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Lessons from the Eras of Significance Along Kuala Lumpur's Historic River Corridor
Kuala Lumpur’s historic river corridor is a landscape shaped by continuous change. Beginning as a tin-mining settlement at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak Rivers, the area evolved into a colonial civic capital, a witness to Malaysia’s independence, and today, an emerging cultural district. Managing Change: Keeping the Spirit Alive examines these transformations through four eras of significance—Opportunity, Identity, Memory and Legacy—exploring how each generation has contributed a new layer to the city’s evolving identity.
that heritage conservation should not be understood as resisting change, but as managing change with an understanding of what makes a place significant. This extends beyond individual monuments to the broader historic urban landscape, where rivers, civic buildings, commercial streets, public spaces and communities collectively form the character and memory of a place. The historic river corridor demonstrates that heritage is not simply defined by age. Significance emerges when places and their settings acquire meaning through use, memory and collective experience. Buildings may remain, while society evolves around them—creating opportunities for conservation to support both continuity and transformation.
Today, the challenge is not whether Kuala Lumpur will change, but whether that change will strengthen or diminish the identity of the place.
Keeping the Spirit Alive advocates a thoughtful balance between authenticity and contemporary needs, allowing historic places to remain meaningful, resilient and connected to everyday life while carrying their spirit forward into the future.
Inspired by Prof Ar Laurence Loh (Arkitek LLA) & Dr. Nikhil Joshi (NUS)
The façade of heritage shophouses is the tangible aspect responsible for the character of historical streets in Melaka. Since the UNESCO World Heritage listing, Melaka has experienced a surge in tourism activity. This has resulted in owners and tenants renovating their heritage shophouse to capitalise on the economic boom. A comprehensive understanding of façade design features is the crucial criterion for good exterior restoration work. The description for shophouse façade design elements is singular in literature.
Conversely, it is subjectively more complicated in actual practice. Hence, this study analyses the façade of heritage shophouses along Heeren Street and reviews their possible variations. The research undertook a qualitative approach where photographs are used as primary data and interpreted using thematic frameworks. Three categories of variations are identified: (i)variation within the architectural style, (ii)integration of decorative element from another architectural style, and (iii)structure hybridisation between architectural styles. The study suggested the variations due to the ‘whims’ are seen on the decorative element influenced by the culture. The ‘trend’ is responsible for structure hybridisation. The data is then extrapolated in the mosaic mapping to review the relationship between architectural styles and the street’s character. The research has suggested the authenticity level and concluded that 25.42% of the sample along Heeren Street are in their authentic condition. This research fills the gaps in the lack of reference for façade design elements and variation for future conservation work to ensures that the Outstanding Universal Values of Melaka World H
eritage Site (WHS) remains intact.
So, what is authentic? The ordinary fake or the ageing real.
Supervised by Dr. Ar. Helena Aman HashimPublished Conference: 2021 CABE Malaysia Conference Article
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A FORGOTTEN MATERIAL:
A FORGOTTEN MATERIAL:
LIME PLASTER OVER THE CEMENT FINISH FOR HERITAGE AND TROPICAL BUILDING.
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A Hand-on Practice (2020 - Present)
SHANGHAI:
SHANGHAI:
A CITY OF TWO FACES
A CITY OF TWO FACES
Shanghai, is the home to some of the world's tallest skyscraper, miles of luxury shops, and streets of trendy bars. Look just beyond the main street, the narrow alleyways are packed with lanes of traditional houses, where the laundry billows from the bamboo poles. The existence sign of the local communities and trades.
A Perception during the Internship in Shanghai (2018)
MANAGING CHANGE
MANAGING CHANGE
The symposium, titled "Managing Change: Urban Heritage and Community Development in Asia Historical City", served as a forum for the researchers and practitioners to share contents of ongoing public discussion, largely centred on the challenges of rapid urban development in historic inner areas.
The symposium was organised by the Department of Architecture, the National University of Singapore on July 24, 2017. The program was hosted by Chulalongkorn University, joined by University Malaya and King Mongkut’s University. Ban Panthom, a historical township located to the north of Bangkok is selected as the study area for the symposium.
A Field School Publication (2017)
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