In a society obsessed with youth, old buildings too are often regarded as relics that no longer serve a purpose. Worse, for these historical monuments retirement means being stripped of its dignity, literally. Bulldozed to the ground, with only the dust left as proof of existence.

But thank goodness for people like Ghafar Ahmad who sees a premium in these pre-war buildings.

Conservation, explains Ghafar is not only about structures but also about society.

"Urban conservation is not only a process of building the image and identity for heritage cities but it also provides the missing link between the rich traditions of the pasts and the present-day living."

The concept of urban conservation, says Ghafar should be a main agenda in matters of town planning. Good heritage management usually translates into a logistical nightmare. Reams of research to mull over, endless site visits to check on progress and detailed documentation for future references.

"Documentation of any conservation work is crucial as every work involved means adding a new layer to the history of the sites.

Conservation efforts for the former project started in mid-1995 and took two years to complete at a cost of RM2.2 million.

Ghafar recalls the woes of resource management, and how these conservation projects often include both social and physical aspects. Through fostering ties with the local community, he learnt of useful and culturally relevant information about the mosque. As the project manager, he also had to engage skilled workers and form a good management team that was responsible for supervising the entire initiative.

"We had to get them involved in project meetings, contributing views and ideas pertaining to the development of the entire mosque. Frequent meetings between local community and the steering committee were carried out in order to inform and explain to local residents about the latest development of the project," says Ghafar, the first Malaysian who received a PhD in Building Conservation.

But he reckons the fruits of labour more than justifies the investment of time, money and manpower.

Dr Ghafar (yellow helmet) supervising a worker at the Fort Cornwallis conservation project.

Heritage value apart, the preservation of these buildings make economic sense as well. Often, a vibrant tourism industry is attributed to the country’s unique brand of culture. Ghafar says that heritage cities like Georgetown, Malacca, Kota Baru, Taiping, Kuala Lumpur and Kuching have the potential to emulate some European cities as popular tourist destinations.

"For example, the cities of Venice in Italy and Bath in United Kingdom have prominent showcases of national heritage as tourism products."

His PhD research, entitled "Conservation of British Colonial Buildings Built Between 1800 and 1930 in Malaysia", examined the methods and techniques of conservation employed in historical buildings in the United Kingdom and the possibilities of applying them in the context of British colonial buildings in Malaysia.

He is currently a lecturer and chairman of the Interior Design Program at the School of Housing, Building and Planning at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang.

Actively involved in several conservation activities, Ghafar has been a member of the Penang Heritage Technical Committee, Penang Heritage Centre Committee, Penang Island Building Conservation Advisory Committee, Penang State Conservation Committee and the Steering Committee for the Conservation Project of the Acheen Street Mosque, Georgetown, Penang.

Apart from carrying out research, his passion takes him outdoors where he also acts as a conservation consultant for the Department of Museum and Antiquity, Malaysia. An authority on the building and conservation of mosques, he considers the Sacred Mosque of Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque of Madinah, both in Saudi Arabia as "architecturally beautiful and historically significant."

He finds sheer delights in architectural elements and features of the building, such as the facades including doors and windows.

"I appreciate any intricate renderings including wood carvings, plaster renderings and decorative tiles. Such elements and features portray many interpretations to
viewers including the owner's wealth, skilled craftsmen and the level of
building technologies of that particular time of construction.

"Indeed, conservation is a continuous process in lieu of the interests of the future generations," Ghafar claims with conviction.