SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN

Centre for Modern Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia (MASSA)

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Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Architecture)Module: ARCHITECTURE CULTURE & HISTORY 2 (ARC 1323)

NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM (Charted Bank)

Location : Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur

Group Members:

1. Lau Hao Shun2. Ng Sueh Yi3. Wong Kien Hou4. Leon Chan

Lecturer : Shahrianne Mohd Shah

The building that we’re researching for “Project: Architecture Heritage Building Analysis” is the National History Museum (Chartered Bank). However, the place has now been renovated into a restaurant called the Warisan Restaurant. During the colonial days of the year 1888, before this structure was a museum, it was the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China.

The Chartered Bank was built by Arthur Charles Alfred Norman. AC Norman is an English architect who was widely involved in the architectural style and development during the British occupation of Malaya. His contributions to Malaya during his tenure as senior Government Architect of the Public Works Department included many notable buildings near Merdeka Square such as the Chartered Bank of India, China and Australia built in 1888.

AC Norman was born in 1858 at No.2 Seymour Terrace, Plymouth, England. When he reached sixteen years of age, he started his professional architectural education from his father, Mr Alfred Norman, who owned an architectural firm and was a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (F.R.I.B.A).

In 1897, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building was completed beside the ‘padang’. It was the largest building to be built in its time. Two years after AC Norman unsuccessfully applied for promotion, he was compulsorily retired on the grounds of inefficiency in 1903 at the age of 45. After regretfully leaving for England in 1904, he worked for Buolton and Paul Ltd. in Norwich for three years. He returned to Plymouth, England in 1908.

This bank was the first operating commercial bank in Kuala Lumpur. The Chartered Bank was incorporated in London and founded in the year 1853 by James Wilson after getting the grant of a Royal Charter from Queen Victoria. The bank was made to capitalize on the huge expansion of trade between India, China and other British possessions in Asia. It brought in huge amounts of profit for the British.

This place is located at Jalan Raja in Kuala Lumpur. Right in front of it is the Dataran Merdeka. Other notable buildings nearby are the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Selangor Club and the Kuala Lumpur library. All of these buildings were actually constructed by the same architect. A.C. Norman was also the one responsible for renovating the bank into the museum. As the ‘padang’ was also the main focal point of colonial Kuala Lumpur, the buildings around it played the role of symbolism in establishing identity in colonised countries during the heydays of the British Empire. The choice of architecture styles in public buildings by the administrators, architects and engineers of the British Empire has the subtle impact of asserting colonial power, when foreign architectural styles are imported to dominate and prevail over traditional, vernacular or indigenous architectural styles in buildings built by the local populace. Colonial officers work in such distinctive looking buildings built using the financial power of a colonizing empire setting these officers a class apart from the locals.

The National History Museum once housed the headquarters of The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, which was the first commercial bank operating in Kuala Lumpur. The building was first erected in the year 1888, where it was situated close to the barracks and the fort for obvious security reasons. It was to be their main office in Kuala Lumpur until their new location in Leboh Ampang was established, but the 2-storey building proved to be inadequate thus it was demolished and then it was replaced by a 3-storey structure in 1909 using a combination of the characteristics typical of the Moorish and Islamic architecture. During the reconstruction, an entrance porch facing the Selangor Club Padang and arches at the ground floor was added in respond to the General Post Office Building, the Municipality Hall and Sultan Abdul Samad Building's facade.

During the Japanese occupation in Malaya in the year 1941, the building was used as a mean of communication by the Japanese Telecommunication Department. After the war was over, the function of the building as the main commercial bank was revived and lasted in 1965. The building was later occupied by the Kuala Lumpur District and Land Office before it was taken over by the Federal Territory Religious Affairs Office. The building was then officially handed to the Department of Museum and Antiquities to be turned into the National History Museum in the 24th of October, 1991.

As the National History Museum, its aim was to carry out research on ancient artifacts and materials that could be of interest or related to the nation’s history. Furthermore, it was a place to carry out activities such as conducting research, gathering, recording and discovering historical heritage properties of the nation. The museum is also a place to exhibit the nation’s historical artifacts at the gallery with the objective of distributing knowledge to the visitors and members of the public about the history of Malaysia. It also goes without saying that it’s a destination or attraction spot for the nation’s tourism industry.

To date, the building now has been converted into a restaurant known as the Warisan Restaurant showcasing Malaysian culinary. Because of its strategic location near tourist attraction spots like Dataran Merdeka and the Sultan Abdul Samad building, many tourists dine in this restaurant daily.

In the design of the National Museum of History, AC Norman employed many design ideas common during British colonial times such as Moorish, Tudor, Neo-Classical and Neo Gothic architecture. The other successful techniques he applied to the building were to deal with local building materials, climatic conditions, and local building details. Common architectural features such as the use of a veranda, high ceiling, a wide overhang, big windows, balconies and louvered panels were used to deal with aforementioned issues.

The National History Museum has structural influences by Moorish architecture. One of the apparent elements is the shape of the arches on the building which is called the lancet arch. The arches are slightly pointed at the top and this building is filled with these. Furthermore, in Moorish architecture, the Koran forbids the use of copying natural forms in the design such as flowers, animals and human figures. These forms are nowhere to be found on the National History Museum.

In terms of following the Moorish architecture from overseas as implemented by Arthur Charles Alfred Norman and its location in the front of the Kuala Lumpur Town Hall, they do share the exact properties and design. The architecture seen in and out of the building is orderly designed and equally spaced out for a balanced hierarchy to the space and its exterior looks.

From this first floor interior, the columns in the main dining area which was previously the lobby of the bank form a uniform grid arrangement as shown below.

As for the exterior of the building, it tells that Moorish architecture has got a symmetrical property to its front elevation as represented by the red line on the image above. Moreover, the building uses perfect square geometry in order to preserve the balance and organisation

of the façade in column and windows arrangement.

The construction of the stairs and the roof as shown above using wooden rebars is no longer present in the normal modern buildings. It is coupled with wooden roof tiles which is retained

since the building is made to a restaurant.

Western Building in Comparison : The Bank of England by John Soane

The history of John Soane’s Bank of England can be traced through his architectural drawings. The building works consist of 5 different phases. The first phase includes the early building works and minor repairs. For the second phase, the rebuilding of the offices in the east wing and an extension to the northeast. In the third phase, the reconstruction of the

directors’ parlours and a few rooms around the Bullion Court. The fourth phase, has a proposal for rebuilding the facades. Lastly, the fifth one includes the rebuilding of the

remaining transfer halls in the east wing, the rebuilding of the Taylor and Sampson facades and temporary alterations to the offices.

Looking from the overall plan, the use of geometrical straight shapes can be seen in both the buildings, being straight and square. From the plan on the left which is the Bank of England, it uses the geometry functions of a trapezium with central space on the bottom right. From

the plan on the right which is the Chartered Bank, a sqaurish geometry grid-like plan is implemented into the plan.

Both buildings also have the influence of reviving neo-classical architecture which are evolved a new, more flexible style incorporating elements of classic Roman design alongside influences from Greek, Byzantine , Baroque and Moorish styles. The use of domes, pillars and columns in an orderly grid fashion has represented the same geometrical feeling in both buildings.

However, the timelines for the buildings differ. The Bank of England was built during the age of enlightment, where freedom from moral constraints were implemented but still have been limited in terms of proportion and classical values. The Chartered Bank was built on the late-age of the Industrial Revolution, where at that point, the British were in need for materials such as steel and copper and thus in need of colonisation of Southeast Asia. Though both the architects are from United Kingdom, their element inspiration of their architecture differ.

The southern façade of the Bank of England. The orderly symmetrical arrangement of the columns and entrance arches corresponds to similar properties and shown by the Charted

Bank.

As mentioned earlier, Great Britain practices Neoclassical architecture. The Bank of England as we are comparing , concentrates on the revival of Greek architecture , especially at the façade of the entrance. John Soane concentrates on Greek as a resemblance of true democracy, where the Bank of England symbolizes the economic strength, influence, and potency of Britain. It also symbolizes British colonial power over Malaya and capitalizes on the huge expansion of trade between India and China during the 19th century.

National History Museum also practices Neoclassism in an effort to revive Islamic Moorish architecture. The reason why A.C Norman uses this style is to harmonise with culture during

that period where Islam is the main religion there. The building however is not entirely a resemblance but more of a precedent which was made to respond to the elements of the area such as the climate. For example , the roof is stretched outwards to provide shade to the windows at the top floor. Apart from that, the balcony was built on the first floor to provide shade to the entrance underneath. Unlike Moorish architecture where the windows are fully exposed to the exterior, the window consists of glass panels and wooden window frames where for this case, the window has to be modified to deal with the climate issue. Moreover, small openings are built above the windows to provide natural ventilation. Turrets are built on 4 sides on top of the building where they also resemble the 4 towers surrounding a mosque in Islamic architecture. The use of major arches at the entrance façade of the building is a straight carry over from the Moorish architecture.

In terms of materials used, the Bank of England basically uses concrete as the primary source of building material. The columns and slabs used are all concrete, which are pre-cast by wooden moulds. One reason for the use of concrete is due to its ability as a fire retardant which adds to the safety of the structure from being torn down easily when caught in a fire.

As for the Charted Bank, their main source of building material is stone, mostly carved for the façade of the building. While on the interior, patterned tiles and wood carvings are used for decorative purposes. Timber is also mainly used for basic structures of the building, for instance, the roof trusses and the stairways. On the first and second floors , timber is also used for flooring. As Malaya is a tropical country, it is therefore abundant in timber, hence the suitability of the Moorish architecture here in Malaya.