PUBLIC PERCEPTION ON EVALUATING THE PHYSICAL IDENTITY OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN CHINNAKADA

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

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PUBLIC PERCEPTION ON EVALUATING THE PHYSICAL IDENTITY OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN CHINNAKADA JOBIN JOSE Introduction Each nation has its ‘historic buildings’ that represents its past. Some signifies the culture of a place and others, the physical character or style of a decade. Thus keeping an identity on the people’s mind. It is important to make sure that the public understand on the significance of heritage sites and buildings, and how it could impact any potential asset related decisions. It is also important to have the public opinion in heritage conservation.From a common person’s view, his perception about a building would be the physical form what he sees and not about the architectural details and background it offers.

The physical identity of a building can be considered as a concept which is influenced by the people or community living there. It should be noted that there are also economic, social, cultural and even political identity in today’s urban environment, but this issue is more apparent in terms of physical aspects such as the façade. The facades are the one of the physical component of the urban environment and can play a decisive role in playing the identity of buildings in urban areas. My research is about evaluating the physical (facade) identity possessed by historic buildings from the perception of public

Aim To evaluate the public perception about the physical identity of historic buildings in Chinnakada and the importance of conservation of these buildings.

Objectives   

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To identify the role of facades in restoring and strengthening the physical identity of a building.

To make public aware about the need of conservation of historic buildings.

To understand better about the relationship between public/communities and historic buildings.

To observe the people’s perception about the buildings showing heritage.

To analyse the present condition and architectural value of these buildings in Chinnakada.

To find the conservation intervention perceived for the buildings.

To keep a deep understanding about the form, color, texture and material study of these buildings.

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

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physical

ide ntity of historic

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Scope 

A comparative study about various historic buildings existing in Chinnakada and its current situation.

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Understanding and analysing the influence of these historic buildings in people’s mind.

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Understanding the physical identity these buildings possess on people.

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Analyzing about the need of conservation of these buildings in Chinnakada.

Limitation 

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Study focuses on four buildings showing heritage value as there are two more buildings which are already conserved.

Two out of the four buildings are currently in use, as government offices.

Methodology

observation, and interview.

The questionnaire was randomly administered on the residence of Kollam town and nearby places. The design of the questionnaire was based on the aim of the study to determine public’s perception on the physical significance and heritage conservation of the historic buildings in Chinnakada.

Historic buildings in chinnakada Currently 4 buildings in Chinnakada possess the heritage value. Among them two of them are reused as government offices – PWD house and PWD rest house. The above stated buildings shows an average age of 60 – 70 years heritage. These buildings differ in the materials used, façade, location and possess different types of identity. Most of the buildings are now unnoticeable to public with improper cleanliness and bad surroundings.

Chinease and British influence on Chinnakada also influenced the building typology and its physical character. Those styles are still noticeable in the façade and the overall outlook.

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A qualitative and visual research method was followed to facilitate the study being undertaken.

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Initially collecting information and data regarding the heritage value of buildings.

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Through secondary research maximum information possible through effective library research and online research were collected.

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The study is conducted using structured questionnaire, physical observation, and interview. The questionnaire was randomly administered on the residence of Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Kollam town and nearby places. The design of the questionnaire was based on the aim of the study to determine public’s perception on the physical

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

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BRIEF ON THE BUILDINGS IN CHINNAKADA POSSESSING HERITAGE VALUE AND CULTURE

Cheenakottaram

SMP Palace

PWD office

PWD rest house

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

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COMPARITIVE DATA ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDINGS

Literature case study A total of 2 case studies on the evaluating the identity of different buildings through people’s perception. Perceptions on cultural significance and heritage conservation: a case study of sussan wenger’s building, osogbo, Nigeria and public awareness and perceptions of heritage buildings in arizona, usa were the 2 case studies. Both of the case studies were completely different, the methodologies and the findings of the studies were different from each other.

Analysis and Inference The responses of the online questionnaire were collected and analysed at various levels for properly evaluating the people’s perception about these historic buildings in Chinnakada. The survey was generally made for the residents of Kollam.

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

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Survey questionnaire 1. What is your gender?  Male  Female  Transgender  Prefer not to say 2. What is your age?  20 or below  21 to 30  31 to 40  41 to 50  51 to 60  61 or older 3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?  Below 10th  Below 12th  Currently in College  Under Graduate  Post Graduate  PhD  Graduate 4. Are you a resident of Kollam?  Yes  No 5. For how long have you been staying in Kollam?  Below 5 years  5-10 years  10-20 years  More than 20 years 6. Do u think that Chinnakada has a rich architectural (building) heritage?  Yes  No 7. Which building appeals you more?  SMP Palace  PWD Office  Cheena Kottaram  PWD Rest house

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

|6

8. Do u think these heritage buildings add to the identity of Chinnakada?  Yes  No As per the respondents choice on Qus.7

9. How much do you like the appearance of the building?

1 2 3 4 5 - rate accordingly 10. Does the building have aesthetic value?  Yes  No 11. Is the building a symbol of culture and historic heritage?  Yes  No 12. Does the building have prospect for economic development and tourism?  Yes  No 13. Should the building be left in current physical condition?  Yes  No 14. Should the building be converted for public use?  Yes  No 15. Should the façade (front side) of the building be retained?  Yes  No 16. What would you prefer the building to be used for?  As a museum  Govt Purposes  Hotel  Others 17. Should the building be conserved or not?  Yes  No

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

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According to the survey analysis, 160 males, 138 females and 1 transgender have responded to the questionnaire, with a total of 303 respondents, where 4 of them preferred not to show their gender.

Gender 1% 0% 46%

Male

Female

53%

Transgender

Prefer not to say

Out of the 303 respondents 58% of them where under the age of 30 - 21, and 20% where below 20 and 9% between 50 – 60.

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

|8

Most of the people think that these buildings possess the heritage culture of Chinnakada.

Through this graph it can be noted that as the degree of education goes higher people are more aware of the heritage value of historic buildings.

71% of the respondents are living in Kollam for more than 20 years. Through this data it is easier to know about much people know about these buildings.

85% of the respondents think that these buildings shows the identity of Chinnakada and Kollam.

Chennakottaram was the most liked and appealing building in Chinnakada as per the public’s opinion. Then comes the SMP palace and PWD rest house.

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

|9

Conclusion This study has discovered that the historic buildings of Chinnakada are part of their cultural symbol and historic heritage and it is to be conserved. These 4 buildings have their own value and different in different people’s perception. It is also discovered that the best conservation intervention for most of the buildings are conversion to museum.

Most of the people liked the physical appearance of these buildings as it is easily recognizable through the façade. It was able to understand that people do care about the buildings by analyzing the present condition. Most of them wanted the buildings to be in current physical state. These buildings have prospect for economic development and tourism and could be used for public beneficiaries.As per the respondents, Chennakottaram is the most appealing building in Chinnakada. Most of the people who participated in the survey questionnaire were educated well, many of them were undergraduates and post graduates. Due to the lack of social media influence to the old aged people the surveys couldn’t be done from their part of view. Thus the physical identity possessed by these buildings have a huge influence in the mind of public. The architectural character they possess through the façade details, or the colour, roof etc., gives these historic buildings the identity they offer.

Bibliography Websites 1. Cheena Kottaram - Wikipedia 2. THEN AND NOW: cheena kottaram(china palace)at quilon station,is a rest house made for king sri moolam thirunal in 1904 (pazhayathu.blogspot.com) 3. Sri Moolam Thirunal Palace - Wikipedia 4. SMP Theatre or Sree Moolam Thirunal Palace , kollam - YouTube 5. Smp Palace Area Locality (onefivenine.com) 6. Preservation Brief 17: Architectural Character—Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving their Character (nps.gov) 7. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/ttra Articles 1. African Journal of History and Culture http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1381858260_Adeniran and Akinlabi.pdf

2. Public Awareness and Perceptions of Heritage Buildings in Arizona, USA (umass.edu) 3. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences Public Perception on the Cultural Significance of Heritage Buildings in Kuala Lumpur ScienceDirect

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam

Public perception on evaluating buildings in Chinnakada

the

physical

ide ntity of historic

| 10

Department of Architecture, R.I.T., Govt. Engineering College, Kottayam