Conservation of historic buildings in Kota Bharu, Kelantan: A preliminary review of adaptive reuse approach

Acceptance of modern design and architecture is potentially seen contributing to the redevelopment of towns or cities. This may have resulted in the negligence of historic buildings in these places. Among methods or approaches in conserving and preserving historic buildings against disastrous threats and modernisation is through adaptive reusing of the buildings, or better known as the adaptive reuse approach. It is commonly known that many historic buildings conserved are reused or turned into museums, business premises, offices, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses and other public amenities. In Malaysia, this approach has been applied in various cities and towns, including Kota Bharu, Kelantan. This type of application, however, needs to be comprehensively understood by all parties involved so as to achieve the objectives of conservation. This study aims at surveying and reviewing several historic buildings that have been reused in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. In addition, this paper will also discuss the involvement of local authorities in the conservation and preservation of historic buildings in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The research methods employed in the data collection of this study are the library research and a fieldwork involving observations. It is found in this study that several historic buildings in Kota Bharu, Kelantan have been reused with new functions. Another finding also discovers that the restored historic buildings are mainly located in the city centre of Kota Bharu and they have become tourist attractions. In this context, the adaptive reuse approach seems to have helped sustain the heritage of historic buildings in Kota Bharu. It can be concluded that there have been comprehensive efforts by the local authorities in conserving and ‘resurrecting’ the historic buildings through their new functions.