The document provides a proposal for the adaptive reuse of Mingle Kuala Lumpur, a heritage shop house located on Petaling Street. It includes a historical background of Petaling Street and details on Mingle Kuala Lumpur. The architectural style and elements of traditional shop houses are described. A dilapidation survey identifies various issues like concrete spalling, cracking, dry rot, metal corrosion, degrading paint, plant growth and plaster defects. Treatment methods are recommended for each issue to repair and conserve the building.

1. ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION (ARC60703)
Assignment 2
PROPOSAL FOR ADAPTIVE REUSE
STUDENT NAME :
NG HONG BIN 0319735
NIK AFIQ AMADI 0317749
LOW CHI YIN 0329147
JACINTA KABRINA MAJALAP 0311339
SONG SUNG HO 0322100
KESHNI DEVI SOBARUN 0323062
TG NABILAH DIYANA 0325657
TUTOR :
MR AZIM SULAIMAN

2. 1.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
1.1 PETALING STREET
• First started up by Raja Abdullah who brought many
Chinese labours for tin mining.
• During this Selangor Civil War, the tin mines were left
abandoned which lead the tin mines to be flooded.
• Mr. Yap Ah Loy had changed this area from tin
mining activities into agricultural, he built and
opened a large Tapioca Mill in the Petaling Street.
• Only then, the Petaling Street was called as ‘Chee
Cheong Kai’ with a meaning of Starch Factory Street
in Cantonese.
• Mostly foreign workers were hired in present days.
• In 2003, a green roof and the green dragon with two
Chinese styled arches are added in both end of the
street and so it had made Petaling Street a roofed
pedestrian street.

3. 1.2 MINGLE KUALA LUMPUR
• A new heritage shop house hostel named Mingle
Kuala Lumpur, with an in-house café called Leaf &
Co.
• Located around the Petaling Street opposite of
Chinese Drama Associations and still has the
unique characteristics of a colonial era architecture.
• Private group called ‘GOOD VOYAGER GOLDING
SDN BHD’ bought the property and developed.
• Formerly a mess hall built by Kwong Yik Bank’s co-
founder Cheong Yoke Choy, the century-old
colonial-era heritage building is now a boutique
hostel (by the name of Mingle) with Leaf & Co
café.

4. SITE PLAN NTS

5. 2.0 ARCHITECTURAL STYLE & ELEMENTS
2.1 EVOLUTION OF SHOP HOUSE
1| Southern 2| Early Straits 3|Late Straits 4|Art Deco 5| Modern Style
Chinese Style Eclectic style Eclectic style Shop house
1840-1900s
Physical
Appearance:
• 2-3 storeys
• Decorative
façade
Chinese influence:
carved timber door,
air vents, gable end,
air well
European & Indian
Influence: Louvered
shutters, terracotta
tiles
1890-1910s
Physical Appearance:
• 2-3 storeys
• Decorative façade
Chinese influence:
carved timber door,
air vents, gable end,
air well
European influence:
Full-length windows,
geometric patterned
floor tiles
1910-1930s
Physical Appearance:
• 2-3 storeys
• Decorative façade
Chinese influence:
carved timber door,
air vents, gable end,
air well
European influence:
Full-length windows,
pilasters, arches,
geometric patterned
floor
1930-1960s
Physical
Appearance:
• 2-3 storeys
European influence:
Art deco façade
with geometric
design bolding
vertical & horizontal
lines
• Shanghai plaster
wall finishing
• Flagpole and
relief writing on
the wall
1950-1970s
Physical
Appearance:
• 2-3 storeys
• Simplification
of form &
design based
on availability
of new
technologies
• Sunshade fins,
metal-framed
glass windows

6. 2.2 DESIGN ELEMENTS
Multipurpose
• By the name shop house, the building is
meant to lodge a shop and a residential
space.
• The residential spaces are meant to engage
more than one family.
• These spaces are usually located above the
shop.
Narrow fronts, deep rear
• The building is narrow on the façade and is
deep in width.
• Various reasons such as taxes to be paid for
construction in front of the street, structural
• building materials, timber beams, that
carried the load of the roof were what
fostered this design style.

7. Five Foot Way
• Along the boundary of the shop house, a
balcony of five foot-way is included as a
protection from rain and sun.
• Abiding to the British laws the verandah should
be at least seven feet long and the passage
within the veranda is at least five feet long.
Ornamentation
• Neo-classical pilasters are used on the façade.
• It is an element that appears to be projecting
from the wall.
• It can be of ionic or Corinthian style.
• The ornamentation used in Mingle shop house
is the Corinthian style.

8. Internal Courtyard
• The vital part of a shop house is the courtyard
for ventilation and natural light from the sky.
• The activities within the courtyard may vary.
Party walls
• During the pre-colonial times in Southeast Asia,
the structure walls changed from traditional
timber frame to baked clay bricks.
• These traditional clay brick walls separate the
building from the neighbouring one.

9. 3.0 DILAPIDATION SURVEY
Concrete Spalling
• Concrete spalling occurs when the upmost top layer chips away revealing the
rough interior material.
• 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.

10. Treatment
• 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
technique.

11. Concrete wall and floor cracking
• Diagonal cracks can be seen on the walls of the shop house which emanate from
the corners.
• Cracks and other changes in the shapes of a wall (or slab) are called re-entrant
cracks and are a form of shrinkage crack.
• Cause of cracking in concrete wall is due to the foundation experiences stresses
over a long period of time and the increase in temperature.

12. Treatment
• Epoxies for crack injection are available in a range of viscosities from ultra-thin to
paste-like [such as the Emecole Epoxy crack repair product] to accommodate crack
of different width.
• It is advice to use whatever viscosity is needed to inject a given crack at pressures
less than 40psl.
• The wider the crack, the thicker the material required.

13. Dry rot (Serpula Lacrymans)
• 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.
• The corrosion of metal building components such as rails can be a cause of timber
deterioration as rust can contribute to rotten wood effect.

14. Treatment
Wood Preservative Treatment
• Liquid preservatives can be applied to the surface of timbers to help prevent new
infections from developing during drying process.
• They should not be used regarded as an alternative to physical methods of
protection.
• If the timber is prove to be a hazard, the part that has rot will be replaced with a
new one with the same type of timber.

15. Corrosion on metal frame
• Metal corrosion is due to the exposed of metal frame to the outside weather
conditions and chemicals. These metal corroded due to constant exposure to water.
• Corrosion of these frame is often at the lower end of the frame jambs and mostly
widely described as rusted frame. Water, whether from rain or humid condition find
its way inside the frame.
• 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.

16. Treatment
Mechanical removal
• One of the most common methods of removing rust is by using grinders, wire
brushes, sandpaper and sand blasting.
• Heavy rust requires the use of power equipment that tears the rust away, exposing
bare metal. Sandblasting forces large amounts of sand against the metal surface
breaking down the rust and corrode metal.
Chemical method
• Water prove or anti-rust paint

17. Degrading of Paint
• Paint can be seen cracking and flacking off, exposing the previous paint as well as
the concrete base.
• This affect the aesthetic of the shop house.

18. Treatment
Scrape and Repaint
• The crack paint should be scrape off to the bare concrete, sandpaper and repaint to
avoid the problem to resurface.

19. Eradicating plants on walls
Damage caused by the plants responsible of widening of gaps between adjoining blocks and
increasing dimensions of cracks already present on the surface.
There are two types of plant:
Higher plants Those plant which have definite
vascular system that are responsible
for transporting food throughout
the plant.
Lower plant Those plants which do not have
definite vascular system. Ex- Fungi,
moss etc

20. Treatment
Removal of plants
Physical method
• Controlling the plants by un-rooting them at their initial stage of development.
• For moss or algae, water pressure gun can be use.
Chemical method
• Killing the plants with chemical
• Ex- Herbicide

21. Defective plaster
Defective plaster
• Defective plaster occurs mostly on external walls, columns and ceiling of the old
buildings. It is mainly due to biological attacks arising out of penetrating rain, water
evaporation, condensation process, air pollution, dehydration and thermal stress on
old building material.
• Other causes may come from mould or harmful growth, insect and animal attacks as
well as from traffic vibration.
• Prior to being decomposed and broken apart, plastered rendering may become
cracked due to either shrinkage or movement in the substrate itself.

22. Treatment
Scrape and Re-plastered
• Crazing is a network of line cracks, usually in a hexagonal pattern which measures
between 5-75mm across each hexagon. Craze cracks are usually very fine and
shallow and do not extend through the whole depth of the plaster.
• The defective plaster should be scrape and re-plastered.

23. Brick Deterioration
• Damage is a common problem that usually occurs in older bricks, and those that
were under burnt during the firing process.
• Water entry into cracks or open holes in the brickwork can also cause this.
• Larger holes allow more water in and out causing brick movement more often than
not, and secondly failing mortar joints and lastly, brick spalling or deteriorated faces.

24. Treatment
Repair
• Mortar Joint Repointing: Repointing is the process of removing damaged or
deteriorated mortar to a uniform depth and replacing it with new mortar.
• Original mortar composition should be replicated. If not possible, a mortar with a
similar or slightly lower compressive strength is recommended for repointing.
• The existing mortar should be removed at least to a depth that is twice the joint
width, or until sound mortar is reached. To prepare the joint, dust and debris should
be removed by brushing, blowing with air, and/or rinsing.
• Replace broken brick to a new similar brick.

25. DILAPIDATION SURVEY LOCATION INDICATION
LEGEND

26. • Two storey shop house on a corner of Chinatown,
located at Petaling Street. It is actually a new
heritage hostel named Mingle Kuala Lumpur, with
an in-house café called Leaf & Co.
• However, due to the gradual incline, this old town
slowly loses the attention of the public who would
come for visits even a lot of preservation works
have been made.
• This building basically has a rich heritage value,
shown by its unique architectural elements and its
cultural context.
• Thus, it is a good case to be studied on and to be
adaptive reused for a better purpose and a better
future.
4.0 ADAPTIVE REUSE PROPOSAL - HERITAGE HOSTEL INTO LOCAL GALLERY
4.1 BEFORE & AFTER
BEFORE

27. • Our intention is to inject new elements while
preserving the original beauty.
• For the ground floor, we would still preserve it and
remains as café because we believe that by having a
café, it already provides attraction for the visitors to
come to this building.
• The only proposal we would like to make is just by
adding an air-conditioned room.
• The courtyard is also used to showcase their
talents.
• As for the first floor, we emphasize on attracting the
public and tourists to stop by and creating a local
gallery which showcases the locality and identity of
Petaling Street.
AFTER

28. • On the ground floor, the present cafeteria is preserved. The Leaf & Co cafeteria is one of the tourist attractions
and hot spots for coffee lovers in Petaling Street and hence, it cannot be demolished.
• The main spaces are divided into two which are the cafeteria at the front and an open courtyard in the middle.
• At the moment, the open courtyard appears to be an initialized semi-open public space.
GROUND FLOOR
4.2 SPATIAL PLANNING BEFORE & AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER

29. • Air-conditioned indoor cafe is introduced instead of
outdoor cafe to provide cozy and comfortable
environment and attract public to have a short visit
after a long day staying under the hot weather
• The staircase at
the entrance is
kept to provide
ease access to the
first floor.
• Showcasing their talents such as street art performance, displaying
local arts and crafts and even some mini events can be held
occasionally. By implementing this idea, it tends to introduce and
display the locality and identity of Petaling Street to the public as
well as attract more tourists which relatively boost the economics
of the building.

30. • The first floor emphasizes on attracting the public and tourists to stop by and appreciate the gallery which
showcases the locality and identity of Petaling Street.
• By injecting the gallery in the shop house, people are able to acknowledge and appreciate the value of
Petaling Street.
FIRST FLOOR
BEFORE
AFTER

31. • Space is limited.
• Unable to cater a big group of people.
• Majority of tourists stay in the hostel temporarily instead of staying long term and most of the time, the
hostels are usually vacant, which might be an issue for the heritage shop house.
• To counteract this issue and to boost the economics of the building, we converted the accommodation into
the Petaling Street gallery which has the potential to attract more tourists.
FIRST FLOOR (ISSUES)

32. • Provides extra
knowledge for the
public as well as to
allow the
exchange of ideas
and thoughts.
• Frames old photos and showcases the
morphological transformation of
Petaling Street into the well-known
cultural rich landmark
• Designed for visitors to bring back a piece
of memory to be remembered.
• Exhibits local fine arts, sculpture, fabric, etc.
which can display the value and locality for
the public to experience

33. The present cafeteria, The Leaf & Co. is preserved as due to it is one of the tourism attraction in town. In
making of injecting the new element to the building, the interior part of the building will renovated by
introducing rustic style into it. Meanwhile, the exterior part will be remain the same with as old with repaired
works. It is to preserve the history of it but at the same time provide more function in it.
The materials chosen for ground Floor are raw concrete floor, same goes as the interior wall of the building.
Timber flooring will also be using on verandah way of the building, first floor flooring as well as at staircases.
Even with the replacing new building materials in the building, some of the unique features will be remain as the
same as it had witness the history of the building: the vent-block wall that located at air well and the newspaper
wall that located at first floor level had been preserved. Green wall had also been introduced in the corridor of
first floor to add in more greenery scene.
4.3 MATERIALITIES

34. GROUND FLOOR

35. FIRST FLOOR

36. In conclusion, by injecting new elements while preserving the original beauty, it tends to revitalize
and provides a new look for the century-old colonial-era heritage. Restoring a heritage building is not
about having a dream, but taking action too. By acting as a mixed-function complex, the new heritage shop
house with an in-house cafe, the gallery showcases identity of Petaling Street, open air well courtyard design
engages local community etc, it has potential to become a tourist hot spot in the future.
5.0 CONCLUSION
“It has been said that, at it’s best,
preservation engages the past in a
conversation with the present over a mutual
concern for the future.”
- William Murtagh