Reconstituted Village: Relocating Traditional Houses and Transforming Traditional Malay Villages

In the current social and economic conditions, the preservation and conservation of historic buildings has become a challenge. The city of Kuala Terengganu dates as far back as the 17th century, however, the city currently has very few historical buildings. What is worse is that within the short period of the last 20 years, the town has lost almost half of its 200-year old Straits-Chinese shophouses. Architecturally significant traditional Malay houses are being torn down on a large scale to free up land on the fringes of the city. The loss of old villages that have always been a significant part of the town at this scale have raised awareness to start protecting some of the architecturally and historically important Malay houses and, in a wider context, some of the traditional villages. However, the increasing land value of the land where these villages sit on poses a great challenge. This paper discusses the idea of having a reconstituted village as a refuge to save traditional Malay houses from being demolished. Unlike brick and masonry based historical buildings, traditional Malay houses are sophisticated prefabricated houses and can be dismantled and reconstructed in a new location. This supports the idea of forming a reconstituted village with a collection of architecturally significant Malay houses. The idea of relocating these houses and putting them back in their original context could create a harmonious ambience. This process will eventually lead to an urbanized village that is a destination by itself. From an architecture enthusiast’s perspective, such a village would be a last resort to protect these precious old houses from being demolished and at the same time contribute to the tourism sector. Recreating a collective village with real traditional Malay houses is a feasible option for the future of these villages and an approach of reinventing heritage tourism in the city.