Investigation of rising damp and salt attack problems of heritage buildings

Conservation is a new issue in Malaysia as compared to other countries.Conservation is a more challenging task which requires a deep understanding of the structure of the buildings and the problems of the buildings. A proper dilapidation is a must before conservation work takes action to ensure that appropriate action is being taken.Salt contamination and rising dampness, which are the interrelated problem, are the most common problem among the rest due to the geographic location of Penang Island as it surrounded by sea water.Moreover, salt contamination and rising dampness are also considered as the most challenging problem.In this paper, five inheritance buildings that have salt contamination and dampness problem are chosen as the case study.Dilapidation survey is done and salt contamination sample collected from the case studies is sent to laboratory for X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) test to determine the salt content of the sample.The finding of this study can be used for reference before the conservation works take place and it could improve the effectiveness and outcome of the outcome of the building from the conservation works