Maintenance Procedure in Dealing with Defect on Shophouses Heritage Building at George Town: Insight from Building Owners and Heritage Experts

Abstract

Historic buildings play a dual role as outstanding tourist attractions and guardians of the nation's historical legacy, ensuring its preservation for posterity and making them invaluable national assets. However, few owners of historic buildings have the lack of knowledge to deal with defects issues at shophouse heritage buildings, and the majority of historic structures remain in "poor" condition with no renovation in a proactive manner. Therefore, this study aimed to address the mentioned issues by identifying flaws in shophouses in George Town and investigating the most effective maintenance protocol for dealing with these flaws in heritage buildings. The present study employed a qualitative research methodology, specifically utilizing the strategy of qualitative inquiry. This research also employed observation and interviews to gather data. This study enriches knowledge by exploring critical issues affecting the conservation of heritage buildings. Furthermore, the findings from this study are valuable to industry practitioners and users since they provide an effective maintenance procedure to follow in maintaining and sustaining heritage buildings.