PROPERTYTHE MYANMAR TIMES

24February 25 - March 3, 2013

IN Myanmar, as in many developing countries, historic buildings are often seen as roadblocks i n t h e f a c e o f progress. Too often,

it is simply seen as easier and more profitable to just knock them down and erect new, modern structures in their place.

But people and countries invariably come to regret such an approach, quickly realising that their historic buildings are a treasure, a unique and integral part of their culture that, once lost, can never be retrieved.

Colliers International, a worldwide property services company that provides research, consultancy and agency services for companies in Myanmar, has a department that provides advice on how owners, developers and governments can make the most out of the country ’s historic buildings. The service, Col l iers International Destination Consulting, is based in London but works all over the world. There are two categories of heritage buildings the firm works on: heritage townscapes and heritage landmarks.

Heritage townscapes are groups of historic structures. The individual structures might not be particularly important in their own right, but collectively they constitute an important histor ica l or cul tural legacy.

One Colliers survey, involving 35,000 people living across the UK, asked what people thought of different cities and towns as tourist destinations. The survey found that there was a high correlation between the number of historic buildings in towns and cities and their popularity as visitor destinations.

Simply put, the areas with the most historic buildings are usually the places that are most popular to visit, and are often also the most popular places to live and work.

But historic buildings do not constitute the only attraction these towns have to offer — the ways that historic buildings tend to be used is also critically important.

Historic parts of towns and cities in many parts of the world are vastly different from other sections of towns and cities. They tend to have more hospitality destinations — restaurants and bars tend to l ike historic buildings because they have more character than modern buildings and present a natural edge over the competition. For the same reasons, historic areas usually have unique shops not found in other parts of town. Businesses in creative industries tend to like the qualities of older buildings and older neighbourhoods because they prov ide inspiration to designers and artists.

While it is easy to lose these historic areas during a development boom, it is almost always regretted. The Colliers Destination Consulting team recently worked in the English port city of Plymouth, famous as the location where Sir

Francis Drake sighted the Spanish armada while playing bowls. The most historic part of Plymouth, around the old harbour, or the Barbican, became a slum by the first half of the 20th century, and by the end of World War II plans were in place to replace much of the area with new housing. Fortunately, a group of locals realised what Portsmouth would lose with the redevelopment of this historic harbour area, and set up an organisation to take ownership of the buildings and restore them. The Barbican is now full of restaurants, shops, offices and up-market houses. It is the most popular tourist attraction in the city and amongst the most popular places in the city to live and work. Quite simply, people like it because it is different.

But Plymouth isn’t alone, and there are plenty of similar cases around the world.

A case in point: Carnaby Street, London The London-based company Shaftesbury is one of the best developers of historic buildings in the world. The company’s approach is to buy property in sections of central London and turn them into urban villages. Shaftesbury’s projects on Carnaby Street in London’s West End have received particular praise. The hub of the “Swinging 60s” in London, it is an area of relatively small, historic buildings.

Shaftesbury works by establishing a vision for the type of occupier they want before creating a name and brand for the area and improving the local area, working in partnership with local authorities. As a result of the company’s work Carnaby is again one of the most popular and commercially successful parts of London.

Heritage landmarks, the second category that Colliers deals with, are structures that make an impact in their own right and come in many different forms, from temples to factory buildings.

Another success story: Gladstone Conservatory, LiverpoolThe Gladstone Conservatory is a Victorian palm house located in a historic park sandwiched between the stadiums of Liverpool’s two famous football clubs: Liverpool FC and Everton FC. The building, built 150 years ago, was derelict, and Liverpool FC wanted it to be restored, and Colliers recommended that it be turned into a function centre.

The iron and glass top section was taken away, restored and replaced, while a lower building was built. The centre contains a restaurant, kitchens and other services. The glass house on top is a large, open space for functions with all the services underneath. The venue is extremely successful, and is used by Liverpool FC for entertaining guests before matches.

T h e r e a r e t h r e e considerations to make when deciding on the best

1

2

3

use for an historic building, beginning with the physical nature of the building and its surroundings, which determine the possibilities. Colliers starts by making

an assessment of which elements of the building are important from a heritage perspective and must be retained, and which are less important and can be

changed. Colliers is assessing

options for a historic Baptist chapel built in the 18th century. Located in a prosperous town, it has

several possible futures. However, an important decision will have to be made about whether the wooden benches are essential to the character of the building; the

Making the most of a city’s historic buildings

PROPERTY25THE MYANMAR TIMES February 25 - March 3, 2013

Making the most of a city’s historic buildingsor historically interesting and can be made into tourist attractions, museums or other cultural centres, these rarely have significant commercial value on their own.

Region success: the National Art Gallery, Singapore

The Singapore City Hall and adjacent Supreme Court have witnessed many important events in the country’s history. Admiral Mountbatten accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces in the City Hall on September 12, 1945, and the building housed the office of Lee Kuan Yew when he became the first pr ime min i s ter . C i ty Hall continued to house government departments until it was vacated in 2005. The Supreme Court Building, built between 1930 and 1939, served the judiciary system of Singapore. Its façade was designed to match City Hall, with classical architecture a n d c o r r e s p o n d i n g Corinthian columns. Both buildings were listed as national monuments in 1992, and are now being remodelled to a design by the French architectural firm, Studio Milou, to form a National Art Gallery, which is scheduled to open in 2015. It is designed to strengthen Singapore’s role as a regional and international hub for visual arts through the display, promotion, research and study of Southeast Asian and Singapore art. At 60,000 square metres it will become one of the largest visual arts venues in the region.

However, the estimated cost of the project is US$430 million, which shows how costly restorations can be. Colliers International c o n su l tan ts p r o v ide d master planning, concept development and business planning advice for the project.

Historic buildings often, however, also have intrinsic commercial value if restored properly.

Businesses often like to occupy older buildings because of their character, and historic buildings are useful as features for modern developments. Upmarket businesses in particular tend to occupy historic buildings where possible because their exclusive nature lends itself well to their brand. The luxury shops in Cabot Circus, a new shopping centre in the English city of Bristol, overlook Quakers Friars, a chapel that is one of Bristol’s most historic buildings and has been developed as an upmarket restaurant. The same approach has been taken in the northern city of Leeds, where the smartest designer fashion shops are in restored Victorian Arcade,

now called the Victoria Quarter. It is known as the Knightsbridge of the North.

London’s famous Regent Street is a classic example o f h i s t o r i c b u i l d i n g development. The street was not performing well in the 1980s, so its owners, the Crown Estate, revamped the entire road, envisioning an upmarket locale occupied by f lagship s tores o f international brands. Most of the buildings have been redeveloped to create modern interiors behind the historic facades. The combination of historic architecture and modern interiors makes the area extremely attractive to international firms looking to move into London. The street now boasts the flagship stores of several international brands, in addit ion to i ts i conic traditional tenants, such as Liberty Department Store and Hamleys toy shop.

Heritage plays a significant role in this.

Regent Street and nearby Bond Street have become two of the most sought after shopping streets in the world because they have been able to put modern retail space behind historic façades.

The lesson here is that great things can be done with Myanmar’s historic buildings. Finding a way to do it, rather than losing the buildings, will have an important impact on the success of the country as a place to invest, visit and live.

Closer to home, what does the future hold for Yangon’s Secretariat building?

The Secretariat building in Yangon is a perfect example of a heritage landmark. It is central to the country’s history, occupies prime land in the middle of the downtown area and its architecture is a unique example of a bygone era. There have been calls to turn it into a heritage attraction and/or a museum, similar to what has been done in Singapore, and that is one option that should be examined.

The building is very large, however, and using it entirely or predominantly for that purpose and for other cultural purposes would be expensive — both to build and to operate. It may be that a mix of uses, some commercial and some non-commercial, would be a better use of the building. The building is well-suited to hosting a hotel, conference facilities, residential facilities and offices. If properly planned, these can all comfortably sit alongside a museum and cultural icon that respects the history of the building.

This opinion article was contributed by Colliers International Destination Consulting.

1. A couple walk hand-in-hand through one of the two arcades that form a part of the Victoria Quarter in Leeds, often described as one of the UK's most beautiful shopping centres.

2. The interior of Gladstone Conservatory in Liverpool before it was renovated. 3. Gladstone Conservatory before its renovation.

commercial success. 5. The renovated Gladstone Conservatory is used by English Premier League football side Liverpool FC to host

special guests before home games. Pics: SUPPLIED/ Colliers International Destination Consulting

4

5

benches will determine the possible uses for site.

A second consideration is what use the building can serve in future. An historic building might be perfect as

a hotel in one place because there is a market for it but in many locations there’s no need for such lodgings and another use must be found.

A third consideration

concerns funding and project management: where the money will come from and who can take charge of completing the work. This is challenging because

historic buildings are often quite expensive to restore and require significant maintenance.

And while some old buildings are architecturally