Universal Access to Heritage Buildings in Hong Kong

TITLE	Universal Access to Heritage Buildings in Hong Kong
AUTHOR	LOK So Fun, Rosa
YEAR	2003
TYPE OF THESIS	MSc Thesis
DISCIPLINE	Conservation
URL	http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/40036
ACCESS DATE	14 Dec 2012
FULL PAPER	FOUND
INSTITUTION	University of Hong Kong
KEYWORDS	Universal Design, heritage Building, Hong Kong, Conservation
ABSTRACT	Universal Access to heritage buildings is nothing new in the United Kingdom, United States or Australia. However, in Hong Kong, this is a relatively new concept. The public awareness of the equal right of the disabled person to access to buildings, whether such buildings are new or old, is scarce. In addition, the manager responsible for managing heritage buildings often sticks to the ideology of keeping authenticity of the building by having no change. Conservation is a dynamic process. A building loses its functional value if the use cannot meet the rising needs of the community. One of the responsibilities tasked onto a conservator is to enhance the perpetual value of the heritage building by fusing the contemporary needs into it while maintaining the significance. It is important that a framework is established to guide the change process. The stock of historical buildings in Hong Kong is huge although not in great number as compared with other parts of the world. They are the cultural assets of the society in which direct economic gains can be generated through cultural tourism or functional use. Providing universal access extends the life of these heritage building. The study attempts to unfold the experience in other parts of the world and address the issue by formulating a framework appropriate for application in local conservation practice. Taking the Burra Charter as the guiding principle in conservation, the framework starts with the most fundamental aspect of establishing the significance of the building, undertaking an access audit, evaluating the access requirements, exploring all possible solutions and implementing the selected options. One of the objectives in carrying out this study is to promote awareness of the universal access requirement in build design. If a building is designed right in the first place, alterations to suit later requirements can be minimized and conservation of the building becomes less burdensome.

Museum and monument : A study on the architectural features of heritage building for museum (with reference to preventive conservation)

TITLE	Museum and monument : A study on the architectural features of heritage building for museum (with reference to preventive conservation)
AUTHOR	Muhammad Ilmam Tharazi
YEAR	2011
TYPE OF THESIS	MSc Thesis
DISCIPLINE	Architecture, Planning and Surveying
URL	http://perpun.upm.edu.my/myTO/myto/1/paparthesis/167328.html
ACCESS DATE	12 Dec 2012
FULL PAPER	Not found
INSTITUTION	UiTM
KEYWORDS	Heritage Building, Adaptive Reuse, Conservation, Climate control
ABSTRACT	This research is about a study on the architectural features of heritage buildings that have been converted into museums. These buildings are known to be climate responsive, and its building materials were properly selected to attenuate exterior conditions. Museum, on the other hand need to have a stable indoor climate in order to safeguard collections it housed. This practice is part of preventive conservation, an approach to prevent objects from deterioration. The characteristics of heritage buildings which were built to response with the climatic conditions may help to contribute a better indoor environment for the collections. The aim of this research is to undertake an investigative study exploring the heritage buildings which currently have been converted into museums to find its architectural features that able to control indoor climate passively which in turn can used in preventive conservation. A proper methodology was adopted in this dissertation to fulfill the objectives. The methodology includes reviewing related books, journals, working papers, and articles from internet. Case studies were also applied in this dissertation and were analyzed through physical observation. Two museums were chosen; the Army museum in Port Dickson and the National Textile Museum in Kuala Lumpur. This study showed that the buildings, occupied by those museums were designed to deal with climate passively and have features that able to regulate the temperature and relative humidity, which in turn can be utilized by the museums. It showed that converting the heritage building into a museum requires only minimum changes and alterations to the building. This in turn helps to preserve and maintain the authenticity and characteristics the building has. The result of this study can provide answers and examples of architectural features of heritage buildings that can be incorporated into the decision-making process for museum projects. The process also can be used to promote building design that able to control climate passively, without relying heavily on the HVAC mechanical system which in turn highlight energy efficiency and sustainability in museum design. Apart from that, this research could also act as a catalyst for future research on the standards and practice of museum and also on the adaptive re-use activities in Malaysia.