The Kedah Historical Museum

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
ARC60703 ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION
PROJECT 2 : PROPOSAL FOR ADAPTIVE REUSE
BUILDING : THE KEDAH HISTORICAL MUSEUM
GROUP MEMBERS ;
CHANG JING JUN 0326762
LEEMUL DEV NATHOO 0326878
NHAT DINH 0313309
NEVILLE GEOFFREY SOMI 0317780
MUHAMMAD FAIDH 0323712
WATANABE KOHEI 0332172
TUTOR : MR. AZIM SULAIMAN

2. REFERENCES
1.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
2.0 ARCHITECTURAL BACKGROUND
3.0 DILAPIDATION SURVEY
4.0 ARCHITECTURAL STYLE & ELEMENTS
5.0 MEASURED DRAWINGS
6.0 PROPOSAL FOR ADAPTIVE REUSE
7.0 REFERENCES
2
3
4-5
6-8
9-10
11-18
19-23
24

3. 1.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Kedah Historical Museum was enacted to display, preserve as well as cherish the state
of Kedah’s rich historical and cultural background. It was first established on 3rd February
1957 as nothing more than a small space at the ground floor space of Balai Besar, another
local landmark.
Like most structures of its kind, the museum has faced some issues in its past, the most
notable being the lack of funds as well as space. As the growth of its collections continue to
grow in size, the museum founded itself in quite a predicament as it not only lacked the
appropriate space to display the items but also lacked a storage system that was not
purpose-built for the safekeeping of artifacts. This particular issue prompted the board of
the Kedah Historical Museum to seek out ways to further expand the exhibition space. In
the year of 1958, a draft of a new structure was submitted and proposed to the state
government. In the end, the state government agreed to erect a new museum on a piece of
land owned by the government in Bakar Bata.
Kedah Historical Museum was officially relocated to the new building on December 30,
1961, with His Majesty Tunku Sultan Haji Abdul Malim Mu’adzam Shah officiating the
exhibition placed in the new structure. Fast forward three years later, in the month of June
1964, the museum had its name changed to Kedah State Museum. Two decades later, two
separate branches were opened under the Institution of the State Museum, the Kedah Art
Gallery and the Royal Museum.
Due to the overwhelming reception of the general public as well as the ever growing scale
of the exhibitions, the State Government agreed to build the present Kedah State Museum
building in 1997.
3

4. 2.0 ARCHITECTURAL BACKGROUND
Paying homage to its roots, the design for the new building adopted some
cues from Balai Besar and was brought forward by the late Tan Sri Mubin
Sheppard due to his appreciation towards art and history. The architect of
Jabatan Kerja Raya Negeri, Prof. V. R. Galea, designed the new building
according to Mr. Shepards proposal. This lead to the front elevation of the new
building to bear a striking resemblance to Balai Besar, with the double arched
staircase converging on both sides as well as a lounge verandah placed on
both sides of the upper floor.
A couple of outdoor exhibitions adopting the traditional Kedah architecture as
well as their culture are also placed relatively close to the main structure,
those exhibitions being the Traditional Houses as well as the Royal Ark. Most
of the structures placed in the compound are based heavily on the traditional
Malay vernacular architecture, most notable being the implementation of
imas styled roofs as well as ornamentations and carvings on pillars and beams.
The layout is structured similarly to a traditional house as well although that is
debatable.
Roof Style
The structure incorporates the imas style roofing with large overhangs. This
helps provide efficient sun shading as well as reducing traces of rainwater,
allowing the windows to be left ajar for better air movement.
Building Material
The Kedah Historical Museum is built up of primarily chengal wood, whose
properties contain a low heat absorption capacity to better simulate a cooler
interior environment. Chengal wood is also durable, environmental friendly,
and can be easily sourced in Malaysia.
4

5. 2.0 ARCHITECTURAL BACKGROUND
Ornamentations
Plenty of ornamentations are found along the extended frame below the roof
eaves. Bearing resemblance to other traditional vernacular structures, these
ornamentations feature floral patterns, geometric shapes and exaggerated
curvatures. The ornamentations on this particular building however, are made
out of steel which were later coated with paint, and are hence modified and
simplified from the typical vernacular design.
Building Layout
The open plan layout of the museum is similar to Malay vernacular houses, in
which it promotes air movement whilst creating a sense of spaciousness in the
interior. The elongated layout also helps to ease the circulation within the
building as it was once used as an exhibition space, thus receiving heavy traffic
daily.
5

6. 3.0 DILAPIDATION SURVEY
Concrete spalling can be seen on the walls of the building. Concrete
spalling occurs when the up most top layer chips away revealing the rough
interior material. Spalling is generally caused by carbonation of the
concrete where carbon dioxide reacts to chemicals within the concrete.
The steel reinforcement bars within the concrete begin to corrode and
expand causing breakage of the surface.
To effect repairs, the spalled concrete must be removed and any exposed
steel must either be replaced or cleaned and treated. The area is then
repaired to the original concrete profile using cement mortar, epoxy
mortar or concrete, depending on the size of the damage and the
structural requirements. Cracks are repaired using suitable epoxy resins,
special mortar and injection techniques.
Concrete spalling
Concrete spalling treatment
Metal corrosion is due to the exposed of metal frame to the outside
weather conditions and chemicals. The building metal artifacts window
and door grills. Water, whether from rain or humid condition find its
way inside the rame. Once inside, it can remain damp behind the frame
for prolonged periods of time due to the enclosed space. The backside
of the frame is continually wet and eventually rust begin to form.
One of the most common methods of removing rust is by using grinders,
wire brushes, sandpaper and sand blasting. These mechanical methods
physically remove the rust from metal surfaces. For minor rust, sandpaper
will effectively remove rust. Heavy rust requires the use of power
equipment that tears the rust away, exposing bare metal. Sandblasting
forces large amounts of sand against the meal surface breaking down the
rust and corrode metal.
Corrosion on metal frame
Corrosion treatments
6

7. 3.0 DILAPIDATION SURVEY
Paint can be seen cracking and flaking off, exposing the previous paint as
well as the concrete base. This affects the aesthetic of the shop house.
The crack paint should be scrape off to the bare concrete, sandpaper and
repaint to avoid the problem to resurface.
Degrading of paint
Scrape and Repaint
Cracking on the concrete floor which is caused by Excess water in the
mix of concrete,Rapid drying of concrete and Improper strength
concrete poured on the job in the substrate will cause a crack on the
concrete surface.
Crack as narrow as 0.05mm can be
bonded by the injection of epoxy. The
technique generally consists of
establishing entry and venting ports at
the close intervals intervals along the
crack, sealing the crack on exposed
surfaces. Epoxy injection has been
successfully used in the repair of cracks
in buildings, bridges, dams and other
types of concrete structures.
Concrete cracking
Epoxy injection
7

8. 3.0 DILAPIDATION SURVEY
Dry rot is timber deterioration caused by certain species of fungi that
digest parts of the timber.Timber attracts termites that pose as a threat to
damp and digestible timber commonly found in timber flooring, bearing
ends of beams and trusses which is mostly made from timber.
Dry Rot
Liquid preservatives can be applied to the surface of timbers to help
prevent new infections from developing during drying process.However
they should not be used regarded as an alternative to physical methods
of protection.If the timber is proved to be a hazard, the part has rot will
be replaced with a new one.
Wood Preservative Treatment
8

9. 4.0 ARCHITECTURAL STYLE & ELEMENTS
Drawing inspiration from Malay traditional houses, the old museum is
similar in terms of the building materials, roof style, ornamentations,
openings and layout.
MALAY VERNACULAR DESIGN
● The interior spaces of the house, windows also serve another
purpose in Malay vernacular architecture.
● Windows in Malay houses have intricate wood ornamentations
carved open at all times for ventilation and decorative purposes.
● On the first floor of the office, a series of metal artworks are
displayed, showing the cultural activities of the locals.
Decorative Openings
● The old museum building was designed as an homage to Balai Besar, which
exhibits a fusion of colonial and traditional architecture.,
● The most obvious reference to colonial architecture is the arched wooden
panels which act as a shading device for the building.
● Notable element derived from colonialist architecture would be the
wooden louvered windows, which were the common window design in
colonial buildings in pre-Independent Malaya and Singapore.
Colonial Architecture
9

10. 4.0 ARCHITECTURAL STYLE & ELEMENTS
● The type of roof adapted by the administration office is limas styled
roofing, a common roofing structure used in malay vernacular
design.
● Ventilated roof space at the top cools the interior of the house while
the large overhangs provide efficient sun shading and reduce traces
of rainwater, allowing the windows to be opened for better airflow.
Roof
● Ornaments along the extended frame below the roof eaves are
distinct in the old museum building. Similar to vernacular Malay
houses, ornamentations feature floral patterns, geometric shapes
and exaggerated curvatures.
● The butterfly and inverted ‘S’ motifs can be seen in the form of
filigree from the front and back view of the building, underneath
the roof.
Ornamentations
10

11. 11
EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC
SCALE: 1:75
DRAWING NO.:
11
PROJECT TITLE :
ARC 60703 ARCHITECTURE CONSERVATION
MUZIUM NEGERI KEDAH,
LEBUHRAYA DARUL AMAN, KAMPUNG LUBOK
PERINGGI, 05150 ALOR SETAR,
KEDAH, MALAYSIA.
DRAWING TITLE :
- EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC
STARTING DATE
COMPLETED DATE
DRAWN BY
CHECKED BY
MEASURED BY
SCALE
REMARK:
18.06.2018
18.06.2018
1:75
HUYNH MINH DINH
MR AZIM SULAIMAN
CHANG JING JUN
5.0 MEASURED DRAWINGS 11

19. 2405.0
2405.0
1925.0
1010.0
2405.0
582.0 571.0 578.0 573.0
1153.0 1151.0
1925.0
1735.0
50mm timber framing with
pink paint finish
single hung louvered
window with timber frame
to manuf's details
23mm thick timber panel
window hinge to
manuf's details
90.0100.0
F.F.L
1010.01925.0
590.0
550.0
50mm timber framing with
pink paint finish
single hung louvered
window with timber frame
to manuf's details
23mm thick timber panel
window hinge to
manuf's details
100.01725.0100.0
40.0
F.F.L
590.0
1925.0
590.0585.0
585.0
1925.0
1925.0
585.0
545.0
1010.0
50mm timber framing with
pink paint finish
single hung louvered
window with timber frame
to manuf's details
23mm thick timber panel
window hinge to
manuf's details
1735.0100.090.0
40.0
F.F.L
1010.0
2436.0
590.0 576.0 595.0 570.0
1925.0
1166.0 1165.0
1725.0
50mm timber framing with
pink paint finish
single hung louvered
window with timber frame
to manuf's details
23mm thick timber panel
window hinge to
manuf's details
100.0100.0
35.0
F.F.L
2436.0
2436.0
1925.0
2418.0
1925.0
2418.0
1010.0
2418.0
585.0 573.0 587.0 575.0
1925.0
1158.0 1162.0
1725.0
50mm timber framing with
pink paint finish
single hung louvered
window with timber frame
to manuf's details
23mm thick timber panel
window hinge to
manuf's details
100.0100.0
35.0
F.F.L
1010.0
2446.0
583.0 572.0 607.0 577.0
1155.0 1184.0
1925.0
1721.0
50mm timber framing with
pink paint finish
single hung louvered
window with timber frame
to manuf's details
23mm thick timber panel
window hinge to
manuf's details
104.0100.0
39.0
F.F.L
2446.0
2446.0
1925.0
1836.9
1237.0
1836.9
980.0
1828.0
1237.0
544.0 543.0 543.0
20mm thick steel frame
to manuf's details
16mm thick louvered blade
holder to manuf's details
10mm thick steel structure
to manuf's details
glass panel
123.0145.0EQEQEQEQEQEQEQ
20.0 31.0 31.0 20.0
F.F.L
980.01237.0
1825.0
543.0 541.0 543.0
23mm thick steel frame
to manuf's details
16mm thick louvered blade
holder to manuf's details
10mm thick steel structure
to manuf's details
glass panel
145.0EQEQEQEQEQEQEQ123.0
20.0 31.0 31.0 20.0
F.F.L
1825.0
1825.0
1237.0
600.0
410.0
1237.0
600.0
2569.0410.0
600.0
15mm thick steel frame
to manuf's details
322.030.0
530.0
steel alloy adj. friction stay
4mm thick glass panel
to manuf's details
F.F.L
DRAWING NO.:
12
PROJECT TITLE :
ARC 60703 ARCHITECTURE CONSERVATION
MUZIUM NEGERI KEDAH,
LEBUHRAYA DARUL AMAN, KAMPUNG LUBOK
PERINGGI, 05150 ALOR SETAR,
KEDAH, MALAYSIA.
DRAWING TITLE :
- WINDOW SCHEDULE
STARTING DATE
COMPLETED DATE
DRAWN BY
CHECKED BY
MEASURED BY
SCALE
REMARK:
18.06.2018
18.06.2018
1:20
HUYNH MINH DINH
MR AZIM SULAIMAN
CHANG JING JUN
Top hung window with powder coated black
aluminum frame
W10 Location: Male & female washroom
Quantity: 04
Size: (H)410mm x (W)600mm
ELEVATION
PLAN
ISO VIEW
W11
ELEVATION
PLAN
ISO VIEW
Semi transparent louvered window with
aluminum frame
Location: Office area B
Quantity: 01
Size: (H)1237mm x (W)1825mm
ELEVATION
PLAN
ISO VIEW
W12
Semi transparent louvered window with
aluminum frame
Location: Office area B
Quantity: 01
Size: (H)1937mm x (W)1828mm
4 panels casement louvered window with
timber frame
W13 Location: Open office area
Quantity: 01
Size: (H)1925mm x (W)2446mm
4 panels casement louvered window with
timber frame
W14 Location: Open office area
Quantity: 01
Size: (H)1925mm x (W)2418mm
Semi transparent louvered window with aluminum frame
W15 Location: Documents storage room
Quantity: 01
Size: (H)1925mm x (W)2436mm
Single swing casement louvered window with timber frame
W16 Location: Main entrance to the admin office
Quantity: 01
Size: (H)1925mm x (W)585mm
Single swing casement louvered window with timber frame
W17 Location: Open Office A
Quantity: 01
Size: (H)1925mm x (W)590mm
W18 Location: Open office area A
Quantity: 01
Size: (H)1925mm x (W)2405mm
ELEVATION
ELEVATION ELEVATION
ELEVATION ELEVATION
ELEVATION
ISO VIEW
ISO VIEW
ISO VIEW
ISO VIEW
ISO VIEW
PLAN PLAN
4 panels casement louvered window with
timber frame
PLAN
PLANPLANPLAN
ISO VIEW

20. 6.0 PROPOSAL FOR ADAPTIVE REUSE
1. Restaurant (Ground Floor)
 Kedah is still an agricultural-based economy ( rice and traditional foods from rice
products).
 The state enjoys a diverse economy comprising mainly of agricultural,
manufacturing and tourism.
 So it is necessary to develop a restaurant with traditional style ( mix between
England and Malay style ) For local people and tourists. That’s income for
conservation.
2. Meeting area and Conference area (First Floor)
 Lack of professional event-area service for meeting and conference. In the future,
growing up so fast number of scale industries .Besides that, the state is currently
the largest rice producer in Malaysia.
 So it is necessary to develop a professional conference area with traditional style (
mix between England and Malay style ) For meeting, advertisement, introduce for
products,...It can service for wedding party and celebration.

23. Restaurant rendering

24. Meeting room rendering

25. Conference area rendering

26. 7.0 REFERENCES
1. Muzium Negeri Kedah. (n.d.) Retrieved July 19,2018, from http://kedahmuseum.gov.my/index.php/m-kedah
2. Kedah State Museum. (n.d.) Retrieved July 19,2018, from
https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Attraction_Review-g298282-d8702279-Reviews-Kedah_State_Museum-
Alor_Setar_Kota_Setar_District_Kedah.html
3. User, S. (n.d). Gedung Raje Abdullah, Kelang Selengor. Retrieved July 19, 2018, from
http://www.heritage.gov.my/en/conservation/conservation-building
4. The Knowledge of Food Heritage Identity in Klang Valley,Malaysia(2016,July 05) Retrived November 22,
2017, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/article/pii/S1877042816302191
5. Lokasi Bersejarah. (n.d). Retrieved July 19, 2018. from
http://www2.selangor.gov.my/klang.php/pages/view/50
6. (n.d.). Retrieved July, 2018, from http://www.my-rum my.com/kedah.gov.my/kedah.php/pages/view/50