DEFECTS AND DILAPIDATION OF BRITISH COLONIAL BUILDINGS IN NEGERI SEMBILAN, MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24191/myse.v12i2.1659Keywords:
Defects and dilapidation, Colonial architecture, British colonization, Malaysian heritage, Historical preservationAbstract
Colonial buildings in Malaysia play a pivotal role in revealing the nation’s rich history. The advent of British colonisation in the early 19th century not only reshaped the political landscape but also left a lasting imprint on the architectural heritage of the era. However, the passage of time has posed significant challenges to the structural integrity of these heritage structures, with defects progressively compromising their stability. This paper aims to identify specific flaws in two colonial buildings in Negeri Sembilan and propose effective solutions to prevent their deterioration. These buildings were selected as case studies because colonial architecture in Negeri Sembilan has received less attention compared to other prominent Malaysian states, despite the rich collection of British colonial architecture in Seremban. By employing a comprehensive methodology that includes observational studies of these buildings with varied functions and historical contexts, along with interviews with building owners and government officials, this research provides valuable insights into the accumulated defects and strategies for mitigation. The primary causes of these defects were identified as environmental factors, with high humidity, rain exposure, and natural aging being significant contributors. This study underscores the urgent need for systematic maintenance and highlights the importance of conserving these architectural gems, officially recognised as part of our national heritage. Serving as a call to action, this research advocates for collective efforts to ensure the preservation and enduring existence of these invaluable historical assets.
References
Ahmad, A. G. (1994). Conservation of British Colonial Buildings Built between 1800 and 1930 in Malaysia (Ph.D. thesis). University of Sheffield.
Alauddin, K., Ishak, M. F., & Wazir, M. A. M. (2018). Perak heritage mosques: Evaluating the defects of building elements. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment, 4(1), 77–94. doi: 10.24191/myse.v4i1.5608.
Al-Obaidi, K. M., Wei, S. L., Ismail, M. A., & Kam, K. J. (2017). Sustainable building assessment of colonial shophouses after adaptive reuse in Kuala Lumpur. Buildings, 7(4), 87–104. doi: 10.3390/buildings7040087.
Asif, N., Utaberta, N., & Sarram, A. (2019). Architectural styles of Malaysian mosque: Suitability in compact urban settings. In MATEC Web of Conferences, 266, 06001. doi: 10.1051/matecconf/201926606001.
Awang, A., Nasir, M. R. M., & Mohamad, W. S. N. W. (2020). A review on the impacts of plants towards heritage buildings. Journal of Applied Art, 2(1), 94–101.
Bujang, N., Misni, A., & Raub, A. B. A. (2023). Determinant of architectural features of Istana Bandar Alaeddin Selangor. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1217, 012012. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1217/1/012012.
Chau, K. T., Nasir, N. A. S. A., & Valerie, T. V. Y. (2020). Preference of 2D animation style in Malaysian colonial shophouses multimedia courseware. In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Multimedia and Image Processing (ICMIP ’20), 180–184. doi: 10.1145/3381271.3381304.
Dai, M., & Zhou, X. (2019). Research on the overseas Chinese shophouse culture in Penang, Malaysia in Qing Dynasty: A case study of Penang island. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Art Studies: Science, Experience, Education (ICASSEE 2019), 190–192. doi: 10.2991/icassee-19.2019.37.
Hanafi, M. H., Umar, M. U., Razak, A. A., Rashid, Z. Z. A., Noriman, N. Z., & Dahham, O. S. (2018). Common defect of colonial buildings in Malaysia. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 454, 012186. doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/454/1/012186.
Ibrahim, I., Baş, A., & Zakariya, K. (2023). Cultural heritage and urban tourism in historic cities: Case study of Melaka, Malaysia, and Istanbul, Türkiye. Journal of Architecture, Planning and Construction Management, 13(2), 69–81.
Jabatan Warisan Negara. (2024). Tapak warisan. In Pengiktirafan. https://www.heritage.gov.my/my/tapak-warisan/list/3.html?resetfilters=0&clearordering=0&clearfilters=0.
Johar, S., Che-Ani, A. I., Tawil, N. M., Surat, M., & Kamaruzzaman, S. N. (2013). Preliminary survey and defects analysis of traditional timber mosques in Malaysia. WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, 9(1), 13–23.
Mamat, M. J., & Aziz, M. F. A. (2020). The entity – Identity relationships of old shop houses in Perak through facade design. Planning Malaysia, 18(13), 51–70. doi: 10.21837/pm.v18i13.775.
Mansor, R., Mydin, M. A. O., Ismail, M., & Harun, W. M. W. (2012). Categorization of general problems and defects in historical building. Analele Universităţii “Eftimie Murgu” Reşiţa, XIX(1), 127–136.
Merriam-Webster. (2024). Dilapidation. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilapidations.
Rahim, A. A., Aripin, S., Sapian, A. R., & Zubir, H. (2022). Capturing the heritage of British colonial school building through measured drawings in Malaysia: a case of PULAPOL Batu Lama School. International Journal of Environment, Architecture, and Societies, 2(1), 16–26. doi: 10.26418/ijeas.2022.2.1.16-26.
Ramli, M. A., Kamarazaly, M. A., Shi, L. X., Ibrahim, F. I., Mohamed, M. R., & Jhun, K. K. (2021). Building defects and restoration techniques of heritage buildings in Malaysia. Malaysian Construction Research Journal (MCRJ), 12(1), 76–89.
Rashid, N. S. A., & Heath, T. (2024). Faktor penentu yang mempengaruhi amalan penyesuaigunaan semula rumah kedai warisan di Zon Teras Melaka bandaraya warisan dunia. International Journal of Art and Design, 8(1), 44–68. doi: 10.24191/ijad.v8i1,%20SI-1.1267.
Rashid, S., Baharuddin, N., & Alauddin, K. (2021). The history and transformation of Perak Malay traditional house. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment, 8(3), 71–86. doi: 10.24191/myse.v8i1.12661.
Sanusi, A. N. Z., Azmin, A. K., Abdullah, F., & Kassim, M. H. (2020). Passive design strategies of colonial mosques in Malaysia. In A. Sayigh (Ed.), Green Buildings and Renewable Energy (pp. 247–262). Springer.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2024). Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca. In World Heritage List. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1223.
Zolkafli, U. K., Zakaria, N., Mazlan A. M., & Ali, A. S. (2018). Maintenance work for heritage buildings in Malaysia: Owners’ perspectives. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 31(1), 186–195. doi: 10.1108/IJBPA-07-2018-0062.
Zwain, A., & Bahauddin, A. (2019). Place identity in the eclectic style interiors of vernacular courtyard shop-houses in heritage city, George Town, Malaysia. ISVS e-journal, 6(1), 32–41.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
MySE journal is a scholarly online, open access, peer reviewed journal.
Effective from June 2023, the Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
