The Tolerance and Limits of Acceptable Change in Heritage Buildings: The Case of Traditional Shophouses in Malaysia

Abstract

The protection of heritage buildings is of utmost importance. In today's world, historic buildings face various threats that push them to the brink of extinction or marginalisation. The natural fatigue process of buildings, uncontrolled urbanisation and socio-technical change are among the main driving forces. Therefore, heritage buildings need to be constantly monitored and carefully conserved so that they can continue to be used and retain their dignity. It is thus important to understand the extent to which we can alter the significance of heritage buildings during their conservation. The beginnings of the conservation approach are associated with an attempt to reject any changes to the physical characteristics of heritage buildings. More recently, however, conservation practice has evolved into a process of managing changes. Only by understanding the limits of acceptable change to heritage and identifying heritage's tolerance of change can we find an appropriate way to manage change to heritage and preserve its cultural significance. A literature review and content analysis were conducted to gain insights into the concept of change in heritage management theories and norms. This search was continued to explore the limits of acceptable change and the tolerance of heritage buildings to change through authorised international and national policies. The case of shophouses in Malaysia is studied. The results show that conservation standards have relaxed their stance on the presence of change in heritage architecture. However, intellectual research on understanding the limits of acceptable change for the careful transformation of heritage buildings through the management of change is still relatively scarce.