HOUSTY & Malaysia | A Screw-Driven Homelift Woven into a Century of Heritage: The Renewal Choice of the Johor Figures Museum
Recently, the state of Johor, Malaysia celebrated the rejuvenation of a cultural landmark as the Johor Figures Museum (Muzium Tokoh Johor) officially reopened. Built in 1893, the structure has a history of more than 130 years. It was once the official residence of the first Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Johor, the late Dato’ Jaafar bin Muhammad, and is now among the oldest surviving buildings in the state.
The Johor Figures Museum offers rich displays across its three floors, presenting portraits of Johor’s successive Menteri Besar, the history of the Johor royal family, and a variety of precious artifacts. Through surround screens, immersive installations, and interactive touch displays, it lays out for visitors a clearly traced modern history of Johor. The museum hoped to have a homelift connect all three floors, so that visitors of every age and level of mobility could enter this history with ease and appreciate the depth of Johor’s culture.
How could a homelift be installed without harming this century-old heritage site? After extensive comparison, the museum ultimately chose HOUSTY. With a light touch, the HOUSTY screw-driven homelift blends into the fabric of history and delivered an answer that fully satisfied the museum.
After the museum’s reopening, the current Dato’ of Johor visited and rode the screw-driven homelift between the three floors, experiencing the new face of this century-old historic space.
01 Non-Invasive Installation, Preserving the Original Character of a Century-Old Building
When renovating historic buildings, the principle of “minimal intervention” comes first. Conventional lifts require a shaft, the excavation of a deep pit, and the construction of an overhead machine room—work that can easily cause irreversible damage to the fundamental structure of an old building.
The HOUSTY screw-driven homelift uses an integrated shaft, requiring no pit and no overhead machine room, eliminating destructive alterations to the building at the source. During installation, there is no need to break ground or make major changes to the building’s layout—truly achieving a “non-invasive” retrofit of a century-old building. Meanwhile, the screw-driven structure makes the homelift lighter, further reducing the weight load on the aged floor slabs and walls. From installation to operation, every step treats the historic building with tenderness, making barrier-free access a reality while leaving almost no trace on the building’s fabric.
02 A Black Lift Body, Blending into Malaysian National Aesthetics
The museum’s exterior is in the classic Elizabethan style, its pure white walls expressing elegance and solemnity, while the interior shifts toward a rich Malaysian national character, with black as the dominant tone. In Malaysian culture, black symbolizes strength and dignity and is the indispensable base color of the classic black-and-gold palette—using composure to set off splendor and letting the focus naturally fall on the exhibits and decorations themselves.
Choosing a black lift body therefore resonates deeply with this logic of national aesthetics. Standing against the wall, the HOUSTY homelift does not overpower the space; instead, its minimalist black silhouette echoes the gravity and restraint of the historic setting—understated yet rich in texture, as if it had always been part of this century-old mansion.
03 An In-House Team, Perfect Installation Within a Century-Old Space
Construction within a historic building demands the utmost care. HOUSTY has a local, in-house installation and service team in Malaysia, and given the special nature of this installation, the team received dedicated training before the work began.
From the pre-installation project assessment, to the meticulous floor-by-floor, stage-by-stage work during installation, and the on-site restoration after completion, the team used its rich experience and rigorous craftsmanship standards to ensure the homelift was positioned smoothly throughout, without harming the original character of the historic building. The flawless delivery earned high praise from the Johor Figures Museum. This professionalism and attention to detail are precisely what underpin HOUSTY’s deepening presence in overseas markets.
The rejuvenation of the Johor Figures Museum is the rebirth of a cultural landmark and a representative example among the many projects through which HOUSTY has deepened its presence overseas. Going forward, HOUSTY will continue, with a global vision and local service, to enter more spaces worthy of tender care, making vertical mobility an elegant bridge connecting history and modernity.
