Abstract:Adaptive re-use of historic buildings is a process of changing the original function of the historic buildings to another function that can optimise the use of existing historic buildings. The selection of appropriate new function is an important factor in determining the success of adaptive re-use of historic buildings. However, adaptive re-use work done on historic buildings on the World Heritage Site is not an easy task due to rules and principles outlined by local and international charters that must be abide by. This research is conducted to gather the true picture of applied adaptive re-use principles that has been done on heritage hotels available in Melaka and George Town World Heritage Sites. This research is started with an inventory that led to the discovery of 35 hotels which applied the principle of adaptive re-use of historic buildings. Based on this finding, 4 historic hotels from adaptive re-use applications have been selected as the case studies. Results of the case studies carried out show that the level of conservation of heritage hotel is moderate and measures of control should be taken to ensure the privileges of heritage hotel. As a result of this research, a number of suggestions are made to ensure that adaptive re-use work done in the future will be conducted as optimum as possible according to the adaptive re-use and conservation principles..

Nowadays, playgrounds are underused to improve the physical and social development of young children with special needs. Therefore, this study aims to identify the key criteria of ergonomic inclusive public children playground aim for children with disabilities (CWDs). The study explored the process of universal design and the ergonomics function of play equipment that focuses on CWDs through physical site observation and interview protocol done among caregivers, parents of children with disabilities, and all stakeholders involved in the development of the public playground in Malaysia. The result presents three major themes as a guideline to create an ergonomic inclusive playground. Keywords: Ergonomics; Universal Design; Public Playground; Children with disabilities. eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: 10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.2499

The outdoor play setting is often ignored as a viable place to accommodate children with disabilities, limiting or completely excluding them from playing like other ordinary children. Thus, this study aims to determine the integration of Universal Design (UD) qualities and the applicability of Malaysian Standard (MS 966; 2017) in Malaysia's public playground. The physical site observation process has been conducted at three (3) public playgrounds for children with disabilities in Malaysia. The findings showed that there are 8 components of the UD principle, and MS966:2017 has been violated in the playground design. Keywords: Universal Design, Public Playground, Children with disabilities. eISSN  2514-751X © 2020 The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians / Africans / Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajebs.v5i17.372

Playing is one of the most crucial physical activities for children's development worldwide. Due to the unsuitability of the playground's design and the available play equipment, children with disabilities (CwDs) frequently experience difficulties when playing, especially at public playgrounds, amusement parks, and other recreational areas. They have consistently been mistreated and ignored in several ways. When designing and developing a playground, the accessibility and inclusivity of the space are crucial factors that should be considered. in preparing playgrounds for Children with Disabilities (CwDs). Two objectives are highlighted in this study, 1) to determine the criteria of accessible and inclusive playgrounds for disabled children in Malaysia and 2) to investigate the current accessibility and inclusivity of playgrounds for children with disabilities in Malaysia. The research methodology used is the qualitative method by using semi-structured interviews with caregivers of disabled children. The findings from the study conclude that most of the public playgrounds designed in Malaysia (even including inclusive playgrounds for Children with Disabilities (CwDs)) have still not met the needs of children with disabilities. The findings from this study hopefully will ensure that disabled children in Malaysia have the accessibility to play in inclusive playgrounds happily in the future.