Influence of Building Façade Visual Elements on Its Historical Image: Case of Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia

Abstract

Building façade, as an interface between inner and outer space, is mostly the matter of evaluation by visitors of historical districts. Therefore, it imposes important impact on the images of historical districts. The dimension of this impact is mostly reliant on the visual elements of historical building facades. Reviewing studies conducted on the study area, a historical district adjacent to Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur city, revealed that inconsistency among the elements of historical building facades has negative impact on the historical images of the area. Therefore, the study intended to
identify the visual elements that influence the images of historical building facades, based on public’s evaluations. Using a quantitative method, the data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire survey. Participants were randomly selected from the public who visited the area. The results showed that architectural style and color were the visual elements that mostly influenced the images of historical building facades. Briefly, the results help to find out how people evaluate the images of historical building facades that assists designers and professionals in their efforts for the future development of historical building facades.

Keywords: Historical building façades; Visual elements; Architectural style