Adaptive Reuse and sustainability of Heritage Shop House in Historical Cities in Malaysia

The rich history and architecture of Malacca are two of many factors that lead to earning the recognition as UNESCOs' World Heritage Site. The architecture ofheritage shop houses is a very important architecture in the city. The architecture of shop houses is also an example of sustainable architecture that is designed according to the local socio-culture and environmental context. Therefore, the heritage shop house in the cities can survive and stay relevent until now even though the requirements of use have changed according to the current socio-cultural and economical needs. Scholars have emphasized on the practice of reusing old buildings as one of the conservation methods. Adaptive reuse is among the conservation methods. This practice conserves the existing buildings, while incorporating contemporary functions that befit with the modern days' society. The objective of this research is to discuss on the sustainable design approaches of heritage shophouse and to investigate the adaptive reuse approach of shophouses in Jonker Street that have went through adaptive reuse process. The methodology for this research includes literature reviews, observation and personal interviews. The shophouses were selected as case study. The findings highlight on the adaptive reuse method as a model for conservation to improve on sustainability and building function while maintaining cultural and heritage appropriateness. The findings of the study also allow for a deeper understanding of sustainable design elements that exist in heritage shop houses.