Abstract
BACKHOME is a backpacker hostel in Kuala Lumpur city centre designed by Ar. Masyerin Md Nor, the principle of Domaine Architects Sdn Bhd. The design of this backpacker hostel had won the prestigious PAM Award in 2016 for commercial building. The travellers' sanctuary was originally four units of shop houses built in the 1970's. It was remodelled into a stylish and contemporary hostel to accommodate tourists visiting Kuala Lumpur or transiting to neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. Set amidst the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur city centre, this hostel is a peaceful sanctuary for travelling backpackers. The refurbishment of the shop houses has provided better indoor environmental quality achieved through design strategies for natural ventilation and daylighting. This article reviews BACKHOME based on the current trend of adaptive reuse criteria usually adopted locally and also internationally. These include sustainability, construction, public engagement and historical aspects. From the review, it shows that the novelty of the scheme adopted in BACKHOME lies in the innovative engagement of these criteria. The scheme realised and manifested in BACKHOME can be very impactful in paving a new mode of adaptive reuse practice in Malaysia. This article highlights the essential aspects of the success of BACKHOME which could be emulated in any future adaptive reuse project especially involving heritage shop houses in this country.
Highlights
BACKHOME is an adaptive reuse architecture project which falls into the category of sustainable development
BACKHOME has the advantage of being in the central location of Kuala Lumpur whilst assuming an ambience of a sanctuary and enjoying better indoor environmental quality compared to a similar average accomodation in the city centre
The remodelling or adaptive reuse of the historical shop houses was well executed by Domaine Architects who have turned the old buildings into a peacefully retreat or santuary for travellers, free from the hustle and bustle of the city centre
Summary
BACKHOME is an adaptive reuse architecture project which falls into the category of sustainable development. The shop houses were constructed on the site of earlier shop houses built before world war II which were bombed and destroyed during the war The transformation of these abondoned shop houses into a backpackers’ hostel called BACKHOME improves the indoor environmental qualities of the building complex in terms of natural ventilation and daylighting. The refurbishment opens up the dense building complex into loose volumes of indoor and semi-outdoor spaces. This innovative design intervention at BACKHOME is parellel to what Sulimowska-Ociepka [2] conceptualises about cultural heritage which encompasses the creative use of historical buildings for contemporary purposes and not merely about protecting or preserving the old fabrics and activities. A city can enrich it’s image and cultural landscape by this evolution of historical construction which can be more socially engaging
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