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As more new buildings are being built, the chances of old valuable buildings to be demolished
and abandoned are high. Furthermore, it will create future generations who neglect and ignore
the value of heritage buildings. Some of the many issues related to maintaining heritage
buildings involve the feeble and vague legislations towards preserving these buildings, poor
awareness and knowledge among parties involved and the lack of availability in obtaining
materials for maintaining heritage buildings. The objectives of this research include identifying
the problems involved in maintaining heritage buildings and identifying the significance of
maintaining these buildings. The case studies include buildings that fall under Category 1
buildings within primary zone as stated by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall 2008 Development Plan.
This case study revealed that the lack of detailed and specific guidelines seem to be the major
problems in maintaining heritage buildings followed by the lack of availability in obtaining
similar building materials, the lack of awareness among parties involved in maintaining heritage
buildings and insufficient amount of in-house maintenance staff. This research offers strong
reference and base for future research by highlighting the issues that need to be emphasised
in maintaining heritage buildings.
PRELIMINARY
EVALUATION OF
PROBLEMS
INVOLVED IN
Maintaining Heritage
Buildings in Malaysia
Dr Sr Syahrul Nizam Kamaruzzaman
1
Building Surveying Department, Faculty of Built Environment,
University of Malaya
Dr Emma Ahmad Zawawi
2
& Aiman Omar
Department of Building, Faculty of Architecture, Planning &
Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Mara
1
syahrulnizam@um.edu.my
2
emmamarinie@salam.uitm.edu.my
heritage conservation is important for
historical evidence, architectural values,
education, local pride and tourism.
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Introduction
I
t is no surprise that heritage
buildings around the world
including Malaysia play an
important role in the history of
nations. Furthermore, historical
buildings are valuable because they are
important to the economy in terms of
tourism revenue. Therefore, the urge for
adequate maintenance and
preservation of historical buildings is
essential not only for cultural
development but also for economic
demands.
According to Ahmad ((a)2009),
heritage conservation is important for
historical evidence, architectural values,
education, local pride and tourism. He
said tourism is the second most
important sector in Malaysias economy,
with 22.5 million foreign tourists visiting
Malaysia in 2008, bringing in RM49.1
billion (USD16.2 billion) in revenue.
Some of the influences of Malaysias
heritage structures came through the
colonial British and Portuguese
influences. Other than introducing new
economic patterns, they have
eventually left their marks and impact
on Malaysia by constructing buildings
that reflect their architectural value, for
instance in cities such as Kuching,
Sarawak; George Town, Penang;
Malacca etc.
In Malaysia, historic buildings can be
found in most urban areas and some in
rural areas. The historic buildings can
be categorised into several types such
as traditional architecture (the
traditional timber Malay houses), shop
houses of inimitable architectural styles
(the Early Permanent Style, Straits
Eclectic Style or the Art Deco), colonial
influence (railway stations, old
government buildings, mansions and
courthouses); and religious buildings
(traditional and Moorish-influence
mosques, churches and temples)
(Ahmad,1998).
Today, some of these buildings still
remain undamaged and maintained
their inventive characters even as others
have been repainted for several times
or have new accessories to the
buildings. Sadly, a few have been left
redundant or demolished to give way
to modern development (Ahmad,
1998).
Current Scenario of
Heritage Buildings in
Malaysia
Recently in Malaysia, UNESCO has
declared George Town, Penang and
Malacca as UNESCO Heritage Sites
thereby making historical building
maintenance more important. This
status has brought the country involved
in what would be the biggest
conservation project known (Khor,
2009). Today, the Federal Government
is doing a lot more to help conserve
heritage buildings in Malaysia.
Efforts are now underway to restore
historical buildings in Perak. According
to the Archaeologist Division Principle
Assistant Director, Mat Nasir Baba in the
Star Online, Perak heritage buildings are
being restored. The efforts to restore
old buildings in the state will not only
preserve the countrys heritage but also
make them a tourist attraction
(Bernama, 2009). He further explained
that the department is now actively
carrying out research on several more
historical sites in Perak that can be
included in the restroration programme
(Bernama, 2009).
(a) Lack of Funds
It is not possible for a heritage
building to be free from decay and
deterioration. Maintenance work
does not only involve time and
inspection but it also engages
most importantly money. Most of
the tenants of shop houses in
Kuala Lumpur are of low income
status. Therefore, they face
maintenance issues with their
decayed buildings. Moreover,
certain tenants do not take any
action or initiative to remedy it and
some move out of the old buildings
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to live in modern buildings resulting in the
increase of abandoned historical shop
houses.
According to Fels (2002), most historical
buildings are demolished due to the
perception of high maintenance cost. As a
result of this, owners of these shop houses
allow the Government or Local Authority to
bring down these buildings because they
could not bare and/or afford the
maintenance of the buildings.
Due to lack of funds, these tenants will
eventually hire unskilled technicians or
labours to do the maintenance work which
sometimes do not comply with the
requirements and regulations of the Local
Authority.
Lacking in fund could be one of the
reasons why many of the old shop houses
are left in dilapidated state, particularly
unoccupied lots (Shamsuddin, 2005).
According to Choong (2006), there is no
sustainable value in heritage and many
heritage programmes were being run at a
loss. He said he once renovated his
historical building and spent RM50,000 but
at the end his return was 5% less than the
cost of the renovation. Compared to
Government buildings, it is easier to
maintain old buildings because there are
enough financial sources prepared by the
Government and Local Authority.
(b) Inadequate Acts and Unclear
Guidelines
According to Idid (1996), Malaysia still does
not have any Acts which specifically relate
to the concept of maintaining and
conserving heritage buildings. There are
very few Acts that contain
connection/linkage with heritage
conservation, some of them are:
Antiquities Act 1976 (Akta 168)
(abolished in Dec 2005)
Town Planning Act 1976 (Akta
Perancang Bandar 1976) (Akta 172)
Local Authority Act 1976 (Akta Kerajaan
Tempatan 1976) (Akta 171)
Rent Control Act 1976 (Akta Kawalan
Sewa) is actually an act to help
maintain affordable and similar rents
that has existed before World War II
National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645)
Ever since the Rent Control Act 1976
ceased in 2000, the problem was greatly
felt when sub-tenants had no choice but to
leave their property due increased rental
cost resulting in most heritage buildings
unoccupied. When these buildings were
left inhabited, real estate developers or
building owners will use the opportunity to
develop new buildings by demolishing the
existing structure in the intention of making
more profit. When there is no occupant in
the building, tenants will not have the
initiative and money to do the
maintenance work, therefore demolishing
or giving ways for new development was
their best solution. In other cases, the
repealing of the Rent and Control Act has
lead to many losses to landlords because
the tenants were making more profit by
sub-letting the building to sub-tenants with
higher rent rate compared to their pre-war
rent to the landlords. So, these landlords
refused to execute maintenance work for
the building leaving it to deteriorate as time
goes by.
The repeal of Antiquities Act 1976 with
National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645) has
clearly creates a huge impact towards
conservation practice in Malaysia.
(c) Lack of Specialist in Heritage
Building Maintenance
Lack of awareness among the locals in
maintaining heritage buildings created
setbacks for the Government and
authorities to make plans for the
development of a city may it be both for
new development and heritage sites. It is
through participatory processes that a city
develops visions and plans, monitors the
implementation of its plans and adjusts to
changing circumstances (Oberlander,
2009). Each and every parties involve shall
play their parts in accomplishing their citys
goal towards maintaining historical
buildings and sites. Developers, property
owners, clan associations, religious
organisations, heritage conservationists,
academics, architects, the heritage
commission, urban planners, municipal
authorities, and also international bodies
like UNESCO and the International Council
One of the sources of income to
Malaysia is from the tourism sector.
The percentage of tourists coming to
Malaysia has increased each year. But
what has changed in the demand of
these tourists has to be taken into
consideration.
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on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) must
play their part (Eng, 2009).
There also seems to be some
misunderstanding and misconception for
tenants with the requirements and provisions
stipulated by the Local Authority and
conservation bodies such as NGOs, National
Heritage Act etc. This can be express through
issues like plans and legislation provided by
Local Authorities or Government are not fully
understood by the public or there are little
communication between the authorities and
the public.
Not many people are aware of the
importance of protecting historical structures
therefore when there are new plans or
legislation set up by the Government or NGOs
problems will occur.
Below shows some of the problems which
usually arise when new plans regarding
conservation and maintenance regulations
are set out (Hamid, 2008):
The public often does not really
understand what a local plan is about.
Members of focus groups are given too
little time in advance to study the plans.
Public responses are often automatically
treated as complaints, creating a
challenging environment.
There is little subsequent communication
back to the public.
Communication back to the public often
only occurs after a decision has been
made.
Data Gathering
The site location for the case study is selected
based on the KL 2008 Development Control Plan
for historical buildings prepared by Kuala Lumpur
City Hall. The buildings fall under Category 1 in
the primary zone. Figure 1 below shows the map
of primary heritage zone with heritage buildings
Category 1 coloured in red.
Figure 1: Kuala Lumpur 2008 Development Control Plan Primary Heritage Zone Map Source (KLCH, 2009)
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The method used to gain data is through interviews. The
interviews were conducted through structured questions
in relation to the researchs objectives. The questions
were divided into two sections: the first question relates
to problems in maintaining heritage buildings and the
second, on the significance of maintaining heritage
buildings. The other questions consist of issues regarding
the guidelines in maintaining heritage buildings, the
availability of resources (manpower and materials), the
methods and procedures of
maintenance work applied,
the cost involved for
maintenance work and the
interviewees personal
opinion regarding factors
that play a key role towards
the importance of
maintaining heritage
buildings.
Other than interviews, other
data recorded such as
pictures and drawings were
also obtained from the
interviewees. It took two
and a half months to complete these interviews and data
collection. The measurements of the findings are based
on the agreement, clarity and amount.
Case Studies
Case studies help to classify and obtain concrete
information regarding maintenance work of heritage
buildings based on the current work executed by actual
maintenance management. It also provides
theoretical/conceptual information on how an old
Figure 2: Six Different Types of Building Function for the Case Studies
Building A Building B Building C
Building D Building E Building F
building is maintained. For this study, a total of six
heritage buildings under Category 1 were selected as the
case study. These buildings are located in the primary
zone consisting of different types of building functions. As
stated by KLCH (2009) in the Draft Kuala Lumpur City
Plan 2020, buildings that fall under Category 1 are
buildings that were previously gazetted under National
Heritage Act 2005 and fall under the jurisdiction of the
Commissioner for Heritage. Meanwhile, buildings located
in the primary zone indicate
that buildings of heritage
characteristics and
development are strictly
controlled to maintain its
existing environment and to
prevent alteration works of
non-gazetted buildings from
affecting the heritage
buildings.
As shown in Figure 2, these
buildings are all British
Colonial buildings with
Mogul architectural style
(also known as Moorish or
Indian Muslim style), Tudor, Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic
influence. In order to retain the individual building
anonymity, they are designated as Building A, Building B,
Building C, Building D, Building E and Building F.
Interpretation of Results
The interview was carried out on six different types of
building functions as shown in Figure 2. The respondents
for these case studies consist of supervisors, technician
coordinators, mechanical engineers, building manager
tourism is the second most
important sector in Malaysias
economy, with 22.5 million
foreign tourists visiting
Malaysia in 2008, bringing in
RM49.1 billion (USD16.2
billion) in revenue.
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and directors which include the Local Authority,
Government Departments and a private sector.
There were several obstacles and problems
experienced during data collection and
interviews. These problems have limited the
extensive effort in presenting a comprehensive
study. Thus, results presented below are the key
outcomes which are deemed complete and
relevant for the study.
(a) Clarity of Guidelines
Figure 3: Respondents Feedback on the Clarity of Guideline Available on
Conservation
Table 1: Types of Maintenance Work
Clear &
detail
17%
Clear but
difficult to follow
17%
Not Specific &
Not detail
66%
Unplanned
Maintenance
Building A
Planned
Corrective
Maintenance
Unplanned
Maintenance
Building B
Planned
Preventive
Maintenance
Planned
Corrective
Maintenance
Unplanned
Maintenance
Building C
Planned
Corrective
Maintenance
Unplanned
Maintenance
Building D
Planned
Corrective
Maintenance
Unplanned
Maintenance
Building E & F
Planned
Corrective
Maintenance
Unplanned
Maintenance
Building G
1 5 6 TOTAL
The respondents were asked if there is sufficient in-
house maintenance staff to execute maintenance
work. As per Figure 4, 43% of the respondents
disagree that there is enough in-house maintenance
staff to execute maintenance work themselves. 43%
of the respondents neither agree nor disagree with
the question and only 14% of the respondents totally
agree that there is enough in-house maintenance
staff to perform maintenance work in the building.
This clearly indicates that the current manpower for
the maintenance works is still an issue in their
organisations.
(c) Types of Maintenance Works
In Table 1 below, it can be defined that most of the
buildings perform unplanned maintenance and
planned corrective maintenance with the exception
of Building A, which only performs Unplanned
Maintenance and Building B, which performs all
three types of maintenance. The best way to achieve
excellent maintenance is to have good maintenance
management that match as closely as possible to the
expected requirements of the user (Pintelon, 1999).
In Figure 3 above, the total percentage of
66% of interviewees who agreed that the
current guidelines on maintaining heritage
buildings are not clear and are very general,
is the highest percentage. The result was
followed by a total of 17% of respondents
who agreed that the guidelines available
are clear and detailed. A further 17% clearly
mentioned that the guidelines are clear but
somehow it is difficult to follow.
(b) Availability of Resources
Disagree
43%
Totally agree
14%
Neither agree
nor disagree
43%
Figure 4: Respondents Feedback on Sufficient In-House Maintenance Staffs
to do the Maintenance Work
There are also certain
parties concerned that
if the Government
focuses to much on
the cost of maintainng
heritage buildings, it
may lead to losses to
the nation because it
will eventually delay
the countrys future
development.
(d) Annual Cost for Maintenance Works
In Figure 5 below, four out of six buildings
indicate that the annual expenditure of
maintenance work is above RM500, 000
(USD165,125) followed by Building C and
Building G with annual expenditure
between RM100,000 - RM200,000
(USD33,025 - USD66,050) and between
RM300,000 - RM400,000 (USD99,075 -
USD132,100). It is understood that
maintenance cost constitute to a huge
amount of the total building cost. The
various net lettable area per sqm are seen
to be the influential factor in the
determination of maintenance cost the
buildings.
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historical buildings are valuable
because they are important to the
economy in terms of tourism and
leisure. the urge for adequate
maintenance and preservation of
historical buildings is essential not
only for cultural development but also
for economic demands.
(e) Factors that Play the Key Role Towards
the Importance of Maintaining
Heritage Building
All of the respondents have the same opinion
on the main factors towards maintaining
heritage buildings, which is to maintain the
cultural identity. Conservation and
maintenance of old buildings is on a current
agenda relating to the built environment in
Malaysia. These buildings have important
implications with the nations chronological
development (Kayan & Zuraini, 2003).
Furthermore, historical buildings are valuable
because they are important to the economy in
terms of tourism and leisure. Therefore, the
urge for adequate maintenance and
preservation of historical buildings is essential
not only for cultural development but also for
economic demands.
(f) Building Defects are Mostly Caused
by Humans Due to Vandalism
Figure 6 below shows half of the total
respondents agree that building defects are
usually caused by humans. This is followed by
33% of the respondents who disagree with
the statement and only 17% of the total
respondents who neither disagree nor agree
with the statement.
Figure 5: Annual Expenditure for Maintenance Work
Figure 6: Respondents Feedback on Building Defects Caused Vandalism
Disagree
33%
Agree
50%
Neither agree
nor disagree
17%
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
R
M

i
n

t
h
o
u
s
a
n
d
Building A Building B Building C Building D Building E&F Building G
Discussion of Findings
Conservation and maintenance of heritage
buildings is on a current agenda relating to the
built environment in Malaysia. It is realised that
these buildings have important implications with
the nations chronological development (Kayan &
Zuraini, 2003). Most of these buildings face the
same problems such as the lack of maintenance
planning and adequate By-Laws regulations
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regarding historical building conservations,
which at the end of the day creates bigger crisis
in the future. This kind of problem is even
harder to solve especially when most of these
buildings have been gazetted.
There are also certain parties concerned that if
the Government focuses to much on the cost of
maintainng heritage buildings, it may lead to
losses to the nation because it will eventually
delay the countrys future development. As
highlighted by Surin & Hamid (2007) in the Sun
Online, it is the responsibility of the decision
makers in protecting these historical buildings
even though there are no proper guidelines and
appropriate systems in the current situation in
Malaysia.
Parties like Kuala Lumpur City Hall Urban
Design and Heritage Unit whose duty is to
ensure unlisted buildings under the heritage
unit are well maintained and preserved. But
problems still arise for instance, expansive
maintenance cost and lack of incentives given
to owners of heritage buildings to undertake
the neccesary maintenance steps.
We need to have fiscal incentives to spur and
encourage owners and developers of heritage
buildings and conservation areas to undertake
conservation and revitalisation programmes,
and to stimulate conservation and restoration
activities (Surin & Hamid, 2007).
One of the sources of income to Malaysia is
from the tourism sector. The percentage of
tourists coming to Malaysia has increased each
year. But what has changed in the demand of
these tourists has to be taken into
consideration. Nowadays, tourists from all over
the world travel not only for holiday and leisure,
but also for educational purposes. Therefore, it
is necessary to maintain our existing historical
buildings because not only does it help
motivate the nation to be proud of our
historical buildings, it is also a source of income
to the country. However, the problem here is
the cost to constantly maintaining these
buildings for certain parties.
Another issue relating to the maintaining
heritage buildings in Malaysia, particularly in
Kuala Lumpur, is that the existing guidelines
can be a little bit misleading, complicated and
not easily understood by people. This leads to
problems such as the demolition of the Bok
House in 2008.
There are also other problems that do not
comply with the guidelines or laws regarding
old building maintemance. It involves the
mentality and openness of public towards
maintaining heritage buildings. This can be a
difficult task for the Government and activists to
encourage and create awareness in the public,
especially the younger generations on the
importance of maintaining heritage buildings
and sites where they have not been exposed to
the uniqueness of the architectural and
structural value of these buildings. They lack the
spirit of nationality because they have never
gone through war and have not been exposed
to the historical technology in constructing old
structures. Malaysia is a multi-racial country that
consists of many different races, religious and
ethnic groups. Each and every of these races
have their own unique identity and
characteristics for instance, their festivals and
lifestyles. As time goes by, people tend to
change their way of life. This has affected the
mentality of the public, especially the younger
generations in maintaining and appreciating
heritage buildings. People are likely to live in a
modern lifestyle like apartments and newly
constructed houses using latest technology.
Conclusion
After undergoing several interviews and findings
for this research, in can be concluded that the
maintenance and conservation of heritage
buildings in Malaysia is still in its developing
stages compared to developed countries like
the United Kingdom, where they are more
advanced and are very vocal when comes to
preserving their buildings historical value. This
research is carried out with the aim to identify
alternative methods or solutions in maintaining
heritage buildings. This aim was achieved
through the attempt of doing several interviews
with different parties. These aims can be
attained through the recommendations
suggested earlier, especially the
recommendation suggested by the Department
of Heritage Malaysia. The understanding and
realisation of the objectives and aims has made
this research a success. This research offers
information on the common management
problems faced by maintenance management
in maintaining heritage buildings and has
highlighted several issues mainly on guidelines
involved, availability of resources, cost and the
importance of maintaining heritage buildings.
Moreover, the research offers a helpful base for
future research on maintaining heritage
buildings.

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