Challenges faced due to commercialisation in preservation of the authenticity of Melaka Shophouses on Hang Jebat Street

ABSTRACT HISTORY

Malaysia’s naonal populaon has been gradually increasing IN the late 14th century, Malacca as a small fishing village grew which is the cause of severe commercializaon of old sites. Melaka rapidly to a large port and emprorium. The wealth of Malacca shop houses have also been a prime target of commercializaon drew aenon from strong European countries, largely driven by and as they are currently undermined by civil expansion it has capitalism. The colonial period of Malacca lasted from early 16th caused transformaon of the old and historic city of Melaka. The to mid-20th century. The city has witnesses the changing fate of reconstrucon and revitalizaon of the historical structures has European powers, whose legacies have been intricately woven also negavely impacted the community around the chosen site into its urban form. severely and has lead to loss of heritage value of the site.

The aim of this study is to address challenges faced due to commercialisaon in preserving the tangible cultural heritage assets in Melaka shop houses located on Hang Jebat Street (Jonker Street), which is the authencity of the shop houses in Melaka.

INTRODUCTION CASE STUDY INTRODUCTION TO MELAKA SHOP HOUSES LAYOUT OF ORIGINAL MELAKA SHOP HOUSES HANG JEBAT STREET Melaka is the historical state in Malaysia that’s famous with its Hang Jebat street, or famously known as Jonker street is situated heritage and colonial structures. It was here that colonial forces at the western bank of Melaka River. It's a five hundred meter long first made contact with Malaysia, which eventually shaped the street with row houses dang back to 17th century. country into its current economic and polical system. The main The street traces back to the mes of Dutch colonisaon where the aracon here are the tradional Melaka shophouse, which street served as a residence for many merchants and officials and normally have two or more storeys, evolved from a ulitarian servants of the Dutch Masters. During the Reign on Dutchman, the commercial structure into somemes ornate residenal terrace street progressed as a booming business area due to the influence houses. The chinese elements blended with classical European of the rich families around. It was the most eligible area to start decoraons and a lot of Malay touches, such as wooden screens business ventures. carved with Islamic-inspired themes. The tenants usually use the Over the years, the Chinese influence became apparent on the first floor for commercial purposes, and reside in the upper floors. street and it became informally known as the Chinatown of The building is not free standing, it is connected to several other Melaka. Today, it's a very famous tourist aracon. shophouses, which create a shophouse block. This shophouse is repeated to form streets and town squares. RESEARCH QUESTIONS METHODOLOGY 1. How are the original architectural elements of shophouses in Hang Jebat street different from 1600s to present day ? -Literature review : Understanding the subject of research through references and research quesons. 2. Why has he usage of buildings on Hang Jebat street changed over the period of me? -Idenficaons : Idenfying the issues and scope of studies related to the research topic. 3. How does the difference in construcon material affect the heritage value of the Buildings across Hang Jebat street? -Analysis : Analysing the findings by illustraon diagrams, drawings, pictures and publicaons. 4. How has the belief of Feng Shui affected the architecture on Hang Jebat street? FINDINGS 1. How are the original architectural elements of shophouses in Hang Jebat street different from 1700s and 1800s to present day ? 2. Why has the usage of buildings on Hang Jebat street changed over the period of time? 17TH CENTURY: DUTCH STYLE 18TH CENTURY: EARLY SHOPHOUSE STYLE LAND IN USE : PRESENT 2000s USAGE OF THE BUILDINGS: PRESENT 2000s

-Simple facade design -Recessed ground floor -Limited openings on upper floor. -Simple pitched roof -One central window or two symmetrical windows -Upper floor facade supported by squat pillars -Symmetrical facade design of centralised doors and two windows. -Connuous row of parallel or louvered shuers -Five foot way not connected to adjacent buildings

The original construcon dang back to the 17th century, were Dutch style houses. The shophouses The early form is built to the street edge with recessed ground floor forming a pedestrian walkway, at Hang Jebat Street had high roofs. The floors and corridors were lined with intricate les, generally simple in detail and relavely low in scale. HANG JEBAT STREET Mostly commercialised teak front doors were carved with family names or moos in gold calligraphy. 1 2

PRESENT 2000s - ART DECO STYLE 3 4 PRESENT 2000s - EARLY MODERN STYLE USER DISTRIBUTION USAGE OF THE BUILDINGS: PRESENT 2000s

-While Jonker Street (from the Dutch Jonker) was named aer a place for “young noblemen” who had not quite made it to the upper level of nobility. The residenal townhouses were occupied by wealthy traders, merchan, officials and servants of the Dutch Masters, as their -Radically ornamented residences. The Hang Jebat street was known for the rich people. -Simplified approach towards architecture -Clean cut openings -As the structures were catering the local residents back in the days they were residenal. Due to -Aesthecs derived from simplicity the growing needs of the people over the years, and the tourism in Melaka, the shophouses -Strong vercal or horizontal emphasis to structure were developed further into commercial blocks across the street, as a capital generang factor. -Windows are arranged in groups and use of metal They sll are a portrayal of the heritage of Melaka. frames -Preservaon of the genuine shophouses along the street was difficult as people developed the -Date of construcon on facades of the building structures over me to meet their needs, which resulted in the loss of the original heritage of Dutch and Chinese migrant people. -Canlevered sunshades -Today, the street has been excessively commercialised with many museums, hotels and

restaurants, resulng in the loss of the heritage value of the place . The original usage of the Inspired by classical mofs first developed ineuropean and US in1920s, characterized by streamline, -Over the years, the architecture elements featured in the shophouse construcon have been geometrical design, materials such as glass and steel. changed due to the abundant influence from different groups of people that resided in the area shop houses has become irrelevant as they have been skillfully converted to hotels commercial such Chinese influences, Dutch influences, Portuguese influences and so on. blocks.

3. How does the difference in construction material affect the heritage value of 4. How has the belief of Feng Shui affected the architecture on Hang Jebat street? the Buildings across Hang Jebat street?

17TH-18TH CENTURY: DUTCH STYLE 18TH–1850S EARLY SHOPHOUSE STYLE ART DECO STYLE EARLY MODERN STYLE FENG SHUI ELEMENTS ARCHITECTURAL BELIEFS IN FENG SHUI -Feng Shui literally translates as “wind- water” in English and is the Chinese art or -The front entry should be clean, unencumbered and well pracce of posioning objects or structures maintained. The quality of the entry door determines the so as to harmonize with spiritual forces. It quality of the energy entering the home. is based on a belief in paerns of Yin and Yang and the flow of energies (Chi) that -The ideal house proporon is square, followed by have posive and negave effects. The rectangular. pracce commonly influences orientaon, placement, or arrangement. -Areas of rest should be kept separate from areas of work.

MATERIALS MATERIALS MATERIALS MATERIALS Reinforced concrete masonry Reinforced concrete -There should be a place for everything to be stored and Walls: Dutch bricks plastered with Lime Walls: Masonry dividing walls -The correct re-arranging of Feng Shui elements leads to an improvement in people’s lives, rooms should be cluer free. Roof: Timber Floor: Timber upper floors health, relaonship and wealth. This was a belief very strongly followed throughout the me

Roof: Tiled roof period as the Southern Chinese style became an influence on the construcon. -The center of a house should be empty to let the energy SIGNIFICANCE AND AUTHENTICITY 1 2 circulate properly.

Authenc and significant factor of the shophouses in Melaka are – -The materials used in the construcon of Hang Jebat Street, are lime concrete, mortar and

1.DESIGN: Two stories high plaster. CONFIGURATION LAYOUT 3 4 GOOD FENG SHUI BAD FENG SHUI 2.WORKMANSHIP: Decorave elements like doors and windows in two halves. 3.MATERIALS: Dutch bricks: rectangular in size, quite light, not so high and not very thick. The -As restoraon of the buildings took place, it strongly meddled with the aesthecs values of the plaster on the walls building. In context to the materials used in the structure for restoraon, Lime concrete which the hardwood framing of the windows, wall anchors and hinges of doors and windows. was used in original construcon does not share the same aesthec values as precast Concrete 4.SETTING: Historic city of Melaka. in the present construcon, and so on.

Authencity has not limited the consideraon to original form and structure but it has also -Preserving the real structure is a challenge as the structural defects along the main elements included all the subsequent modificaons and addions, over the course of me, which also poses are severe damages and need restoraon or reconstrucon. Being built a few years ago, its very -The belief has been alive in the construcon and renovaons, up unl the present day. It’s an old arsc and historical essence. tradion that has been followed for many years and it has proven to be beneficial to the people difficult to find the same materials used in the 17th century, now. throughout.

-Changes in the materials gives a very different visual and touch to the building which is -According to the beliefs, it brings in good energies and the correct placement of elements provides a fruiul future for the structure as well as the people. modified from the original state. Hence, the heritage values of the buildings would not be as

appreciated as how it was before, which would result in the loss of ethnicity and authencity of -Feng Shui is sll pracsed today, but not as rigidly as before. The aesthec value of the building is The Renovaons without regarded on the building characterisc make the façade seem lost to their the structures and the history of the streets itself. synchronized with the beliefs and is altered accordingly, sll trying to hold on to the authenc history. elements of construcon. CONCLUSION REFERENCES

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