An Architectural Study on the Railway Station Buildings in Malaysia during British Era, 1885-1957

Authors: Nor Hafizah Anuar, M. Gul Akdeniz

Abstract:

This paper attempted on emphasize on the station buildings façade elements. Station buildings were essential part of the transportation that reflected the technology. Comparative analysis on architectural styles will also be made between the railway station buildings of Malaysia and any railway station buildings which have similarities. The Malay Peninsula which is strategically situated between the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea makes it an ideal location for trade. Malacca became an important trading port whereby merchants from around the world stopover to exchange various products. The Portuguese ruled Malacca for 130 years (1511–1641) and for the next century and a half (1641–1824), the Dutch endeavoured to maintain an economic monopoly along the coasts of Malaya. Malacca came permanently under British rule under the Anglo-Dutch Treaty, 1824. Up to Malaysian independence in 1957, Malaya saw a great influx of Chinese and Indian migrants as workers to support its growing industrial needs facilitated by the British. The growing tin ore mining and rubber industry resulted as the reason of the development of the railways as urgency to transport it from one place to another. The existence of railway transportation becomes more significant when the city started to bloom and the British started to build grandeur buildings that have different functions; administrative buildings, town and city halls, railway stations, public works department, courts, and post offices.

Keywords: Malaysia, railway station, architectural design, façade elements.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1131910

References:

[1] Lewis, M J T, Early Wooden Railways. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1974.
[2] A. Coulls, “Railways as World Heritage Sites”. Occasional Paper for the World Heritage Convention, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), 1999.
[3] Collins, Harper. “Collins online dictionary”, 2017.
[4] C. L.V. Meeks, “The Railway Station. An Architectural History” New Haven: Yale University Press, 1956.
[5] A. Kaur, “Tracking the Roots and Routes of KTM”. Malayan Railway 100 Years 1885-1985, AMW Communications Management, 1985
[6] Britannica, E., “Encyclopaedia Britannica”, 1998.
[7] R.N. Dhar, “Art and Architecture of South Asia Changes and Continuity”. Cyber Tech Publications, 2011. p.178.
[8] D. Radzinowiez, “The Glory of the Sultans; Islamic Architecture in India”. Flammarion S.A., 2009.
[9] Webster, Merriam. “Merriam-Webster online dictionary”, 2006.
[10] C.M. Harris, “Dictionary of Architecture and Construction Fourth Edition”. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. eBook version: 0-07-145237-0, 2006.
[11] W. Hung, “Monumentality of Time: Giant Clocks, the Drum Tower, the Clock Tower”, 2003. p128.
[12] M.S. Briggs, “Muhammadan Architecture in Egypt and Palestine”. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1924.
[13] R. Saoud, “The Arch That Never Sleeps’.Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisations, 2002.
[14] M. Owens, “What is a Balustrade”. The Architectural Digest, July Issue.