The Conservation of Architectural Values in The Shophouses, George Town, Penang, Malaysia Case Study: Sun Yat Sen Museum

Penang which is a well known city situated in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia has been added in to the UNESCO's world heritage back in 2008. This is to acknowledge its rich cultural heritage constitutes of unique architectural components and cultural townscape. Vernacular shophouses in George Town is one of the cultural heritage that has been well studied to understand their importance in the cultural and environmental heritage values context. However, despite all of this architectural and cultural values, the recent modern shophouses in Malaysia still do not share similar concern and the importance of maintaining the cultural values. It is to comprehend the remaining of the maintained culture in the city. The Sun Yat Sen shophouse in Penang has been studied and reviewed in this paper. It is a small private museum which has been preserved for more than hundred years. The building is one of the examples that embraces its original components. It is an extraordinarily beautiful example of Straits Settlements merchant's shophouse. This research aims to critically investigate into the original elements preserved in this house, re-restored and converted into a Museum for the sustainable architectural compliance. Moreover, It is rich in design and art components that are embedded in its architecture, conserving until today. Apart from it. The introduction of new non-related architectural components into the southern Chinese (eclectic style) style in shophouses in George Town has resulted in the disappearance of this unique style of architecture. This investigation employs a qualitative research approach by documenting evidence and understanding the architectural as well as cultural influences of the southern Chinese eclectic style by studying the Sun Yat Sen Museum as a case study. The findings of the research point towards highlighting the most important architectural elements preserved in this house, an addition to its architectural character of the shophouse.