of the Kuala Lumpur.

In the period from 1880 to 1896 the multiracial community settled in various
sections of the town[11]. The Market Square located at east of Klang River, became
the commercial centre for the whole town. The Chinese congregated around this
Square and south into Chinatown. To the north, across Java Street (now Jalan Tun
Perak), were the Malays. A number of Indian Chettiars (money-lenders), and later
years Indian Muslim traders in the later years, set up the business at Leboh Ampang.

West of the river, the Padang (now Merdeka Square) was the focal point of
the British administration. Kuala Lumpur continued to grow despite the two World
Wars and the State of Emergency (1948-1960). When Malaysia gained its
independence in 1957, Kuala Lumpur was remained as Capital. The detail allocation
and architectural style of Pre War Shop Houses in Kuala Lumpur can be referring to
(Appendix B). Kuala Lumpur achieved city status in 1972 and became a Federal
Territory in 1974[12].

2.3 The Defects of Historical Buildings in Kuala Lumpur

A study made by the Conservation and Townscape Unit of the Kuala Lumpur
City Council in 1990 highlighted that buildings defects are seriously discussed on the
issues of current physical condition of the pre war buildings in Kuala Lumpur[13].

The building defect is defined as an imperfection deficiency or fault in a

building elements or component, which adversely affects its functional performance
or appearance[14]. The defects can be divided into two categories, which are structural
and non-structural defects: [15]
 10

2.3.1 Structural Defects

Structural defects are defects which happen to the structure of the buildings
like columns, beams, wall, roofs, floor and foundations. The defects are due to
building settlement, deformation, serious cracking and bowing of the buildings.

2.3.2 Non - Structural Defects

The non-structural defects are defects, which happen to the non-structural

elements of the buildings, for example, the façade, floor finishes, doors, windows,
rain-water-down pipe and gutter. The defects are usually caused by chemicals and
biological substances, significant temperature differences, condensation process and
small cracks. The classifications of non-structural defects are:

2.3.2.1 Fungus and Small Plants Attack

Pre war buildings are prone to fungus and small plants attack. Fungus is
normally found on the walls, roofs (usually around the clogged rain-water-down
pipe) as well as wet areas like the toilets. Fungus can freely breed in damp areas.
Small plants could be found near the gutters, roof, wall and other areas where water
is clogged. As the plants grow bigger, their roots will go deeper into the buildings
and create cracks. The dampness in all these areas allows fungus and small plants to
breed.
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2.3.2.2 Damage of Mortar

Mortar acts as a glue or joints between the wall bricks of the buildings. Some
defects of the mortar are due to the process of hydrant, salty crystals, fungus and
small plants which bring dampness to the buildings, hence making the mortar to be
fragile and easily broken down.

2.3.2.3 Broken Wall Plaster

The broken wall plaster could always be visible on the external walls. The
main cause is the dampness and vibration from the traffic. Chipping off and broken
down plaster of the wall are the common symptoms.

2.3.2.4 The Decay of Floor Finishes

This happened to the shop houses where the upper floor is constructed from
timbers. Floor finishes decay is normally due to the usage of untreated timber.
Termites, ants, brittle and fungus normally attack the timber. Ground treatment is
needed to avoid these attackers.

2.3.2.5 Blistering of Paint Works

This normally happen to the painted façades, walls and columns. These areas
are always exposed to dampness as a result of rainwater, condensation process and
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other agents. The moisture or solvents are trapped in the substrate below the paint
film or the paint applied to wet surface. This will affect the painted surface that
would eventually blister and flake.
2.3.2.6 Damages Due to Air-Conditioning System Installation

In the early days, the pre war buildings were not installed with air
conditioning-system. The air conditioning-system was installed at the later years by
the subsequent owners or occupiers of the building. Air-conditioning systems used
were mostly of the window system. The usual installation at the front area of the wall
and windows spoiled the natural view of the buildings. In addition, condensation
could probably occur from the installation of air-conditioning system due to the ever-
changing temperature inside and outside of the building.

At the end of this chapter, the word “Historical Building” is totally described
detail. Furthermore, the conservation practice in Malaysia will be discussed in
chapter 3. That chapter will examine the phenomena of existing conservation
practice in (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia.
13
6[]
Gullick, JM (1988) The Story of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Heritage Trust. Page 23
7[]
Gurstien, P (1985) Malaysia Architecture Heritage Survey – A Handbook, Malaysia Heritage Trust. Page 65

8[]
Dr Gafar, AA (1993) British Colonial Architecture In Malaysia 1800 – 1930, Malaysia Heritage Trust.
9[]
Syed Zainal Abidin, I (1997) Permeliharaan Warisan Rupa Bandar, Malaysia Heritage Trust. Page 195.
10 []
Malaysia Tourism Board (1998), Kuala Lumpur Heritage Trails – Market Square, Pamphlet Malaysia Tourism Board – Malaysia Heritage Trust
(Badan Warisan Malaysia – BWM).

11 []
Malaysia Tourism Board (1998), Kuala Lumpur Heritage Trails – Market Square, Pamphlet Malaysia Tourism Board – Malaysia Heritage Trust
(Badan Warisan Malaysia – BWM).
12 []
Malaysia Tourism Board (1998), Kuala Lumpur Heritage Trails – Market Square, Pamphlet Malaysia Tourism Board – Malaysia Heritage Trust
(Badan Warisan Malaysia – BWM).
13 []
Gurstien, P (1985) Malaysia Architecture Heritage Survey – A Handbook, Malaysia Heritage Trust. Page 65
14 []
Gurstien, P (1985) Malaysia Architecture Heritage Survey – A Handbook, Malaysia Heritage Trust. Page 66
15 []
Gurstien, P (1985) Malaysia Architecture Heritage Survey – A Handbook, Malaysia Heritage Trust. Page 66