Architectural Conservation

Project 1 - Preliminary Investigation of Heritage Building

Project 1 is a group project consisting of the whole class. We were then divided into separate teams incharge of different task. For example, AutoCad team, report analysis team and etc. After doing so, we had to visit the site to collect more data and infomation regarding its culture, architecture details and history. Not only do we have to analyse and observe the chosen site, we also had to research about the surrounding areas' building, routes, and history. The building that we chose for our first conservation project was the old Pejabat Agama Islam in Klang. My teammate and I were in charge of the study and report for the history of Klang and old Pejabat Agama Islam. We had to complete a set of timeline and research on the surrounding architecture in Klang.

The overall experience was interesting as we were fortunate enough to visit a very old building that dates back to nearly a century ago. The building itself holds so much history and culture that was passed down for generations. It was also once used by the Sultan himself. Besides, I have also learnt to appreciate and understand better the history of Klang and how it came about to its existence today. Much has change since centuries ago, however, some of the architectural heritage still remains the same today. Hence, from this project I have learnt treasure the true meaning of conserving the old, so that the future generation will also have the same opportunity to see and experience the same architectural heritage someday.

Here is the link to the Report

Project 2 - Dilapidation Survey Report

Project 3 - Proposal for Adaptive Reuse

The old Pejabat Agama Islam, Klang

Project 2 is an individual project, whereby I had to obeserve and analyse for any defects found on a chosen building. Using the same building and site as project 1, I had to look for any construction defects or building structure details that has already wear off or chip off the wall from one chosen elevation of the old Pejabat Agama Islam building. After finding the defects, I had to take photos of them and record them down as part of the research. From this project, I was able to be more observant of the architectural details on the building and learning to appreciate the architecture of the building more. The overall experience has helped me to gain a new perspective in architecture conservation and learnt more of the building's architectural details, elements and materials. Below is the Board to project 2.

For the final project, I was required to come up with a design proposal for the conservation of an old building. Using the same old Pejabat Agama Islam in Klang, I had to propose an idea, theme and concept for the building. Hence, through the research and analysis that was conducted in the first project report, I have come to understand the surrounding site better as well as the building plan and struture also. As a result, I was able to come up with new ideas for the proposal and bringing new opportunities to the old town of Klang. From project 3, I have also learnt to be more aware of the surrounding site and not just focus on the chosen building only. I was able to gain new insight and inspiration on coming up with design ideas and functions for the conservation of the old building. Besides, I had also learnt to think from the perspective view of the public use and how the design concept would actually benefits the community of Klang. I manage to learn and understand the people better by looking for solutions to their problem. Based on my research, I believe that there are not that many good hangout areas for the youth or young people in Klang, as it is not as urban and chic like the streets of KL Thus, most of the youth either stay at home or travel all to the main city areas to chill out. Therefore, I came up with a solution by introducing a youth and arts cultural cafe, where the younger generations can actually relax and enjoy their food in a homy and cozy environment, in the same time, getting to play all sorts of board games etc. Most of the games would actually relate back to some of the history and cultural heritage of Klang. The aim of this project was to give a postive environment for the youth and community of Klang.

Overall, this project has taught me so much and I have come to appreciate the old architecture in Malaysia. I have managed to gain a new awareness when it comes to conservation of a particular building. Beside, this projects have also taught me to open up my mind when it comes to designing for an old or abandoned building, and to understand an architecture as well as the communitys' use before coming up with a function or design concept. The process and journey of designing for any building is crucial and significant as it will affect the final product of a project. Below are the final boards for the final proposal of project 3.

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