British architecture in peninsular Malaysia: an analytical study of architectural characteristics for colonial buildings in hill stations / Abu Bakar Abd. Raub

The roots of the colonial buildings in Peninsular Malaysia hill stations lie in the early attempts of British colonization to build a cool retreat or the ‘Little England’ for British military and comrade traders. There are many colonial buildings that rich in history and architectural merits but are in a state of deterioration and dilapidation in hill stations of Peninsular Malaysia. Due to that, there is a dire need to protect and to restore these buildings heritage but one needs to have accurate technical knowledge and systematic documentation. The purpose of this research is to provide an accurate roster as a valuable reference and also to determine the methods and techniques of building masonry construction and materials of colonial buildings that reflected the characteristics of British Architecture. The research has been carried out in two main methods, which are the primary and secondary data collections. The primary data is obtained from selected case studies and the fieldwork includes building inventory, photo recording, visual analysis, measured drawing and semi-structured interviews. Meanwhile, the secondary data are gathered from literature review, which include books on history, building construction, restoration and conservation, and data on British colonial architecture. Secondary data also include articles, journals, newspapers, websites, and magazines with particular reference to colonial architecture in United Kingdom, India and Malaysia. Comparative analysis of these case studies have been carried out and unveiled the real situation on building construction and materials in term of components, elements, and ornamentations as well as to create the culture of authenticity for localized architecture. Four selected major hill stations involved are Penang Hill, Penang; Maxwell Hill, Perak; Fraser’s Hill, Pahang/ Selangor, and Cameron Highlands, Pahang. Through several interviews and documentation study on methods and techniques of construction, several issues and findings have been achieved, documented, analyzed and synthesized. The results show the localized architecture differs between the British original buildings and the British colonial buildings built in tropical climate of Peninsular Malaysia. In conclusion, for any tangible and intangible information or involvement of construction and conservation for colonial buildings in hill stations; the Construction Direction Roster (CDR) should be abide systematically at anytime by all industry players concerned for the preservation of authenticity of the British colonial buildings, historical place and cultural environment.