BEP Akitek Sdn Bhd

Last updated
BEP Akitek Sdn Bhd
Industry Architecture
Founded1923;100 years ago (1923)
FoundersRalph Booty, Sidney James
Headquarters
Malaysia
Website www.bepakitek.com

BEP Akitek Sdn Bhd (formerly as Booty Edwards & Partners) is an architectural firm based in Malaysia. [1] Ralph Booty & Sidney James [2] set up their practice in Singapore in 1910 [3] and began the Booty Edwards & Partners firm on September 7, 1923. [4] Ralph Booty had previously operated the firm Ralph Booty and Co. The new firm was first called Booty and Edwards. [5] Arthur Oakley Coltman bought the firm in 1930. [6] It was later called Booty, Edwards & Partners and the firm operated with offices in Colombo, Penang as well as Kuala Lumpur. [7] In 1969 the firm was renamed BEP Akitek Sdn Bhd, the name it still carries. [8] A major event in the firm's early history is when it won an architectural competition for the design of Colombo’s Town Hall and Municipal Offices, held in 1922. [9] The Town Hall remains an imposing landmark in Colombo city. On May 24, 1924, the foundation stone was laid to build this magnificent building to house the Municipal Council of the country's principal city.

Contents

The firm became a major force in the development of Southeast Asia's architecture in the 20th century. It not only was responsible for some of the major governmental and commercial buildings in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore, it also ushered in a new type of architectural practice: a major office run on the corporate model established by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), in the United States. Many of the major Art Deco and modernist buildings came from architects who worked in the offices of Booty, Edwards, and Partners.

Notable projects

The idea with this project was to provide a governing building for the organization that would act as its centre of operations and cultural activities, and provide an architectural identity. The committee for the hall had existed since 1910 but officially came together in 1926. [10] The size of the building is: 43 m (length) x 63 m (width) x 14 m (height) and is located at No.1, Jalan Maharajalela, 50150 Kuala Lumpur, across the  MR3  Maharajalela Monorail station. [11] Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) is designed following a neo-classical model. It is an architectural style that began in the late-18th century. Neoclassical works were a stylistic reaction against the Rococo style of florid ornament, although some of the building's features are Late Baroque, with certain classical and Palladian elements. The hall also shows the British colonial influence. The most prominent feature of the interior is a central hall with a high ceiling. [12] The three entrances at the front relate to the significance given to the number three in Chinese culture, which means – man, earth, and the sky which balance out the universe. [13] During its glory days, the hall was filled by the Chinese community that gathered for news, to participate in cultural programs or to watch stage performances. During World War II, it was a place where people sought refuge and aid, and later in the 1950s, after independence, members of the hall played significant roles in encouraging the Chinese community to apply for citizenship. In the early twentieth century, many Chinese retained a close attachment to mainland China and during World War II, they even collected money to fund China’s war against Japan. But after the war, the communities felt there was a need to change the perception of the Chinese community towards the then Malaya and to create sense of belonging. The hall played important role in this social movement. [14] Construction of the building started in 1926 and it was completed only in 1935. The building has a touch of Asian architectural features with its dome and some of the detailing. The budget was 177,135 Malayan dollars. [15]

A 200-metre walk away from the KLSCAH, the Police Co-operative Building, known today as Bangunan Koperasi Polis, is an experiment by the Federation of Malaya Police Co-operative Thrift & Loan Society Ltd. of investment in real estate and took into consideration the high demand for good office space in the fast developing federal capital. The building stands on a site of 17,000 square feet, and is bounded on one side by Sultan Suleiman Road and on two sides by Kampung Attap Road. [17] It is a thirteen storeys high and comprises a basement, ground floor, eleven typical upper floors and a double storeyed penthouse . [18] Reinforced concrete was used throughout the structure. The width of the typical floor plan was kept to a desirable minimum in order to obtain natural lighting conditions from the windows which are all placed roughly due north or south. The height of the building is approximately 155 ft. In order to reduce the sun's heat loads on the building all windows are shielded from direct rays by horizontal hoods and vertical fins. The construction of this building started in 1958 and was completed in 1959. The consulting engineers were Steen Sehested & Partners and A.C.Boon & Cheah Co Ltd as the contractors. [19]

Located along Jalan Cowan (now Jalan Raja Ekram) in the historical core of Ipoh, it was known to locals as 'Bat Kok Lau' (八角樓), which is Cantonese for octagonal building. The light weight concrete structure replaced an earlier market at the same site. The owner was the successful businessman, Yau Tet Shin. [20] Construction started in early 1961, and it opened in December, 1961. Yau Tet Shin's son was in attendance at the opening. It was torn down in 2002; by 2015 a newer, taller building, known as One Octagon (in homage to the old market's octagonal shape), stood on the site. [21] The cost was $475,000.

The Mercantile Bank is located on Old Market Square, Kuala Lumpur. It cost $4 million, and consisted of two floors below street level and 11 floors above. It is 144 feet high and has a total floor area of over 100,000 square feet. The whole upper part of the building is sheathed with a gold anodised aluminum grille which lent the structure a distinctive appearance. The grille was not only decorative, it deflected the sun’s ray and thus, in conjunction with heat-resisting glass, saved considerably on cooling costs. Marble paving and wall cladding gave an air of luxury to the main floors. The columns on the ground floor entrance foyer were black Venetian mosaic. The entry floor surface utilized white marble paving and was enclosed in glass and aluminum. The main banking hall featured white Italian marble floors and teak paneled walls. The entire building was air-conditioned. The plant for this, plus machinery for three fully automatic lifts, controlled by an intricate electronic “brain”, was on the roof. It is now occupied by Pacific Express Hotel. [22]

Designed by Ronald Pratt, an architect of BEP Akitek (Booty and Edward’s partnership). [23] Built around the area of 33 acres and located at Bukit Putra, facing the Federal Highway that links with Kuala Lumpur and Port Swettenham. Construction began in 1966 and was officially completed in January 1968. It was inaugurated by 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia, Y.T.M. Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj at 17 January 1968 and named as “Angkasapuri”. Wisma Angkasapuri was functioned as a governmental building for ministry of information and television Department, headquarter of Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) which taking the responsibility of government to provide a broadcast service for free to benefit the people in Malaysia. The building was built in International style. Due to the climate of Malaysia, international style in Malaysia has liberally using shading panels, grilles and louvers instead of the ‘Basic form’ of international style in Europe and America during the pre and post-war period to cope with the local climate and keep the building cooler. [24] In the post-independence period, most of the buildings in Kuala Lumpur had strongly using symbolism and boldness to create a nationalistic image. The shape of the shading panels of Wisma Angkasapuri was literally inspired from the shape of horseshoe crab and the shield of warrior which symbolize defensive, strong, protection and status.

Other notable works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuala Lumpur</span> Federal territory and capital city of Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and colloquially referred to as KL, is a federal territory and the capital city of Malaysia. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Asia and the largest city in Malaysia, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a census population of 1,982,112 as of 2020. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.564 million people as of 2018. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, both in population and economic development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan Abdul Samad Building</span> Historic building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building is a late-19th century building located along Jalan Raja in front of the Dataran Merdeka and the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The building originally housed the offices of the British colonial administration, and was known simply as Government Offices in its early years. In 1974, it was renamed after Sultan Abdul Samad, the reigning sultan of Selangor at the time when construction began.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independence Square (Kuala Lumpur)</span> Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Independence Square is a square located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was formerly known as the Selangor Club Padang or simply the Padang and was used as the cricket green of the Selangor Club. It was here that the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957. Since then, the Independence Square has been the usual venue for the annual Independence Day Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum (Malaysia)</span> Museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ampang, Kuala Lumpur</span> Place in Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Ampang, or Ampang Hilir, is a ward and city district, in the eastern part of Kuala Lumpur (KL) in the Titiwangsa constituency. Its area in Kuala Lumpur can be identified as being along the Ampang Road and Ampang Hilir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur</span> Place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Rakyat</span> Skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damansara Heights</span> Upscale suburb in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Damansara Heights is an upscale suburb in western side of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, located five kilometres away from the city centre. The suburb falls under the Segambut district and its parliamentary constituency. It is a sought-after residential and commercial address in Klang Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angkasapuri</span> Malaysian federal building

Jalan Ampang or Ampang Road is a major road in Klang Valley region, Selangor and Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Built in the 1880s, it is one of the oldest roads in the Klang Valley. It is a main road to Ampang Jaya and is easily accessible from Jalan Tun Razak or Jalan Ulu Klang from the Hulu Kelang or Setapak direction. It is also accessible from Cheras through Jalan Shamelin, from Jalan Tun Razak through Jalan Kampung Pandan via Taman Cempaka, from Kampung Pandan through Jalan Kampung Pandan Dalam via Taman Nirwana, from the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 via Pandan Indah & Taman Kencana and from Hulu Langat town through the mountain pass. Wangsa Maju, Setapak, central Kuala Lumpur, Ampang Park and Salak South surround Ampang. Jalan Ampang became the backbone of the road system linking Ampang to Kuala Lumpur before being surpassed by the Ampang–Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH) Ampang–Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway, in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalan Syed Putra</span> Road in Malaysia

Jalan Syed Putra, Federal Route 2 is a major highway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was named after Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail of Perlis, the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which used to reside at Istana Negara which lies at one end of the highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Benison Hubback</span> English architect and soldier

Arthur Benison Hubback was an English architect and soldier who designed several important buildings in British Malaya, in both Indo-Saracenic architecture and European "Wrenaissance" styles. Major works credited to him include Kuala Lumpur railway station, Ubudiah Mosque, Jamek Mosque, National Textile Museum, Panggung Bandaraya DBKL, Ipoh railway station, and Kowloon railway station.

Arthur Oakley Coltman was an English architect practising in Malaya for 32 years where he worked as manager of the architecture firm Booty Edwards & Partners. He arrived in Malaya in 1925 and retired in 1957.

Dato' Y. T. Lee, also Lee Yoon Thim was a Malaysian Chinese architect active in Kuala Lumpur in the 1950s and 1960s. He helped "Build Merdeka" after Malaysian Independence, 1963. He moved in elite circles, and held several positions in the national government and in the Chinese community. He was a close friend to Prime Minister Tuanku Abdul Rahman and other political figures. He designed several of Kuala Lumpur's landmark buildings, such as: Chin Woo Stadium, UMNO building, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Federal Hotel, Kampung Baru Mosque, Ar-Rahman Mosque and the Masjid Al-Ubudiyah. In addition to his famous mosques in Kuala Lumpur, he also worked on middle eastern and Islamic architecture project, for example, Masjid Al- Ubudiyah in Kerling, Hulu Selangor which is opened in 1960. When this masjid is built, there was no electricity supply yet. Somehow now it has been used as a teaching place by the locals. His less well known works include the Too House, an addition for the Methodist Boys School, and healthcare-related and commercial work. In the early 1960s, a series of honours came his way: in 1960, he was granted the appellation of P.J.K.; in 1961, he was honoured as Justice of Peace and J.M.N in 1962; he was honoured as Dato' in 1964, an honorific similar to the British "Sir".

Nik Mohamed bin Nik Mahmood is a Director of Kumpulan Senireka Sdn Bhd., a large commercial architecture firm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mahmood founded the firm in 1973 after he left the Public Works Department. The firm specializes in commercial highrise buildings, and they have done some significant religious buildings. In the 1970s they were operating in the Brutalist idiom, but they turned to Postmodernism at the end of the century and were responsible for some prominent postmodern buildings in Malaysia, including the Menara Axis, 2002, Istana Negara Baru and the Kompleks Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka.

Kington Loo was an architect in Malaysia who belongs to the group who brought modernism to Southeast Asia in the wake of World War II. The firm he worked for, Booty and Edwards, became a leader in the region. His mother, Lok Soh June, was an accomplished piano player and was the sixth daughter of millionaire businessman Loke Chow Kit; his father, the engineer Yuson Loo, was the grandson of prominent businessman Loke Yew. He was married and had a daughter, Ysa Loo.

Hijjas bin Kasturi is a Malaysian architect. Active for more than fifty years, he has been responsible for some of the most significant buildings in South East Asia, in the modern, postmodern, and deconstructivist styles. He is considered the father of Malaysian architecture of the second half of the twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Rubber Building</span> Building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamek Mosque</span> Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

References

  1. ↑ see the reference
  2. ↑ "ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පුරෝගාමී වාස්‌තු විද්‍යාතන අතර සුප්‍රසිද්ධතම නාමය E.R.& B" . Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  3. ↑ The Architecture of Malaysia. Pepin Press. 1992. p. 243. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Page 16 Advertisements Column 5". The Straits Times. 11 September 1923. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Untitled". The Straits Times. 8 September 1923. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  6. ↑ The Architecture of Malaysia. Pepin Press. 1992. p. 243. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Untitled". The Straits Times. 29 January 1929. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  8. ↑ refine (PDF). BRDB. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "Colombo's Public Offices". The Straits Times . 6 March 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 30 June 2023– via NewspaperSG.
  10. ↑ "KL - SELANGOR CHINESE ASSEMBLY HALL". Pusat Pengajian Seni, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (1). ZacharyTay. Jul 18, 2013. p. 2. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  12. ↑ Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (1). ZacharyTay. Jul 18, 2013. p. 10. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (1)". Pusat Pengajian Seni, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "KL - SELANGOR CHINESE ASSEMBLY HALL". Pusat Pengajian Seni, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  15. ↑ "BeritaMalaysia". Siew Eng Chuah. Feb 24, 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Bangunan Sharikat Polis: Police Cooperative Building Kuala Lumpur". PETA: Journal of the Federation of Malaya Society of Architects: 9–14. 1958.
  17. ↑ "13-FLOOR POLICE CO-OP". The Straits Times. 5 September 1958. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "13-FLOOR POLICE CO-OP". The Straits Times. 5 September 1958. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Kington among men". The Star Online. Archived from the original on 18 May 2004. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Tender for Construction of Yau Tet Shin Market and Shopping Centre, Ipoh". The Straits Times: 17. 10 February 1961.
  21. ↑ Paul, Henry (19 December 1961). "Ipoh's New Shopping Centre". The Straits Times: 18.
  22. ↑ "The Straits Times, 9 December 1961, Page 11". The Straits Times. 9 December 1961. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  23. ↑ ross, king (November 2008). Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya : Negotiating Urban Space in Malaysia. Archived from the original on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  24. ↑ "international style in KL". Jan 2002.
  25. ↑ Fish, William (27 September 1958). "6,000 roar their thanks as Sultan of Brunei opens mosque". The Straits Times . p. 1. Retrieved 6 May 2020– via NewspaperSG.
  26. ↑ The Architecture of Malaysia. Pepin Press. 1992. p. 243. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  27. ↑ "Church of the Good Shepherd(1964)" . Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  28. ↑ "Jabatan Adat Istiadat Negara - Bangunan Lapau". www.adat-istiadat.gov.bn (in Malay). Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  29. ↑ The Architecture of Malaysia. Pepin Press. 1992. p. 243. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  30. ↑ The Architecture of Malaysia. Pepin Press. 1992. p. 243. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.