New life for old shophouses

New life for old shophouses
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Buying and renovating an old shophouse can be a huge undertaking if the new owner isn't prepared for the hidden costs involved.

Property developers often take the easy way out by "modernising" the unit with ill-conceived material such as aluminium window frames. Some even demolish entire rows of shophouses to build anew.

But for Penang-based conservation consultant Tan Yeow Wooi, it isn't all that difficult to sensitively renovate an old shophouse and adapt it to contemporary living. He has been involved in numerous shophouse renovations including his own office at China Street in Penang.

Tan graduated from Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University in architecture and now runs his own heritage research studio. He undertakes conservation and "adaptive re-use" renovation as well as restoration projects of heritage buildings.

After: Under the right guidance, any shophouse can be sensitively renovated or restored. Traditional Chinese air-vents, windows and front doors have transformed Tan's rented shophouse (3.4m by 25m) into an attractive building
"The restoration of heritage buildings requires attention to specific designs and processes. This is especially so for Chinese buildings such as shophouses from this region, which are distinctive and different from those in China," says Tan.

"The Chinese who settled in various parts of the world and South-East Asia brought along with them their religious beliefs, lifestyle practices and social organisations. The architecture of their built environment also came with them and became rooted in different phases in time. The architecture then evolved, became integrated or in some cases, eliminated, in the course of mingling with other communities in the social and geographical environment.

A picture of the shophouse before renovation
"By recognising and respecting their respective differences, we can not only help to preserve the cultural and architectural heritage, but also protect the richness and uniqueness of local townships or built environment."

To the uninitiated, "old" or "pre-War" shophouses generally refer to double-storey, brick buildings built before World War Two (1939-45). Usually linked in a row, such buildings were also built of timber. The ground floor was normally used as a shop while upstairs space was meant for dwelling.

Occasionally, some of these shophouses can be three-storey high. Depending on the period of its construction, some units - like those in Penang and Malacca - may have a fanciful façade embellished with plaster mouldings and ceramic shards depicting flora and fauna motifs.

Prices of pre-War double-storey shophouses range in price from around RM450,000 in George Town and Malacca to over RM1mil in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown area.

The white-washed walls, terra-cotta floor tiles as well as the restored airwell at the back have turned the once-dilapidated shophouse into a very attractive building. The wooden panels - sourced from elsewhere -- screen the staircase from view. Renovation costs came to over RM100,000