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For old times' sake

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In the Laotian capital, Vientiane, down a street so small it doesn't have a name, sit several traditional timber-framed homes in various states of disrepair. Blackened lime plaster is falling off in chunks, exposing bamboo lathe. Unpainted wooden shutters hang limply from windows. Roof beams riddled with termites sag under the weight of clay tiles.

Also on the street are several restored homes with manicured gardens, modern bathrooms and constructed from many traditional building materials. The renovated homes, many more than 50 years old, are in demand and can exchange hands for upwards of US$500,000. They are rented mostly by expatriate workers and well-off Laotians, providing an income for the owners and preserving a small slice of local history.

While debate rages in Hong Kong about preservation and redevelopment, many other communities in the region have realised the value restoration can add to the local economy. From Shanghai to Singapore, restored buildings are generating income and interest as they are reincarnated as boutique office space, luxury hotels, trendy restaurants, exclusive private homes and novel tourist attractions. Although a modern office or apartment block may be cheap to build, they often lack the appeal of a colonial-style administrative building or a traditional home or shop front. In the same way that contemporary architecture and design can enhance a city's international reputation and status, so historic buildings can reinforce its integrity and credentials. There's room for both, but some authorities are finding it difficult to strike the right balance. The result for those who get it right is a boost to the city's coffers and sense of cultural identity.

Anne Warr, China director of architects AJ+C and author of Shanghai Architecture, renovated a 1936 lane house in Shanghai she and her partner had leased from a local family that has owned it for 50 years. It took three days to gain building approval for their plans and eight months to renovate. As it's located in a conservation zone (one of 12 in Shanghai that include nearly 1,200 municipally protected buildings) they were not permitted to make any changes to the exterior. The reaction from her friends and colleagues was 'Why bother?'

'We really wanted to live in an old Shanghai house and the lane houses are a piece of architecture unique to [the city]. These houses are now highly sought after, with prices reflecting this,' she says. 'To start with it was expats buying, renovating and living in these historic places, but now the occupancy is quite mixed. Often the occupants will be overseas-educated Shanghainese.'

Warr says a recent tour of refurbished French Concession houses she organised for the American Institute of Architects proved very popular. Spencer Dodington, an architect and contractor specialising in historic renovations, says the lanes are attracting small, independent retail outlets that visitors seem to prefer to the big shopping malls.

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