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Restoration of Lunas Rubber Smokehouse:Short-listed for the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture
18 June 2010

Badan Warisan Malaysia is delighted to announce that the restoration of the Rubber Smokehouse in Lunas, Kedah, is among the 19 projects shortlisted for the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010.

This project by our Deputy President, Laurence Loh, stands as an example of Malaysia’s industrial heritage and the rubber industry that was of vital importance to the nation’s economy for much of the twentieth century.

The project brought together the different communities living in the area and created an awareness of their shared history. It also engaged local schoolchildren, who were charged with mapping and documenting a cultural history of their home in a three month long innovative and creative heritage education programme devised and facilitated by Badan Warisan Malaysia working with prominent artist and arts educator, Liew Kung Yu.

The project was part of the Digi Amazing Malaysian programme with Laurence as a recipient of the award in 2006. The Rubber Smokehouse was transformed from an abandoned and forgotten building into an important part of the town’s landscape and is now a focus for the community.

It features an exhibition designed by Laurence and Kung Yu which combines the physical conservation of the historic fabric with youth engagement, intercultural tolerance and civic pride. The project demonstrates a unique approach that shows how architectural interventions can play a role in advancing social cohesion in multicultural societies.

Visit http://www.akdn.org/architecture/ for more information on the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010.

Lunas: The Rubber Story

A Heritage Education Project by Badan Warisan Malaysia

Badan Warisan Malaysia’s approach to the heritage education project was one which involved an exciting cultural mapping programme over a period of 3 months involving 80 students between the ages of 10 and 14 years from three local schools in the Lunas and Kulim areas.

The programme involved the recording of stories and photographs of Lunas and its community which captured the unique character of the town, its special buildings and places, and related this to the larger cultural-economic map of the town. Through this process, the effort, joys, sorrows, triumphs, disappointments and achievements of the pioneers of this small rural settlement would be embedded in the memory of every child and person who experiences Lunas.

The participants were introduced to mind mapping, digital photography and interview techniques, and used these new skills to document the buildings, residents and traditional trades and businesses of Lunas. The students also had an opportunity to visit a rubber estate to give them a better understanding of the history of rubber and its relationship with the town and its development.

LUNASkembali was a pictorial architectural essay of the traditional shophouses on the main road, and showed the students’ proposals for their restoration.

kenaliLUNAS was a series of PowerPoint® presentations and poster displays of landmark buildings, their histories, and residents. It also included an exposition of 12 traditional trades which were still practised in the town (sadly, a few of these trades have since closed).

The Rubber Story revealed information about the rubber business, then and now, and included a display of selected artifacts and objects related to rubber tapping and the rubber industry. There was also a selection of traditional games and toys using items or objects related to rubber.

Two heritage trails, JejakLUNAS, were devised and showcased the architectural and cultural heritage of the town with some of the participants trained to be tour guides.

EXTENDED: “Warisan Kertas 2” - Exhibition and Sale of Books, Maps, and Ephemera on Malaya and Borneo By Popular Picture History Resources

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News & Announcements

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Walls Come Tumbling Down, History Bypassed
Would this decision to demolish have been made were the building to have been the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad? Both these buildings were built at the same time, and the design credited to the same engineer, C E Spooner. And yet one is retained, despite having had extensive changes made to its interior, while the other has largely retained its original form. While it may be too late to save Pudu Jail, Badan Warisan hopes that the awareness raised by this will strengthen the resolve members of the public to be conscious of how fragile our heritage is and to speak up for its protection, conservation and preservation.

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Notes from Council
It was an historic moment for Badan Warisan Malaysia when, at approximately 1p.m. on Saturday 4 July 2009, our President, YABhg Tun Ahmad Sarji bin Abdul Hamid signed a lease agreement for the management of Suffolk House with YAB Mr Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang, witnessed by about 40 people including the State Secretary YBhg Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman members of the State Ex-Co, the Penang Heritage Trust and Friends of the Botanical Gardens, as well as members of the press and media.

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MERDEKA STADIUM RESTORATION RECEIVES AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FROM UNESCO
Badan Warisan Malaysia congratulates the Merdeka Heritage Trust and Permodalan National Berhad on winning the Award of Excellence for the 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation for the restoration of Stadium Merdeka. We also delighted that the restoration of Suffolk House in Penang received the Award of Distinction. Congratulations to Arkitek LLA Sdn Bhd, HSBC and the State Government of Penang.

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PENANG HERITAGE TRUST AND BADAN WARISAN MALAYSIA ON THE SUCCESSFUL INSCRIPTION OF MELAKA & GEORGE TOWN AS A SERIAL WORLD HERITAGE SITE
BWM is honoured to have played a part in the country’s achievement. During the last 10 years, we have had to add our weight and experience to actively support the efforts to promote the nomination. Last year we authored the World Heritage Site Management Plan (WHSMP) for George Town which was formulated on behalf of the Penang State Government. This plan formed part of the nomination dossier which was submitted to the World Heritage Centre. A WHSMP is a prerequisite for listing.

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Buletin Warisan September - November 2006
Notes from Council - In the past few months, some members and friends of heritage have commented that they would like to know more about the sorts of heritage issues which concern Badan Warisan Malaysia, and how the Council responds to them. This is especially so for those who do not often come to the Heritage Centre nor participate in activities which have been organized for members. To address this, a note on a selection of issues which are raised at Council will be presented in the Buletin Warisan for your greater understanding and appreciation of the efforts by Council towards promoting the conservation and preservation of Malaysia’s built heritage. In this edition, I am focusing on the most recent campaign for Bok House.

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Terengganu's Rich Heritage
In June 2005 a rather mixed gathering of people from the arts, the media, the adventure travel business, photographers and film makers were assembled at the salubrious Sutra Beach Resort north of Kuala Terengganu courtesy of DiGi Telecommunications for a celebration of some aspects of the state’s rich cultural heritage. The primary focus of the occasion was DiGi’s “Amazing Malaysians” contribution to its corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the individual concerned was none other than the renowned architect and conservationist, member of Badan Warisan YM Raja Dato’ Kamarul Bahrin Shah.

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Report on the Fundraising Dinner 6 December 2007 by Puan Sri Datin Amar Elizabeth Moggie
Malaysians are generous and some donations came from companies we least expected. BWM’s tax exempt status is a great incentive to donors and we were encouraged by people who genuinely supported our cause. We received 3 Platinum donations (4 including Sime Darby), 9 Gold donations, 23 Bronze donations and numerous Warisan donations. Even though some donors did not want to attend the dinner, all 62 tables were filled.

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TOWN PLANNING AND CONSERVATION: WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
In the preservation of the streetscape or heritage enclaves, we should take a new course – leasing the properties for long periods, instead of selling them outright. The biding process should be open to investors in the country and abroad. The period suggested is a 50-year lease, and the government needs to ensure that these properties are protected when the lease term expires, and this needs to happen before anything is signed. We should not sign away our architectural jewels.

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