Conservation of British colonial buildings built between 1800 and 1930 in Malaysia

THe main intent of the thesis is to study the methods and techniques of building conservation in the United Kingdom and to develop possibilities of transferring them to the context of British colonial buildings in Malaysia. It is axiomatic, based on visits to and observations of a large number of buildings in Malaysia and the United Kingdom, that there are many similarities between the British colonial buildings built between 1800 and 1930 in Malaysia and those built in the same period of time in the United Kingdom; in terms of style, building materials, detailing, function and construction. Like many other countries in which building conservation seems a fairly new practice, Malaysia faces problems in dealing with the issues of historic buildings. The present legislation for historic buildings is not sufficient nor suitable, to protect such buildings from being demolished and destroyed. There is also no suitable system for discovering and recording the British colonial buildings in the country. Another aspect is lack of technical knowledge in repairing and maintaining historic buildings. An introductory chapter explains further these problems besides describing the British colonial architecture and the present situation of building conservation in Malaysia. The thesis is divided into five parts. Part One, deals with legislation, examines the scope of building conservation, reasons for conservation, tenninology, recording and listing buildings; and also some case law in regard to building conservation in the United Kingdom. Part Two looks upon philosophical attitudes of some organizations dealing with building conservation in the United Kingdom and Malaysia. Part Three includes a study of methodology which covers saving historic buildings, systems for discovering and recording, data of British colonial buildings, the use of building materials and common defects; and methods and techniques of building maintenance. Part Four presents and analyses case studies of building conservation in the United Kingdom and Malaysia. Several buildings have been selected to compare their changes of use and methods of renovation. Part Five provides conclusions and recommendations for the improvement of the British colonial buildings in Malaysia.