$KPDG 6DUML +RXVHV ZLWK KLVWRULFDO …...2011/09/14 · Headline Ahmad Sarji: Houses with...
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Ahmad Sarji Houses with historical value need urgent attentionTHE Rumah Kutai in Kuala Kangsarpainstakingly restored by BadanWarisan in 1994 is now a painfulsight for thosewho know its immensevalueBuilt more than 120 years ago the
timber house located near the Perak
River had survived three major floodsand is believed to be the only remaining house of its type in the areaIt was identified by the Perak
Museum as an important structureand lauded as a landmark in thestate
Against all odds Badan Warisanrestored the structure to its originalglory despite its limited financialresources with the late conservationarchitect Chen Voon Fee who wasalso Badan Warisan s founding member leading the teamThe project also received a Juror s
Award in the Malaysian Institute ofArchitects PAM ArchitecturalAwards1995 in the Conservation and AdaptiveRe Use Building CategoryThe house was handed back to the
family but without a clear cut consensus among the relatives as to whoshould maintain it The house hassince been neglected and now on theverge of collapseThe shrunken road setback as a
result of road widening work madethe condition even more difficult forpreservation The current legislationthat categories the modest timberhouses as only temporary structureand hence with no Certificate ofFitness did not help with creating abetter awareness either
The diminishing skilled craftsmenhas made the matter worseBadan Warisan Malaysia president
Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid saidthe Rumah Kutai was the jewel in thecrown
It is a legacy of the craftsmanshipof the Malay builder If a pricelessheritage like this can be in such astate of deterioration people will becynical about us and the authorityhe saidAhmad Sarji speaks with emotions
when it comes to old buildings andtraditional Malay timber houses aredear to his heartThe Rumah Penghulu in Kedah
was another traditional timber housedating back to the 920s cruelly ravaged by time It was fortunate enoughto be saved in time and transportedto the safe zone in Badan Warisan spremises in Jalan Stonor KualaLumpur in 1996 The project involving Universiti Teknologi MalaysiaForest Research Institute Malaysiaand Universiti Malaya took morethan a yearBomoh House in Changkat Jering
was another significant restorationproject and luckily the owners tookgood care since then and BadanWarisan s effort did not go down thedrainSeveral other traditional timber
buildings in Kelantan andTerengganuwere also restored in the late 1980sand early 1990s
Very few Kutai houses remain
and of these many have been abandoned or have been changed andtherefore have lost some degree ofauthenticity
Surveys conducted in the late1970s and early 2000s show thenumber of Kutai houses in the KualaKangsar and surrounding districtsfell from about 100 to around 40 hesaid adding that Badan Warisan wasready to offer its expertise to save thehouses again but needed fundingWith roads replacing rivers as the
major mode of transportationnumerous Malay timber housesalong the river banks are left abandoned and have become termite
infested including those of promi
nent people as their children migrated to the citiesWith regards to this Ahmad Sarji
called for an immediate compilationof a directory of all existing Malaytimber houses that have historicalarchitectural or other values witheach of the structures to be recordedand categorised so that differentstages of repair or restoration can becarried out to save themHe appealed to corporations for
sponsorship while Badan Warisan sstrong network of experts wouldtake up the task like how the organisation delivered the Warisan Nusa acomprehensive book on urban heritage with funds from Shell Malaysia
This has to be done quickly beforethe weather poses more damage tothese houses and development takesplace he said
Headline Ahmad Sarji: Houses with historical value need urgent attentionDate 14 Sep 2011 Language EnglishMediaTitle The Star (Kuching) Page No S9Section NEWS Article Size 714 cm
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Journalist N/A Color Full ColorFrequency Daily ADValue 9,537Circ / Read 293,375 / 1,026,812 PRValue 28,612
Headline Ahmad Sarji: Houses with historical value need urgent attentionDate 14 Sep 2011 Language EnglishMediaTitle The Star (Kuching) Page No S9Section NEWS Article Size 714 cm
2
Journalist N/A Color Full ColorFrequency Daily ADValue 9,537Circ / Read 293,375 / 1,026,812 PRValue 28,612