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International Journal of Designinternational 1(2021) Journal 7-16 of Design 1 (2021) 7-16 1 | International Journal of DesignInternational 1(2021) Journal 7-16 of Design 1 (2021) 7-16 International Journal of Design Universitas Komputer Indonesia Journal homepage: https://ojs.unikom.ac.id/index.php/injudes Architectural Identity Design of Shophouses in George Town Heritage City: Significance and Definition Akram Zwain*, Azizi Bahauddin** School of Housing, Building & Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, E-mail: [email protected]*, [email protected]** A B S T R A C T S A R T I C L E I N F O In George Town Heritage City, there is a perception that Article History: Received 16 Aug 2018 the styles of the shophouses were influenced by the Revised 20 Aug 2018 western and eastern cultures but how far regarding the Accepted 25 Aug 2018 definition and origin of the name “shophouses” and Available online 09 Sep 2018 significance of the interior architectural identity design ___________________ are yet to receive in-depth research in Malaysia. _ Keywords: Therefore, this paper appraises the definition of Definitions of Shophouses; shophouses in the region with an emphasis on the Identity; George Town; significance of the interior architectural identity design. Influence Architecture and This has become necessary because the shophouse is Design. one of the key components that enhanced the city to be enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2008. To achieve the main aim, observation, case studies, and secondary sources were combined in the study. Findings show that the significance of the interior architectural identity design regarding the definition of shophouses has been silent in the literature and was addressed as part of the paper’s implications. Also, the emerged findings will be relevant to stakeholders because the definition revealed the significance of interior architectural identity design as one of the architectural components that influence and govern shophouses design. Zwain and Bahauddin. Architectural Identity Design of Shophouses in George...| 8 1. INTRODUCTION The multicultural population in George Town influenced the interior George Town City in Malaysia has a design space and components of the multicultural population and was a shophouses regarding cultural symbols former British business port. Among the and lifestyle of the people living in the leading communities in the city are the shophouses. The shophouse is one of Chinese, Malay, and Indian since its the unique heritage buildings in the colonial era to date. Musa and Feng WHS because of its novel interior (2016) and Municipal Council of Penang architectural identity design and has six Island (MPPP) (2008) reported that in main architectural styles. The July 2008, George Town City was classification has a link with the period enlisted as one of the UNESCO World it was developed (Zwain & Bahauddin, Heritage Sites (WHSs) status. This is in 2017). The authors affirmed that most acknowledgement of having an Chinese immigrants that settled in exceptional architectural and cultural Straits Settlements were from Southern townscape deprived of equal anywhere China as presented in Figure 1. in East and Southeast Asia. One of the Evidence from the existing literature attributes of George Town is the ability shows that several scholars such as Foo to demonstrate incomparable range of and Krishnapillai (2019), See and Goh shophouses and with more than 5,000 (2019), Abdulqader et al. (2016), and Tan shophouses within the WHS, as the and Fujita (2014) have research highest concentration of pre-war regarding shophouses in George Town shophouses in Southeast Asia (Tan & City but no in-depth study about the Fujita, 2014). For more than two definition and origin of the name centuries, these shophouses have “shophouses” and significance of the enhanced diversity from the western to interior architectural identity design. the eastern cultural and social Foo and Krishnapillai (2019) appraised background development at different the effect of George Town World phases (Abdulqader, Ibrahim, & Heritage Site (GTWHS) inscription on Bahauddin, 2016). These shophouses its intangible living heritage and found were blended with local art and that approval from UNESCO has architectural design styles with an increased the social and economic emphasis on the geographical location of activities in the shophouses; See and the dwellers. This has enhanced Goh (2019) assessed the impact of some community participation tourism in the variables, such as social influence, city and in principle, sustaining the experience quality, perceived price and intangible cultural heritage displaced authenticity, and preceding knowledge (Tan, Tan, Kok, & Choon, 2018). Thus, on tourists intent to spent holiday in various studies have been conducted heritage hotels at GTWHS and found regarding George Town shophouses but that the variables where significant how far regarding the definition and positively; Abdulqader et al. (2016) origin of the name “shophouses” and explored the concept of the attractive significance of the interior architectural interior design of the shophouse with identity design are yet to receive in- emphasis on interior space; and Tan and depth research in Malaysia. Fujita (2014) studied the composition of the shophouses building materials and 9 | International Journal of Design 1(2021) 7-16 found that there was no comprehensive ii. To examine the significance of record and the key materials exhibited architectural identity design of Chinese, Indian, and British but applied shophouses in GTHC. available local materials mostly. The The paper concentrated on the main existing literature indicates a gap. issue – what is the significance of architectural identity design regarding the definition of shophouses in GTHC? Therefore, this paper is divided into five sections. First is the introduction section that comprises the study’s background and stated objectives. Second is the summary of the main findings of previous studies. This includes the architectural identity design of shophouses in GTHC. The third is the methodology section. This includes a combination of two approaches for data collection and analysed accordingly. Following next is the findings from the observation and case studies and followed with the discussion section. The last but not the least is the conclusion section. Fig. 1. The period of Chinese 2. ARCHITECTURAL IDENTITY immigrants to Straits Settlements. DESIGN OF SHOPHOUSES Source (penangshophouse.com.my). This section reviewed the literature Thus, this paper attempts to appraise relevant to shophouses architectural the definition of shophouses in the identity design. Architectural identity is region with emphasis on the significance classified into interior and exterior, but of the interior architectural identity the focus of this paper is on the interior design. This has become necessary space components. Zhang (2016) opined because the shophouse is one of the key that the courtyard garden is one of the components that enhanced the city to be main identities and attributes of enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage traditional shophouses. In many Chinese list in 2008. This is one of the shophouses, the internal courtyard ensures that the indoor thermal comfort justifications for this paper and will be without relying on air-conditioning achieved via the following objectives (Kubota, Zakaria, Abe, & Toe, 2017). below: Also, the wooden partition and staircase i. To appraise the definition of are examples of the architectural identity shophouses in George Town design of the shophouses, both are made Heritage Town (GTHC). from carved frames and timber (Tan, 2015). The significance of fountain and Zwain and Bahauddin. Architectural Identity Design of Shophouses in George...| 10 plants at the courtyard as attributes of definition of shophouses. This may have architectural identity design of reduced awareness regarding shophouses cannot be over-emphasised. preservation and sustainability of the Shan (2016) found that as closer heritage buildings and possibly courtyard space between man and enhances alterations and modifications. nature, flowers and trees are vital. In This is a major concern to key summary, the interior design stakeholders in the shophouses sector. components of shophouses are the An attempt has been made to address internal partitions, fountains, traditional courtyard, and the variations of eclectic these issues and reported in themes in straits courtyard shophouses, staircases, this section. The themes are the plants at courtyard area, spatial layout definition of shophouses in George organisation and function, ceiling, doors, Town, the significance of shophouses and flooring. These components play a architecture components, and the significant role in the definition of the influence of design and architecture in term “shophouse”. the shophouses. 3. METHODOLOGY 4.1. Definition of Shophouses in This paper adopted a mixed George Town, Penang approach to data collection. This include Evidence from secondary sources case studies, observation, and secondary shows that shophouses that are known sources. Architectural documentation in Malay as “Rumah Kedai” were data and visualising materials were constructed between the 17th to early employed in line with Creswell (2013). 20th century along the Straits The case studies focused on the six main Settlements. These heritage houses are heritage shophouses built between 1790s novel in their architectural design styles. - 1960s. Evidence from the preliminary Findings agree with Zwain and investigation showed
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