Conservation of Heritage Curtilages in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract

Built environment heritage is increasingly vulnerable in South East Asia due to increasing urbanisation and rapid urban development. This dissertation examines the value of the concept of heritage curtilages in Malaysia, with an explicit focus on Kuala Lumpur. The concept is still relatively new in the field of heritage conservation and it is closely related to concepts of setting or context. Curtilage comprises a broader aspect as it takes into consideration all elements involved in retaining heritage curtilage and interpreting the significance of a specific heritage item within an area. Among these elements are the functional uses, visual links, scale and significant features. The conservation of heritage curtilage has the significant potential to enhance the richness and contextual settings of heritage buildings in Malaysia. While conservation efforts are improving, there is still limited research which focuses on the implementation of heritage curtilage as a conservation practice and a strategy. Moreover, it is necessary to improve understanding of how heritage curtilage relates to and enhances the significance of individual heritage places. This dissertation initially discusses the theoretical issues and complexities related to the definition of heritage curtilage, with reference to specific initiatives in Malaysia, as influenced both by the local legislators and international heritage organisations. This discussion is followed by a comparative analysis of Gazetted heritage buildings in Kuala Lumpur. The study is further informed by a series of open-ended interviews with selected practitioners, conducted in Australia and Malaysia, who were invited to define and visualise the value and importance of local heritage curtilage in Malaysia. The results from the comparative analysis and interviews provided detailed insights into the current conservation issues related to heritage curtilage development in Malaysia. The findings revealed varied disciplinary understandings of the theories and the concepts of heritage curtilage as well as diverse attitudes to the legal aspects of implementing the concept of heritage curtilage in Malaysia. Based upon qualitative analysis of this data, this dissertation has defined the relevant criteria that could be applied to identify local heritage curtilages. This criterion is therefore proposed with a view to aid future Malaysian conservation efforts together with effective legal implementation. Hence, it is intended that this criteria will establish a methodological and procedural framework to conserve the heritage significance of the curtilage of Malaysian heritage buildings and not just buildings in their own right.