Categorisation of preservation for the selected Rumah Bumbung Perak in Kuala Kangsar, Perak

Abstract

Traditional Malay houses are one example of Malaysia’s cultural heritage endangered by the onslaught of modern development. The inconsistent approaches in evaluating ways for the preservation of heritage buildings, such as the traditional Malay house, also make it difficult to preserve these structures. The research aims are to determine the category of preservation of the traditional Malay houses by the residents in Kuala Kangsar, Perak and to establish their reasons that lead to each of the category. Its objectives included determining what components signified traditional Malay house, thus determining its value as an object of history and preservation; to determine the categories of preservation related to traditional Malay houses in the Kuala Kangsar district; and to examine the reasons that influenced the categories of preservation. Rumah Bumbung Perak, a type of traditional house found in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, were selected for detailed observation. The condition of selected 20 samples of the traditional Malay house was investigated by using building’s visual investigation survey and via semi- structured interview. An observation checklist was designed to investigate the presence and conditions of 14 types of house components. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 residents of the houses to have an in-depth understanding about the preservation categories. The results revealed that the preservation of the traditional Malay houses in Kuala Kangsar could be divided into three categories with 6 houses highly preserved, 13 houses moderately preserved, and 1 house that were poorly preserved. The findings indicated that the preservation of traditional Malay houses in Kuala Kangsar was influenced by five main reasons: (1) financial problems, (2) lack of awareness among the users, (3) changes on the daily needs of the users, (4) material defects, and (5) changes in building owners. By knowing these reasons, it assisted the residents in making decisions regarding their house maintenance. It is expected that this study could contribute some benefits to the residents, various government agencies, heritage body, society and by all those who concerned with the preservation of heritage buildings in Malaysia.