Adaptive reuse practices and challenges in managing government quarters buildings in Malaysia

PurposeThis paper addresses the persistent problem of abandoned and unoccupied teacher’s quarters in Malaysia, an issue that has been brought up in both the State Legislature and Parliament without resolution. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of adaptive reuse practices specifically for government quarters in Malaysia, exploring their potential to breathe life into neglected spaces.Design/methodology/approachThis research explores the management of adaptive reuse building conversions by two distinct organizations: federal and state. It further examines the impact of an election that established the specific demographic granted exclusive jurisdiction over the assets of Malaysia’s Ministry of Education. Initially, the study conducted brief interviews to gather insights on the management of adaptive reuse for state teacher quarters. Subsequently, the research expands to include interviews and surveys targeting those in charge of managing the adaptive reuse of teacher quarters. The collected data from these two phases will undergo analysis through content analysis methods.FindingsThe investigation aimed to identify the root cause of the teachers “quarters” low occupancy by assessing the structural condition of the building. It also delves into how adopting an adaptive reuse strategy could repurpose the building for different uses. The discussion will encompass three main challenges to adaptive reuse: sustainability of the building, its present condition and legal implications. Additionally, the discussion aims to highlight the local advantages of such an approach, including maintaining optimal building conditions, ensuring continuous building performance, enabling efficient financial management and reducing asset wastage.Originality/valueThis study extends the knowledge of adaptive reuse by exploring Malaysia’s government quarter buildings' potential, with the challenges and benefits of adaptive reuse through current building conditions with localised insights. This is one of the groundbreaking empirical studies that also addresses impacts and recommends some potential areas for future researchers and policymakers in maximising and preserving unoccupied building usage (Value: Provides practical applications for stakeholders and policymakers).