UCTS programme to meet need for more registered conservators

SIBU: Sarawak needs more registered conservators to oversee building conservation projects.

“Presently, there are only three registered conservators in Sarawak, including me, with 50 nationwide,” said associate professor Haris Fadzilah Abdul Rahman of University College of Technology Sarawak ( UCTS) School of Built Environment’s head of programme.

“In Malaysia, a registered conservator must be engaged to oversee the conservation of a building.

“We need a lot of registered conservators because we still have a lot of heritage buildings in Sarawak,” he told a press conference on UCTS Master of Architecture programme yesterday.

Adding on, Haris said two registered conservators are usually required for a building conservation project; one to work with the consultant and the other with the contractor.

Touching on the Master of Architecture programme, he said graduate students will have the option to take two electives on conservation and adaptive reuse.

“Exposing students through these courses will encourage them to look after heritage buildings besides building new ones. In this way, we will have more architects who are wellversed in conservation,” Haris said.

He added that besides Malaysian identity of architecture, one may now focus on Borneo architecture as the programme prepares students for ‘Borneo Regionalism”.