Wah Sang Brothers

ARC61104
Lecturer: Ms. Delliya Zain

1
May Thazin Oo 0330731
Content
1. Introduction 4. Review of Existing Conditions & Dilapidation Survey
1.1 Summary of the scope of the project 4.1 Investigation and diagnosis
1.2 Project Objectives 4.2 Dilapidation survey (map out and schedule)
1.3 Goals and objectives to be achieved by this project 4.3 Remedial measures and controls

2. Project Description 5. Building Treatments Proposal

2.1 Background information of the site 5.1 Design Proposal Guidelines
2.2 Background information of the building 5.2 Treatment proposals for the building façade, entrance and
2.3 Value and cultural significance of the site pedestrian area
2.4 Identification of the property owner
2.5 Historical Timeline 6. Conclusion
2.6 Current and proposed use
References

3. Architecture style, structure, materials and elements

3.1 Architecture Style
3.2 Structure
3.3 CUrrent Drawings and Photos of Wah Sang Brothers
3.4 Elements
3.5 Method of construction and Materials

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1. Introduction

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1.1 Summary of the scope of the project

As a group, we were given a heritage building in Jalan Stesen 1, Klang and individually prepare a Heritage and Conservation Proposal
Report. We got the Wah Sang Brothers clock shop. The proposal report shall refer to ICOMOS Charter – Principles for the Analysis,
Conservation and Structural Restoration of Architectural Heritage – 2003 document. Students are to propose a conservation approach
or solution(s) of the external façade and the adjacent area of the given building at Jalan Stesen 1, Klang.

1.2 Project Objectives

The objectives of this assignment is to introduce us, students to the basic principles and concepts of heritage conservation and
documentation as well as identifying and understanding heritage conservation and management processes.

1.3 Goals and objectives to be achieved by this project

By the end of this project,we will be able to identify the key principles and theories that have shaped the practices and problems in the
area of heritage and conservation, moreover, discovering various methods of heritage conservation practice.

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2. Project Description

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2.1 Background Information of Site
Malaysia:
Situated in Southeast Asia, Malaysia benefits from its geographical
location in negotiating global trade and happens to be the key of various
cultures. The diverse ethnic groups live together with different customs and
religions making Malaysia a multicultural country and a home to a colourful
mix of art and architecture.

Klang:
Known as the royal capital of Selangor and prior to the formation of
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Klang was the former administrative capital of
Selangor before it was changed to Shah Alam. The Klang District Council
incorporated the nearby townships of Kapar and Meru as well as Port Klang,
was formed in 1971. Klang’s history goes back to at least 2,000 years and
the river that flows through the town, Klang River, has been known to be the
export route of tin mined from the interior since ancient times.

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2.2 Value and Cultural Significance of the Site
The surrounding site has few
architecture styles that emerged over the
years since its revolution in architecture.
A B
1.NEOCLASSICAL STYLE
A.Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery
B.Sultan Sulaiman Mosque
2.ART DECO STYLE
B.Sultan Sulaiman Mosque
C.Istana Shah Alam
3.VICTORIAN STYLE D F
D.Klang Fire Station
4.CAPE DUTCH STYLE
E.The Old Chartered Bank branch Map showing cultural landmarks of different
5.GOTHIC REVIVAL STYLE architectural style.
F.Church of our Lady of Lourdes
6.INDO SARACENIC STYLE
G H I
G.Masjid India Muslim Tengku
7.TUDOR REVIVAL STYLE
H.Royal Klang Club
8.SOUTH INDIAN STYLE
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I.Sri Nagara Thendayuthapani
The Streets: Jalan Besar, Jalan Stesen, Jalan Sultan Tengku Diauddin

Jalan Besar:

One of the first railway line from Kuala Lumpur to Klang was built in the country and since 1890,
there has been a railway station on Jalan Besar. The street took one of the main roads and
therefore adapted the name Jalan Besar (The Big Road)

Jalan Stesen:

This road was named after the Klang station as it intersects it. The railway station promoted
economic growth and businessmen chose to build their shophouses near the railway station,
facing the main street which is “Jalan Stesen” in order to attract more customers.

Jalan Sultan/ Jalan Tengku Diauddin:

Due to its location which is connected to Gedung Raja Abdullah, the name of this street was
changed from Jalan Sultan to Jalan Tengku Diauddin. It was named Jalan Sultan (symbolism of
the King) due to the influence of many jewellery and goldsmith shops on the street.
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2.3 Background Information of the Building
Wah Sang Brothers is located near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal
Gallery and Gedung Raja Abdullah building. The Klang area is not
only famous for its food and regional delicacies, but is also famous
due the numerous historical sites and landmarks spread around this
Royal City, which to this day serves as the Seat for the Royal
Sultanate of Selangor.

Syarikat Wah Sang Brothers

Shophouses that are constructed after 1960-
International Style, Modern Style or renovated into
undistinguishable style.

Early Style and 1st Transition style shophouses that are

in use
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2.4 Identification of Owners
Wah Sang brothers is located among the shops in Jalan Stesen.

With the area known as the historical hub of Klang, the shop that sells and repairs timepieces since 1929. It also provides repair
services for antique clocks which most of the shops these days do not offer.

Currently the business is managed by Mr. Robert Lee, the third generation, together with his uncle, Mr. Lee Lai Choy who is the second
generation of the pioneer of Wah Sang Brothers.

Lee Lai Choy is the second generation in his family to Robert Lee is the third generation of his family who now
run the Wah Sang Brothers shop that sells and repairs runs the Wah Sang Brothers shop in Klang, Selangor.
timepieces.
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2.5 History Timeline
1920 1937 1941 1945

Lai Choy’s father came to Klang The brothers Lai Choy and Yen The brothers escaped from Klang During the occupation period,
and started his watch and clock Choy came to Klang due to during the occupation period, sold their father passed away and the
repair business naming it Wah warfare in Canton all properties left by their father in brothers continued the business
Sang exchange for money to survive. from scratch

1950 1951 1963 1980

Soon their business started to Jalan Stesen for became a The business peaked when they The entire business of the street
prosper and was renamed as Wah famous Food Street and wearing started fixing watches for the to plunge because of the
Sang Brothers. watches became a trend- their royalty, Sultan Salahuddin Shah. construction of Klang Bridge.
business skyrocketed.

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 1987 2005

Wah Sang bought over the entire A fire broke out from the
shophouse and rent it to the neighbouring shophouse and spread
sub-tenants when the property to Wah Sang’s shop. A part of the
value dropped. building was damaged.

Until
2006
Today

The shophouse was rebuilt with The business is managed by Mr

several changes and took 7 Robert Lee and Mr La Choi
months upon completion. The together
business was resumed.

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2.6 Current and Proposed Use
- The ground floor was where the business would run and the first floor is a residential area.
- The business has gone through generations of changes but what remains will always be a simple watch shop.

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3. Architecture Style, Structure, Materials and
Elements

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3.1 Architecture Style
Early Style Shophouse

- Low, 2 stories with minimal plaster

ornamentation.
- Locally sourced construction
materials
- Usually 1 or 2 timber windows on
front facade.

Arrival of Chinese labourers into Malaysia

and settled in the shophouses which were
built for them by Straits Settlement.

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The term ‘Shophouses’ originates from a mandarin term which means a combination of a residential and a business operating place
into one building that functions to serve the local needs where having a place for family to stay and at the same time.

It was first introduced into Southeast Asia by Strait Settlements and has heavily influenced the local living style and culture.

Originally built for single male immigrant workers from Southern Coastal Provinces in China in the 19th century to have a place to work
and sleep.

Immigrant women were later also brought in years later providing the male workers to settle down and built their own family leading to
the residential floor of the shophouse being utilised for family purposes and settlements.The shophouse also became a commercial
development.

The British President, Frank Swettenham introduced building regulations as such that original extract shelter settlements to be rebuilt
from bricks with tiled roofs and buildings were to be built five-foot away from the road allowing for passageway after a fire occured in
1881 in Kuala Lumpur where the wooden shophouses were burned down.This marks the introduction and encouragement into using
brick building system and material.

Sir Stamford Raffles who was a British statesmen and founder of the shophouse prototype introduced The Raffles Ordinance 1822 that
requires every shophouse to have a veranda-way of a least 7 feet measuring from the boundary of the road and the footway within any
veranda-way must be at least 5 feet from distance.

The Klang shophouses adopted the ‘Five-foot way’ concept which was brought in by a chinese business magnate, Loke Yew who was
a famous businessman and philanthropist in British Malaya.
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3.2 Elements
The elements of the shophouse functions together to play a very
important role in the livings of the users which particularly are the olden
days chinese workers who permanently resides in it.

Theses elements provide:

- Comfort, practicality and convenience together with the buildings

simple space organization.

- A trademark and popular guideline for a successful building design.

- A flexible usage of space with strong adaptability to different time of

usage.

- Provides good ventilation and accessibility in the spaces

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Terraced Shop Row- built next to each other without any gap or space in the
between them along a street. They are separated by party wall and are
connected by the “five footway” in front which allows and encourage people to
walk along the continuous row of shops.

Front Shophouse Facade- The front face of the shophouse faces the street and
is a identity for the shophouse for people to recognise

Facade Colour & Ornamentation- Traditional shophouses have plastered an

off-white colour. Traditional shophouses facade ornamentation draws inspiration
from the Malay, Chinese and European traditions enhancing the aesthetics of the
building and at the same time portrays the identity of the culture of the tenants.

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Columns- Support the upper floors and forms the five-foot way colonnades.

Foot Walkway- A result from building regulation that requires a minimum

width in front of the shophouses.This covers pedestrian walkway and
provides protection from the rain and sun along the road within the
shophouse property line for public use creating a continuity and sense of
unity.

Pitched Roof- The common type of roof with timber structural frame,
covered with clay roof tiles or other types of roofings

Rear Court- Open courtyard at the back the shophouse. It is usually used
for kitchen,store room and toilet.

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3.3 Current Pictures and Drawings of Wah Sang
Brothers

First Floor Plan

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Second Floor Plan Roof Plan
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Section AA’ Section BB’
3.4 Structure
The shophouse is supported by columns and party walls that are
made of bricks on both sides, except for the rear part where R.C.
beams are used to support the concrete floor slab on the first
floor.

The horizontal walls divide the shophouse into chambers.

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3.5 Method of Construction and Material
Flooring System-

Material used: concrete, wood

Raw concrete flooring can be seen at the front entrance of Wah Sang
Brother’s shop house, this whole stretch is a five feet walkway for public use.
A thin layer of concrete is used among the ground floor of the shop house
covered in either paint or tiles.

80% of Wah Sang’s first level flooring is built with wooden plywood and
supporting the flooring is the beams made of chengal wood.

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Wall-

Material used: clay bricks

Clay bricks are used for exterior cladding.

Paint- was painted in white and blossom red column for the exterior
in the early days. It is now coated in yellow to increase the visual
appeal of building surface (by the government). It helps protect
against weathering impact , making the surface waterproof, and
increase the surface durability.

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Columns-

Material used: bricks covered with cement

Extended all the way to the roof and can be seen about every 3 to
4 metres away. It was a common material found in pre-war and was
low in cost.

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Roof System- metal metal corrugated roof

Material used: asbestos material

Used due to its sustainability to the climatic conditions in Malaysia. It’s

corrugated wave features gutter like design allows rain water to flow, this
process also allows a cooling effect for the interiors of the shop house
which is an advantage to Malaysia’s humidity.

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Door-

Material used before: wooden folding doors

After: metal grill doors

Metal grill doors were used after Wah Sang re-levelled their floor
height to a foot higher due to heavy occurrence of flood. It was due to
security purposes and for less maintenance if there was any water
seepage.

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Windows-

Material used before: wooden double hung windows

After: jalousie windows with ground glass

It non-transparent while retaining its translucency that allows sunlight to

penetrate in but yet provides privacy, provides ventilation flow

The original windows can be seen at the opposite building of Wah Sang
Brothers

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4. Review of Existing Conditions and Dilapidation
Survey

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4.1 Investigation and Diagnosis
Cracks- found at the external part of the building.
Cause: moisture movement, due to an increase or decrease in inter pore pressure with
moisture changes.
Initial shrinkage occurs in all building materials that are cement/lime based such as concrete,
mortar, masonry and plasters. The location of where Syarikat Wah Sang Brothers was built has
been known to be prone to floods and excessive humidity. Because of this, the molecules tend
to absorb moisture and dry at different rates, thus causing the cracks.

Rust- found on metal components of the building

Cause: exposure to humidity, affecting the overall aesthetic and efficiency of the component
causing it to not work as well as it used to.

Stains- Seen on ceilings and walls.

Cause: old pipes being used in the building, most of them have been left untouched for years
and not maintained properly.

Peeling of Paint- seen on walls

Cause: loss of adhesion between the paint and the surface it's placed on (Water, high humidity and
excessive condensation, poor surface preparation, dirty surface, high temperatures and intense
sunlight)
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Efflorescence- Seen at the ceiling, result of calcium hydroxide (lime) from cementitious
substrates being carried to the surface by water. This then reacts with carbon dioxide in
the air to form insoluble calcium carbonate. Ruin the appearance and physically
damage paint coatings. Before attempting to remove efflorescence the source of
moisture getting into the substrate should be eliminated.

Exposed wires

Unwanted Moss and Vegetation growth- Due to years of neglect and lack of
maintenance, the walls in the air well located at the center of the building has been the
location for the growth of moss and even a small plant that has sprung out from one of
the walls.
This can cause physical distressing of the surface.

Flooding at the walkway- caused by heavy rainfall.

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Remedial Measures and Controls
ICOMOS CHARTER- PRINCIPLES FOR THE ANALYSIS, CONSERVATION AND STRUCTURAL RESTORATION OF
ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE (2003)

3.10 The characteristics of materials used in restoration work (in particular new materials) and their compatibility with existing materials
should be fully established. This must include long-term impacts, so that undesirable side-effects are avoided.

3.11 The distinguishing qualities of the structure and its environment, in their original or earlier states, should not be destroyed.

3.12 Each intervention should, as far as possible, respect the concept, techniques and historical value of the original or earlier states of
the structure and leaves evidence that can be recognised in the future.

3.14 The removal or alteration of any historic material or distinctive architectural features should be avoided whenever possible.

3.15 Deteriorated structures whenever possible should be repaired rather than replaced.

3.16 Imperfections and alterations, when they have become part of the history of the structure, should be maintained so far so they do
not compromise the safety requirements.

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5. Building Treatments and Proposal

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5.1 Design Proposal Guidelines
‘Pre-survey’ of both the site and the building should be done to carry out different levels of detail to establish a cost effective plan of
activities proportional to the structure’s complexity (Historical, structural and architectural investigations, survey of the structure, field
research and laboratory testing, monitoring)

1. Masonry- preliminary analysis of masonry requires the identification of the characteristics of the constituents of this composite
material: the stones (limestone, sandstone, etc) or bricks, (fired or sun dried, etc.), and the type of mortar (cement, lime, etc.). It
is also necessary to know how the elements are bonded (dry joints, mortar joints etc) and the way in which they are
geometrically related to each other. Different kinds of tests may be used to ascertain the composition of the wall (endoscopic
tests, etc.)
2. Wood- Same type of wood should be used in restoration and replacement work as in the original construction. As each species
has its own specific physical properties, using the same kind means that the replacement parts will behave in the same way as
the original material. . Preliminary operations should be identification of the species, which are differently susceptible to
biological attack, and the evaluation of the strength of individual members which is related to the size and distribution of knots
and other growth characteristics.
3. Reinforced Concrete- Corrosion of the steel results in spalling of the concrete. To consolidate a reinforced concrete element
thus affected usually requires the removal of the deteriorated concrete (water jet, etc.), the cleaning of the steel, the addition of
new reinforcement and the rebuilding of the surface, often using special concretes.

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5.2 Treatment Proposals For Building Facade,
Entrance, Pedestrian Area
Method/ Approach applied- restoration, reconstruction and preservation

Cracks- repointing of the masonry, consolidation of the wall with grout, vertical longitudinal or transverse reinforcement, removal
and replacement of decayed material, dismantling and rebuilding, either partially or completely.

Rust-Protection against corrosion of iron and steel requires first the elimination of rust from the surfaces (by sand blasting, etc.) and
then painting the surface with an appropriate product.

Exposed Wiring- To be placed in metal or plastic conduits. Provide space for the wires and cables, unless the construction system
features exposed framing members and decking. In this case, conduit routes for wires need to be planned carefully to avoid visual
chaos.

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Unwanted moss and vegetation growth- Hand weeding, weeds with long root systems can be only pulled with care. If the roots are
deep in the cracks, it is best to cut off below the crown of the plant and left to die. Moss and algae removed by brushing/ using
hard-edged hand tool.

Peeling of Paint, efflorescence and discolouration-

Check and repair water seepage. Ensure walls are dry before painting. Use an alkali-resistant base coat or sealer.

Give a long time gap between plastering and painting (about 6 months) Use paint with a porous film like emulsions and distempers.

Repair water seepage. Make sure the surface is dry before painting and apply an alkaline-resistant or oil-based paint.

Repaint the building to its original color - white and blossom red column

Window Restoration- Replace the windows with the existing neighbors’

Entrance Restoration- Replace the metal gate with wooden folding doors with compatible materials and technologies. To put patterns
on the 5 foot walkway to signify the historical patterns and differences from the other shophouses along the street.

Proper Drainage for flooding

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Conclusion
To maneuver and suit the level of comfort, and the contemporary standards of safety, modern techniques could be used, but with great
concern of the true spirit of the original environment.

Restoring Wah Sang Brothers is considered a symbol of restoring the local culture and the symbol of the place and its heritage itself.

Wah Sang is one of the only shophouses that has remained the original features of the Early Style shophouse despite the damages
made from the fire tragedy. Therefore this building should be restored as much back to its original style for future references, studies
and inspiration for the design industry.

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References
1. lim zhe rou. “Time Running out for Wah Sang Brothers, Timepiece Repairers since 1929.” The Star Online, 9 July 2018,

www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/living/2018/07/10/wah-sang-brothers-repair-watches-clocks. Accessed 19 Jan. 2019.

2. Allen, Edward, and Joseph Iano. The Architect’s Studio Companion: Rules of Thumb for Preliminary Design, 4t. John Wiley & Sons, 2006

3. Durbin, Lesley. Architectural Tiles : Conservation and Restoration. London ; New York, Routledge, ©, Stampa, 2015.

4. Januaris Saint Fores. “15 Causes of Peeling Paint on Walls and Ceilings.” Dengarden, Dengarden, Oct. 2015,

dengarden.com/home-improvement/Why-do-I-have-Paint-Peeling-Off-in-my-Bathroom-Walls-and-Ceiling. Accessed 1 October 2019.

5. ThemeGrill. “COMMON DEFECTS AND REMEDIES IN PAINTING | ARCHITECTURE IDEAS.” Architectureideas.Info, 14 July 2009,

architectureideas.info/2009/07/common-paint-defects-and-the-remedies/#efflorescence. Accessed 19 Jan. 2019.

6. “Singapore Shophouse.” Singapore Property Bulk Purchase, Property Crowdfunding, Group Buy, 22 Feb. 2014, properture.com/singapore-shophouse. Accessed 19 Jan. 2019.

7. “The Royal Gallery | Tourism Malaysia.” Malaysia.Travel, 2019, www.malaysia.travel/en/places/states-of-malaysia/selangor/The-Royal-Gallery. Accessed 1 Nov. 2019.

8. Larson, K. E. (2016). pdf. Oslo.

9. “Sultan Suleiman Royal Mosque - Tourism Selangor.” Tourism Selangor, 2019, www.tourismselangor.my/destinations/sultan-suleiman-royal-mosque/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.

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