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Some Traditional Malay Houses have been transferred in Malaysia , often away from their original context and setting , and often for a different use and function .
The Burra Charter ( 2013 ) also highlighted that an appropriate location and use should be considered in the case of a relocation . While Articles 5 and 6 of the ICOMOS Principles for the Conservation of Timber Structures ( 1999 ) considered an intervention made to the original fabric of a building only if it follows reversible and traditional methods . In this context , a NSTMH might require complete or partial dismantling and subsequent reassembly with minimum alterations . Article 9 of the Burra Charter ( 2013 ) also asserted that relocation may be acceptable if it is ‘ the sole practical means of ensuring the builing ’ s survival , especially if it is designed for removable with a history of relocation . Relocation of historic buildings should be viewed as a last resort , as mentioned in Article C , Appleton Charter for the Protection and Enhancement of the Built Environment ( 1983 ). With exceptional views from all the other charters , the ICOMOS Canada Appleton Charter focuses on intervention in one charter that accepts the possibility of relocation , as stipulated in Article 3.17 , where : Dismantling and reassembly should only be undertaken as an optional measure required by the very nature of the materials and structure when conservation by other means impossible , or harmful
( ICOMOS Appleton Charter ( 1983 ), p . 36 )
An example of the relocation concept on a bigger scale was first established in Scandinavia in the 20 th century by the open-air museum
( OAM ) in Skansen , Sweden and the relocation of the Abu Simbel temple in Egypt which was moved in 1968 to protect it from being flooded by the waters of the Nile after the construction of the Aswan Dam ( Sulaiman , 2017 ). However recently , some Traditional Malay Houses ( TMH ) have been transferred in Malaysia , often away from their original context and setting , and often for a different use and function . For example , the boutique resorts of Terrapuri Resort , Terengganu and the Bon Ton Resort , Langkawi and the gallery or Malay Heritage Museum at UPM demonstrate that this has become an established practice across the country . The authenticity of the location and setting of the houses has become secondary to preserving the fabric , even in a different context . However , the adaptive-reuse approach of adapting the original design of a house into more ‘ usable ’ functions has proved valuable for its survival from abandonment .
CHALLENGES IN THE RELOCATION PROCESS
Referring to the National Heritage Department ’ s website , only two relocated traditional houses ( timber building ) are gazetted under the Heritage list set by the National Heritage Act 2005 . These are the Ampang Tinggi Old Palace ; built in the 1860s , which has been dismantled and relocated several times , resulting in much alteration ( Waterson , 1990 ) and the Negeri Sembilan House
26 VOL 85 JANUARY - MARCH 2021