history heritage building analysis on klang municipal hall

8/13/2019 History Heritage Building Analysis on Klang Municipal Hall

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Architecture

HeritageBuilding Analysis

Klang Municipal Hall

Lee Er Hau 0309722Wong Zi Xiu 0309732Hng Xuan Ning 0310110 Tan Cheng Chuan 1006A79433


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that a town hall should be separated from the town council office. Y.B. Enche Abdullah bin Haji

Hassan suggested although the Selangor state capital did not move to Klang and due to rapid

development they need a modern town hall. He stated that an ideal site would be Istana Kota,

the hill side along the river.

In 1963, the contract went to Kenneison brothers and the first phase was completed in

May 1964. In November 1964, the council office shifted into the newly completed town hall.

However in October 1992, a new tender worth RM8.1 million was given to build a new seven

stories building with a meeting room and auditorium. It was fully used in March 1995 as the new

headquarters for Klang Municipal Council. ( Jabatan Komunikasi & Pengaduan Awam Majlis

Perbandaran Klang (2010). Sejarah Majlis Perbandaran Klang . Klang, Selangor (JKPAMPK

[JKPA], 2010))

Figure 1. The old MPK building in 1960s. (source: MPK, 2013)


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1.1 Fast Facts of Klang Municipal Hall

1.1.1 Building Facts of Klang Municipal Hall

The building has a long history, the oldest record about this building was in 1857. In 1857,

Raja Abdullah Bin Raja Jaafar built Gedung Raja Abdullah to show his wealth and power. Hewas a very influential person back then, he was entitled with Orang Kaya Klang by Sultan

Muhammad with the power to find tin mine. Later on, a war called Perang Saudara Klang was

started by Raja Mahadi and Putera Raja Suleiman because they were jealous of the prosperity

and progress made by Klang under Raja Abdullah. The warfare took place near the Klang River,

where the Gedung Raja Abdullah was used as a fortress to defend Raja Abdullah himself.

Gedung Raja Abdullah, in the other words- The Palace of Raja Abdullah is the oldest building in

Selangor. Raja Abdullah escaped safely during the war due to the safety tunnel he built at his

palace. After the war in 1874, the Selangor government claimed the house and used it asgovernment office. Afterwards, the buildings ownership changed from government offices to

police headquarter. In 1880, the Palace of Raja Abdullah was used as the headquarters of

Klang Police. Afterwards, it was used as Selangor Police Headquarters for a continuous 100

years. The building was emptied from 1980-1984 as the police headquarter of Klang moved

away to the back of the palace . It actually became a mini museum to show Klang history for

one year before it was abandoned again and decided to rebuild it as Klang Municipal Hall.

During the inception of having a building for the council, the representatives of the

council were impressed by the Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka building so they chose Enche T. J.

Khoo as the architect. The site was given by DYMM Sultan Selangor on 6 th January 1964

because it held a lot of historical events in Klang and it was named Bangunan Sultan Abdul Aziz

Shah. The Engineers in charged were called Rankie & Hill. Quantity surveying were done by

Crisp Kevanagh & Partners. The electicians were Pang & Liu and the contractor was Kenneison

Bros Ltd. Initially, the loan was $750,000 and it rose to $989,000 after the architect finalized the

building design. It was completed in November 1964. Then new Klang Municipal Hall takes up

an area of 2660.84 square meters. (No Author, 1964)

1.1.2 Function

The Klang Municipal Hall is where the city governing body is located, it gives a platform for

working places for government workers throughout the whole building. The related departments


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include the governing department, town treasury, tax and income unit, hawker and stalls

department, audit department, , properties and cooperate department, health department, YDP

office etc. It provides the best facilities for people in Klang. It is often used as a meeting place

for town officials. The Yang-Di- Pertuans office is a lso located at the top level of Sultan Abdul

Alam Shah building. Generally, the Klang Municipal Hall is where people pay bills and getapproval for their license.

1.1.3 Location

The Klang Municipal Hall is located in Bangunan Sultan Alam Shah on Jalan Perbandaran just

beside the Klang river, It is on top of Bukit Raja, which has the best view of Klang city. Besides,

across the river, there is Masjid Jamek Ar Rahimiah Klang which also acts as a significant

landmark. Then Klang Municipal Hall is surrounded by landscaping gardens and Raja Mahadi

Fort, it is also opposite Dewan Hamzah. There is a signage of Klang on the slope of the hill andalso a clock tower nearby the entrance. We can also see a water feature from the highway.

Rows of shop houses can be seen below the hill and a railway beside the road.

Figure 1.1.1 . The railway and Masjid Jamek Ar Rahimiah Klang located across the Klang River. (source:Author, 2013)


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Figure 1.1.2. The landscaping garden behind Klang Municipal Hall. (source: Author, 2013)

Figure 1.1.3. Signage of Klang on the slope of the hill. (source: Author, 2013)


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Figure 1.1.4. The water feature facing Jalan Kota roundabout. (source: Author, 2013)

Figure 1.1.5. Location of Klang Municipal Hall as shown in map.


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2.0 BUILDING INVENTORY

2.1 Faade

Figure 2.1.1. Overview of Klang Municipal Hall. (source: Author, 2013)

Element

Faade Details:

The building consists of three atriums. Both of the main buildings have distinct design. Both of

the buildings were built at different time so there are obvious differences between the designs,

structures and the materials used.


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Figure 2.1.2 The backview of Bangunan Sultan Alam Shah. (source: Author, 2013)

Figure above shows the building Bangunan Sultan Alam Shah. It is a newer building which was

constructed in October 1990. It is a six-story office tower. On the ground floor, it has an

auditorium and a feedback center. The curved surface faade is covered by windows. The front

view of the building gave people an illusion that the building is a solid geometric shape but when

you look from the back, it actually shows a shape of hook or a J. (see Figure 2.1.1 and Figure

2.1.2)

First Floor: The Department of Property Management and Evaluation (extension)

Second Floor: The Department of Engineering and The Department of Health (extension)

Third Floor: The Department of Business and Commercial (extension)

Fourth Floor (New Building): The meeting room of the Treasury department

Fifth Floor (New Building): The Municipal Hall Management offices

Sixth Floor (New Building): The operation room and office of the Mayor.


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Figure 2.1.3. The emblem of Klang on Bangunan Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah. (source: Author, 2013)

This building consists of meeting rooms and offices of various departments, named Bangunan

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah. It was finished in November 1964. It has a rather dull shape which is a

rectangle with some addition and subtraction of space on the both ends, giving it a more

interesting structural view. As for this building, It has lesser windows than the previous one, the

windows are located on the side facing the main road, providing a clear view of Klang.

First Floor: The Department of Property Management and Evaluation

Second Floor: The Department of Engineering and The Department of Health

Third Floor: The Department of Business and Commercial


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Figure 2.1.4. Bangunan Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah. (source: Author, 2013)

Figure 2.1.5. The centre atrium (source: Author, 2013)

This is the center atrium that acts as a bridge to connect both of the atriums on the side as well

as the main entrance. Inside, it is the reception area and a mezzanine level that is the Public

Relation department and the Internal Audit Department.


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2.2 Interior structure

Figure 2.2.1. Reception area in the centre atrium. (source: Author, 2013)

This is the ground floor of the center atrium. In figure, it shows the reception area. Meanwhile,

this area is the main space that the circulation is focused here. The user can access to both

sides including the back garden. On the left theres the audito rium and the galleries(Figure 2.2.2)

to showcase the work. On the other side, there are the financial department and the main switch

room which are situated in the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah building. The paying counter is located at

the back of the main lobby.

Figure 2.2.2. Gallery (source: Author, 2013)


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Structural elements

Figure 2.2.3. Enquiry counter. (source: Author, 2013)

The screen is made up of tiles. The logo of Klang Municipal Hall is located there as it is the first

thing that comes to eyes when one enters. It is used to separate the reception area and the

space behind. It shields the stairway to the mezzanine and the entrance to the bill payment

counter from the eyes of the viewer.

Figure 2.2.4. Inner roof structure. (source: Author, 2013)

The roof top is made of corrugated metal and supported by the steel frames. The light weighted

materials allow the roof having a high ceiling with minimum supporting columns. The design of

the roof stimulates air ventilation to keep the interior cool. The lighting system is hanged from


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the ceiling with long cables to provide a brighter atmosphere during night time as the ceiling is

too high.

Figure 2.2.5. Glass wall used for transparency. (source: Author, 2013)

The glass wall is located on the side of the reception area. It allows the sunlight to enter the

space which makes the space brighter and it is eco-friendly because no lightings needed to be

turn on during day time. Besides that, the transparent wall makes the space wider as it provides

the view to the greeneries in between the reception area and the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Aziz

Shah.

Figure 2.2.6. People waiting to pay their bills. (source: Author, 2013)


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Figure 2.2.7. Interior of auditorium (source: Author, 2013)

Figure 2.2.7. shows the auditorium that is located on the ground floor of Bangunan Sultan Alam

Shah. It has a capacity of 80 seats. Besides, there is a semicircular stage located in front. This

auditorium provides a suitable space for giving talks and ceremonies as it is equipped with

many facilities such as surround speakers, projectors and a stage.


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2.3 Landscapes and Surrounding Structures

Figure 2.3.1. The gate of Raja Mahadi Fort. (source: Author, 2013)

The landscape of the building is preserved since 1857. There is a back garden behind the

building. The famous Raja Mahadi Fort is located there and acts as a back entrance.

Figure 2.3.2. Escape tunnel. (source: Author, 2013)

Figure 2.3.2. shows the entrance to the escape tunnel. The tunnel is the original structure that

was a part of Gedung Raja Abdullah since 1857. It is the located on the side of the building. The

entrance now acts as a gateway leading to the parking space of the office workers. The escape

tunnel is now sealed and just for exhibiting.


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Figure 2.3.3 . Tombstone of Muhd Akib (source: Author, 2013)

Figure 2.3.3. show the Tombstone of Muhd Akib, a captain of Raja Mahadi and leader of people

of Batu Bahra, he had made great contribution in the battle of Bukit Kota and was the right hand

man of Raja Mahadi during the civil war period in Klang.

Figure 2.3.4. Cannon used in Klang War. (source: Author, 2013)

The cannon is located in front of the auditorium as a decoration. It is an original cannon from the

Klang Civil War. They found it during the course of excavations of the site. It is an appropriate

ornament that shows the origin of the site as well as emphasizing the history of the site.


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Figure 2.3.5. Raja Mahadi Meeting Room. (source: Author, 2013)

Figure 2.3.5. shows the exterior of Raja Mahadi Meeting Room, it has a circular plan and a

rounded roof with a crescent and a 14-point star symbolizing Islamic authorities and the

fourteen states in Malaysia, similar as the one on the Jalur Gemilang.

Figure 2.3.6. Interior of the meeting room. (source: Author, 2013)

Figure above shows the interior of the Raja Mahadi meeting room. It is where the official

meetings commence. It has tables with seats surrounding the void in the middle to provide

optimum environment for discussion.


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Figure 2.3.7. Clock tower at the entrance. (source: Author, 2013)

There is a clock tower located at the entrance of the parking lot opposite the Municipal Hall.

Figure 2.3.8. Dewan Hamzah. (source: Author, 2013)

This figure shows the entrance to the parking lot and Dewan Hamzah, which was previously

used as a public meeting hall before the new Sulatn


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3.0 CONCLUSION

Klang Municipal Council was founded in May 1890, being known as the Klang Health

Board, it is the oldest town governing body in Malaysia, lasted for more than 120 years. It has

been through the Klang Civil War and overseen the rapid development of the local community.

Klang does not have any high rise skyscrapers but it does have a well preserved history.

We get to know the building of Klang Municipal Hall by paying a visit to there. The head

of the public relation department of Klang Municipal Council greeted us and explained the

development of the building to us. He also showed us the pictures of the building including the

old and new as well as the catalogue. On the other hand, we went to the National Archive to dig

deeper into the origin and get our hands on the written report of the development of Klang

Municipal Hall. In the National Archive, we found some official documents as well as reports

regarding the inception of Klang Municipal Council and the official building.

We have learned about the Klang Civil War between Raja Abdullah and Raja Mahadi,

and the origin of the current site of Klang Municipal Hall- the Kota Raja Mahadi, which was used

as a defensive fortress before converting into the site of Klang Municipal Hall. We had taken

pictures of our research subject and learn a lot more about the history and surrounding

structures of throughout the process.

As a conclusion, we really appreciate the knowledge we got from the research trips and

the help we got from staffs around the Municipal Hall and the National Archive. We are glad thatthe government did an effort to preserve the documents in a way that everybody can access

them. We have to remember the history and appreciate the effort done by the previous people

so that we can have a better environment to live in as well as to create a better future for the

later generation.


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References

1. Jabatan Komunikasi & Pengaduan Awam Majlis Perbandaran Klang (2010). Sejarah

Majlis Perbandaran Klang.

2. Pejabat dan Dewan Mesyuarat Bahasa Maljis Bandaran Klang Upacara PembukaanRasmi, December, 1964.

history heritage building analysis on klang municipal hall

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