One hundred young men made an inventory of 140 old Kuching heritage buildings

KUCHING, Oct 13: A total of 100 students from three institutions of higher learning (IPT) managed to produce an inventory of 140 heritage buildings in Old Kuching through the 'Heritage Future: Voices of Old Kuching - Architectural Heritage Student Inventory 2026' program.

Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHE) Advisor, Datu Dr Sabariah Putit said the achievement is a significant step in trying to document the architectural treasures of Old Kuching for future generations' reference.

"Heritage documentation not only records historic buildings, but also highlights the cultural identity, life history and collective memory of the community that make up Kuching Lama's uniqueness", he said in a statement.

The programme is an initiative of OKSHE and the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts Sarawak in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) as well as expert support from the Malaysian Akitek Organization (PAM) and ICOMOS Malaysia.

Students from UNIMAS, MARA University of Technology (UiTM) and Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus participated in field activities that included physical observation of buildings, architectural features research, visual documentation as well as interviews with local communities.

Inventory of traditional Malay houses also includes eight historic villages namely Kampung Masjid, Kampung Bintangor Kecil, Kampung Bintangor Besar, Kampung Bandarsah and Kampung No. 3, Village No. Village No. 4. 5 and Village No. Six of them.

The building's owners and heads of Malay and Chinese communities also cooperate to help students gain information about the history of ownership, changes in the functioning of buildings and experiences of cross-generational community life.

The approach allows documentation to cover both physical and non-physical aspects of the heritage, including architectural features, building materials, spatial layout as well as community stories related to the buildings in question.

Meanwhile, the involvement of 100 students in the programme demonstrates the role of young generations as active contributors to local historical research and documentation through experience-based learning.

The inventory results have the potential to be a reference basis for further research, urban historical mapping and development of heritage interpretation materials including community-based heritage routes.

The findings of the field were presented by a group of students on October 13 at the Town Hall, while the exhibition 'Heritage Future: Voices of Old Kuching' is scheduled to start on October 19 to expand knowledge sharing and raise public awareness about the importance of preserving the architectural heritage of old Kuching. - TVS