Good as new: The 119-year-old Penang High Court underwent a much-needed upgrade and conservation effort to address internal building issues. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: After several delays, the long-awaited restoration of the Penang High Court has finally been completed.
State infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the RM18.9mil restoration and upgrading project was completed on Wednesday.
“The restoration and upgrading project was gazetted as a National Heritage Building under the National Heritage Department.
“It is located within the core zone of the Unesco Heritage Site,” he said, adding that the date of its reopening would be decided by the court.
The 119-year-old Penang High Court underwent a much-needed upgrade and conservation effort to address issues such as leaking roofs, termite damage, humidity problems, fungal growth and water stains.
“Our primary goal was to preserve the historic building while making necessary adjustments to meet modern functionality,” Zairil said.
The project faced challenges due to limited space around the building, which restricted contractor movement.
“The conservation method involved a top-down approach, requiring the construction of a temporary roof to protect the building, especially during restoration work on the roof,” he said.
Zairil added that other constraints included the importance of compliance with mandatory regulations and adhering to the National Heritage Act 2005.
“According to the contract and regulations, any damaged items or elements must be replaced with the same or similar material to the original, which meant that they needed to check the availability of these items and source suitable materials.
“There were some unforeseen matters as well as numerous issues during the restoration works due to initial limited access to the building and constraints of visual inspection, which commonly leads to a Variation Order or addition to project cost,” he said.
Zairil said while the original contract was said to be RM17.9mil, the final cost was RM18.9mil.
The project, which commenced on Dec 1, 2021, was granted two extension periods due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran and Jelutong MP RSN Rayer visited the Penang High Court building to check on the restoration works on June 5.
Rayer said they were briefed on the progress of the upgrade and renovation works.
“We were given the opportunity to visit the High Court building, which is now completed after a long delay,” he said.
