Creating places that stand the test of time

CAN a small change really make a big difference? “Yes,” replied Arkitek LLA director Laurence Loh regarding the impact of a building on its surrounding environment.

He cited the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in George Town, Penang as an example of a small project that has made significant impact on the locality.

“It was a catalyst in area regeneration, giving new life to the area. It [the restoration] can even make an impact locally, nationally and internationally,” said Loh at the Future Forward forum organised by Rehda Youth (the youth section of the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia) on Sept 29, 2016. The event was organised in partnership with Nippon Paint Malaysia.

Loh is also a director at Think City Sdn Bhd, a community-based urban regeneration body that spearheads urban regeneration in the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site, and is now expanding its initiatives to Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth and Johor Bahru. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

“All these [area regeneration] are carried out with the focus on place-making. Place-making is designing for real people. It is an approach to shape projects, be it new or old, to become meaningful and sustainable places with soul, even in the face of change,” Loh shared.

As a case in point, he cited a Think City project in Penang where while doing restoration work for an old building to regenerate an area, hawker stalls in the area were retained because they are key in keeping the area’s spirit alive and kicking.

He also emphasised that place-making should be adopted as part of the a priori planning approach.

“In order to create places with soul for real people, we all should learn a lesson on the importance of place-making from Komtar, Penang. The unfinished urban regeneration area had been abandoned for years until now,” Loh said. Komtar was planned to replace the 19th century neighbourhood with three 17-storey residential towers and a single luxury hotel tower. “Instead of providing homes for the residents who were cleared for the project, Komtar ended up displacing some 3,175 residents, plus numerous petty traders and small businesses which had been there for years,” he added.

Some of the historic buildings and enclaves that had to make way for the Komtar building were the Chung Hwa Confucian High School, Almashoor Islamic School and English School, Capitol Theatre, Royal Theatre, Great World Park, a historic fire station, Rickshawn Badge-Nailing Building, Maxwell Road, Cheong Fatt Tze Road, Sia Boey Wholesale Market and some 300 shophouses.

There were other urban regeneration attempts in Penang, some of which have been abandoned until today, Loh said.

A place does not need modern buildings or a massive project in order to shine. “A great place is a combination of four key factors: sociability; uses and activities; access and linkages; as well as comfort and image. These are also the principles of place-making,” he elucidates.

Urban regeneration is made easier today with the help of forward-looking players in the building and construction industry including coatings expert Nippon Paint Malaysia. By anticipating needs and envisioning the future, it constantly adds to its vast range of cutting-edge solutions to meet market needs.

Penang, the world’s next top sustainable city

Penang has often been ranked among the “top 10 islands to see before you die” by media organisations including CNN and Yahoo. This is something Malaysians should be proud of.

Besides carrying out area regeneration via place-making, Think City is also promoting Penang via the restoration of old buildings, bringing them into the “now” and into the future.

With George Town being a World Heritage Site and one of the world’s top islands to visit, Loh believed Penang will make it into the world’s most sustainable cities list soon.

It is important that a city is sustainable, green and liveable, he said, adding that place-making has emerged to be another key factor for sustainable city development.

“Sustainable development that is based on place-making that respects the history of a place means happier residents. If you take a look at Monocle’s 2016 World Top 25 Cities list, you will find they share certain things in common such as they adopt place-making, leaving no old building behind in their development,” he noted.

In the list, Tokyo is ranked No 1 because it balances high-tech efficiency with laidback, traditional neighbourhood values.

Loh also singled out Madrid, which came in at No 4 on the list. In Madrid, centuries-old food joints are still being kept alive by younger owners committed to preserving the city’s culinary heritage. “How did they [Madrid] do that? Because it is financially viable! Our nasi lemak uncle will not be displaced if it is financially viable too!” he said.

He also used Hong Kong, ranked number 18 on the list, as another example of a city that has retained its place-making elements.

“The Hong Kong night life is vibrant because there is a diverse and well-kept supply to meet the demand of its nocturnal citizens amidst rapid city development. Put this back into the Malaysian context. Would our city be as lively if our street stalls were displaced for development?” he asked.

Loh concluded that Penang as a historical city with a vibrant modern lifestyle has the potential to become one of the world’s top sustainable cities as long as people and man-made spaces continue to retain their identities and actualisation of their potentials in the place-making process.

This story first appeared in TheEdgeProperty.com pullout on Nov 25, 2016, which comes with The Edge Financial Daily every Friday. Download TheEdgeProperty.com pullout here for free.