HERITAGE RETROFITS | MYANMAR RETROFITTING THE GLOBE The affordable retrofit of 25 historic buildings in Myanmar could form the template for making millions of existing buildings across Asia climate resilient, says Doh Eains Beverley Salmon D oh Eain is a social enterprise that has been operating in Yangon, Myanmar, since 2017, against the backdrop of opening up the country, and a rise in investment and social mobility. Our vision for the organisation is to support communities and individuals through the restoration of heritage properties and the renewal of public spaces. Myanmar, today, is at a point of significant challenge. Covid-19 and the February military coup have had a significant impact on the population, and 25 million people nearly 50% of the population are predicted to be living below the national poverty line by 2022.1 The World Bank is reporting that gross domestic product will be at -18% for 2021. Yangon is a city abundant in heritage buildings. It developed through colonial dominance during the 19th century and, by the early 20th century, was a thriving trading hub. Alongside British colonial architecture, the city boasts mansions, warehouses, public offices and religious buildings built by Gujarati Indians, Baghdadi Jews, Arab Muslims, Christian Armenians, and Chinese people resulting in an eclectic, diverse and densely built cultural heritage. In 2005, government administrative functions were relocated to the new capital, Naypyidaw, leaving many large public buildings in Yangon without function and to deteriorate in the challenging monsoon climate and the hot, intense dry season. Some public buildings were reappropriated as housing, either officially or by squatters, and many were left abandoned. This neglect continues to be a significant loss to the city and includes not just public buildings, but also a vast number of privately owned residential buildings. It is these buildings that are so characteristic for the historic streetscape in the city centre: 70% of its 6,000 historic buildings are residential. In Yangon, these residential heritage properties are often inherited, and there is limited family means to maintain them. Private owners of heritage properties struggle to find the resources, expertise or finance to look after their homes, even for very minor interventions and maintenance. Doh Eain provides design, construction and financing support, connecting owners with tenants and then managing the property while it is rented out. (See panel, How Doh Eain finances building restorations.) One aim is to protect Yangons cultural built heritage, but equally important is the objective to develop a sustainable approach that provides good-quality homes and income for owners, who are often from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We restore buildings and adapt them to make them safe, resilient and healthy spaces. The interventions that we, at Doh Eain, make are relatively simple: managing airtightness for air conditioning performance while maximising the impact of passive ventilation wherever possible (to make it a viable choice for residents); keeping Simple interventions can make a big difference to residential properties 26 October 2021 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Oct21 pp26-29 Myanmar retrofit.indd 26 24/09/2021 14:18