Building construction of pre-war shophouses in george town observed through a renovation case study

Abstract

George Town, Penang has the largest collection of shophouses constructed before the Second World War (henceforth pre-war shophouses) in Southeast Asia. The recent increase of shophouse renovations has provided an opportunity to study the building construction, which has not been understood and recorded comprehensively. This paper studies the building construction of shophouses and its transition through observation on eight renovation sites and interviews. The building construction of shophouses was found to exhibit mainly Indian 1 , Chinese 1 and British infuence but uses mostly locally available materials. Indian and Chinese infuence is stronger in the 19th century shophouses, while western infuence is more evident in those of the early 20th century, earmarking the introduction of British policy and western technologies at the turn of the century. However the trend is often blurred by post construction alterations. Although there is a shift to using traditional building materials during recent renovations, changes due to circumstances such as client's preferences together with heavy use of recycled materials mark another turning point in building construction transition. Proper documentation of renovation processes is crucial for future references and comprehensive understanding of the building construction and its development throughout history.