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Starproperty.my
Sunday 20 April 2014

H E R I T A G E C O N S E R V AT I O N

Innovation in conservation

Kong Heng square becomes a symbol of innovation as it leads the way for conserving and preserving
Ipohs heritage buildings, which have become a beacon of hope for the youths homecoming.
By KELLY CHENG CHIALI
kellycheng@starmedia.my

lean air, scenic mountain ranges and

good food. It is always a relief to go
back to my hometown, Ipoh, which
has always had the reputation of
being a sleepy old town. To be honest, thats not too far from the truth.
Since the collapse of the tin industry in
the late eighties, Ipoh has earned the label
of a retirement town. Many of its youth,
attracted to more progressive cities such as
Kuala Lumpur and Penang, have left Ipoh in
a mass exodus. Old buildings, some of them
well-worth preserving, have been left to rot
and decay, some even collapsing.
However, things are beginning to change.
Ipoh is now starting to come alive and heritage preservation is playing a big role in
achieving this.
Nostalgic Ipohites are beginning to take
an active interest in preserving Ipohs rich
heritage and some of its buildings. They are
opening hotels, cafes, galleries and restaurants in them, hoping to attract a younger
crowd and maybe emulate the hip heritage success of Peraks northern neighbour,
Penang.
Seksan Design principal Ng Sek San, a
renowned landscape architect, got the world
of Malaysian architecture talking when
he and his partners developed Kong Heng
square. It is a radical departure for Ipoh,
which is known for its delicious food and
tin mining history rather than innovation in
architecture.
We wanted to make Ipoh a bit more
sustainable in terms of its economy, especially when it is a dying town, said Ng.
The whole square, which sits on about
20,000sq ft of land, is encircled by four roads
near Little India and consists of nine buildings.
The nine buildings all came in one plot
because the corporation who sold them to us
had already amalgamated all the properties
with the idea of demolishing everything to
erect a high rise in that city block. So to us
that was a shame, he said.
The highlight of the square is unsurprisingly, Kong Heng. A testimony to Ipohs
hedonistic past, the three-storey neo-classical building was used as a hostel to accom-

> TURN TO PAGE 110

4

Restauranteur Dexter Song operates

multiple eateries in Kong Heng square,
including Bits & Bobs, a quirky flea market
stall.

Colourful eclectic collectibles sold in Bits

& Bobs.

The corridor leading to Burps & Giggles.

Simplistic yet elegant furnishings in one

of the rooms in Sekeping Kong Heng.

The back of Sekeping Kong Heng is

extended to reveal an inner courtyard with
a stairway that takes guests up to their
rooms.

Exposed roof allows natural light to come

in to one of the staircases in Sekeping
Kong Heng.

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H E R I T A G E C O N S E R V AT I O N

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modate theatre performers who performed
in the adjacent theatre building that was
burnt down in the 1950s.
On the ground floor lies a famous coffee
shop of the same name that serves some
of the best local dishes and coffee in town.
Kong Heng has always been an institution
in Ipoh. All of us grew up eating in that coffee shop. There are a lot of favourites like
popiah, sotong kangkung and rojak. So Kong
Heng has got memories for everybody, Ng
reminisces.
Upstairs is Sekeping Kong Heng, another
addition to Ngs Sekeping family of
retreats.
Besides restoring the dilapidated historic
building to its former glory, he has also created an accommodation within it. The distinction is subtle but crucial, this is not one
of those hotels where they have retained a
buildings facade but renovated everything
else inside.
Instead, Sekeping Kong Heng invites you
to experience Ipohs tranquil charm in airconditioned comfort. Additionally, an extension has been added at the back to reveal an
inner courtyard with a stairway that takes
guests up to their rooms.
Behind Kong Heng is Burps & Giggles cafe
and bar, housed in an old dressmaking shop.
It is another venture from Ipoh-born Julie
Song, former model, celebrity chef and menu

planner for Malaysia Airlines platinum passengers.

Next door, Julies son, 28-year-old Dexter
Song operates Buku Tiga Lima, a sister caf
with a similar concept.
In September 2013, the mother and son
team expanded their empire by opening
Missing Marbles.
The third lifestyle caf is similar to Buku
Tiga Lima but with an Asian twist. In front of
Missing Marbles is a quirky flea market stall,
Bits & Bobs, run by Dexter and his childhood friend Nikhil Roy which sells childhood
titbits such as ice balls with homemade
syrups.
The bohemian chic theme found in each
of these eateries evokes a sense of whimsical cheekiness. Almost every corner of these
eateries has been decorated with quirky
mural paintings, charming ornaments compounded with greenery and happily mismatched furniture.
Dexter Song explains, The idea is to maintain the original environment of the shop
lots while adding a modern twist.
There were no sketches or planning, we
simply threw together anything that made
sense. Some of the decorations are hand
made by ourselves.
Two steps away from Sekeping Kong
Heng is a branch of Plan B by its founder and
group chief eating officer of the Big Group
Benjamin Yong.
What used to be an old furniture ware-

Comfortable seats and stylish interior

design at Plan B.

Backlanes are made cheerful with

clever usage of colour accents.

Ingenious DIY lamps decorated with

ribbons in rainbow hues breathes an
air of interest into Buku Tiga Lima.

10

Visitors can enjoy the rustic

atmosphere while walking towards
the barber shop in Kong Heng square.

Ipoh - Changing
with the times

10

house has been turned into an Aussie-meetsNew York deli. The layers of foliage that surround the building lend a cooling environment while complementing the industrial
vibe of the premises.
Speaking about a collaborative effort
between himself and Yong, Ng said, We
are also pitching a cooking school where
we take disadvantaged kids from Harvest
Centre, Sentul and train them to be chefs and
kitchen staff. Bens team is leading the cooking school.
As an Ipohite myself, I cant help but to
feel a bit sceptical when it comes to the
influx of people trying to transform this
historic town. Will the town - known for its
slow pace and old town charm - be lost to
commercialisation?

Theres always a concern when the conservation bandwagon comes. There are pure
conservationists and then there are people
who come for economic reasons.
I think change is a double edged-sword.
It can be bad or it can be good. My attitude is
not about the development, but its keeping
the scale correct in the city, said Ng.
In summary, I think that a top down
approach to design and big developments
are not in character with the quaintness of
Ipoh.
We need little eclectic developments such
as the above to really breathe new life into
the city. This will generate more energy and
bring people back to Ipoh.
After all, the city is the people, not the
buildings.