AAR 2234 HISTORY AND

THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE 3
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Table of Content

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3

- Panggung Bandaraya and Architecture of Kuala Lumpur

SITE CONTEXT............................................................................... ..................................................5

SPACES...............................................................................................................................................6

ANALYSIS OF LAYERS, ELEMENTS, and PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN.......................................8

i. Western Layer.......................................................................................................................8
ii. Islamic Layer......................................................................................................................12
iii. Layer From Existing Architecture.....................................................................................15
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN...................................................................................................15
CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................16
REFERENCE........................................................................................................................17
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INTRODUCTION

Panggung Bandaraya

Panggung Bandaraya Building is located at the corner of Jalan Raja and Jalan Tun Perak,
next door to the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate and Session Court Building in Kuala Lumpur.
Panggung Bandaraya designed conformed to the established Moorish style of architecture.
Panggung Bandaraya before was known as Municipality of Town Hall, later changed to Old
City Hall and now to Panggung Bandaraya or the city theatre. The building was built in year
1896 and finished on 27th October in 1904 during the British Colonial period.

Arthur Bennison Hubback (A.B. Hubback) was the architect and the nominated contractor
was W.Nicholas who were in charged on the construction of the Old City Hall. During the
construction of the building, there were a lot of difficulties such as the rainy season and also
the big flood that occur in Kuala Lumpur in November 1902.

Later after the construction has finished, Panggung Bandaraya (City Hall) is the first side that
is completely built with 'anjung' or porch and different entrance which faces the Gombak
River.
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Architecture in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is a city of the old and Moorish domes, minarets and skyscrapers of the
traditional and modern, blending into a panorama of an array of buildings. It is a city of
architecture where styles are allowed to roam free. The city is full with buildings noted for
their distinctive architecture. These buildings symbolizes both the old and new within the old
city is new; within the new, is old.

Architecture in Kuala Lumpur reflects the east and the west, from the intricate structure of to
the places of worship of its people to the imposing ultra- high rise structures. Western
influences blend gracefully with the traditional architecture to give the city a unique
appearance.

INTO PANGGUNG BANDARAYA

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SITE CONTEXT
Panggung Bandaraya which is situated beside Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad shares similar
style of architecture. This is because it came from the colonization that happen in Malaysia
that time. There are several other heritage buildings in the urban area which are the Old
Supreme Court, Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, The Textile Museum, Former Standard
Chartered Bank, and Kuala Lumpur Memorial Library.

From the architecture of the buildings, there are a few similarities that can be discovered.
Opposite of Panggung Bandaraya near the Merdeka Square it is the Royal Selangor Club
which has the Tudor architecture Style.

Functioned as the City Hall before therefore it is located in the centre of the city where
people can easily meet and deal with the city council. It is a strategic location for a City Hall
and also linked to the other buildings nearby.
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SPACES
Old City Hall.

1. Municipal Offices

2. Registration, Weight and Measure Room

3.Sanitary Inspector's Office

4. Board Room

Panggung Bandaraya

Panggung Bandaraya is a double-storey building with 80m x 45m area. It also has two
mezzanine floor at each level.
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Ground Floor

Stage, Orchestra Pit, Dressing Room, Paint Room, Holding Room, Office, Foyer, Store,
Paymaster, Cash Collector, Mayor's Office, Cashiers, Machine Room, Mayor's Office

First Floor

Upper Stage, Office, Crush Hall, Veranda

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ANALYSIS OF LAYERS, ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

Panggung Bandaraya or Old City Hall consist a few layers which is the western layer, the
Islamic Layer which is the Mughal and also the Moorish layer. Panggung Bandaraya is
classified under the Moorish architecture however it also contains other architecture
influences.

1. Western Layer

Since Malaysia was colonized by the British, some western architectural elements can be
found in Panggung Bandaraya.

1.1 Porte-cochere

Porte-Cochere is the article term for porch like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a
building. It is used for horse and carriage (or motor vehicle) can pass in order for the
occupants to alight under it and protecting from the rain.

The porte-cochere that has been installed in Panggung Bandaraya is one of the way to make
the building more grandeur and also to insert the welcoming mood to the visitors. Related to
the history of Old City Hall, it was the home of Kuala Lumpur Sanitary Board where old the
Boards gather.
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1.2 Column.

The column that is used in the construction of Panggung Bandaraya is almost similar with the
Greek order which can be considered as Greek or Roman column.

From the pictures above, it can be said that the column that has been installed in Panggung
Bandaraya is adopt from the Greek Order or the Roman Order as it symbolizes the power of
the building.
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1. 3 Brick wall and facade

The Panggung Bandaraya uses brick as the main material in the building. With its natural
colour, it really suits the environment. The brick is widely used at the buidings.

From my findings, during the Roman Architecture construction, bricks are massively used for
their buildings. The Roman Construction has thick walls with few small openings. They are
often double-shells. filled with rubble and regularly found in Italy, Poland, Germany and
Holland. For example:

Figure 1 San Vittore alle Chiuse, Genga Figure 2 Sant'Ambrogio, Milan

1.4. Bay window

Bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of the building and
forming a bay space. A bay window often associated with Victorian architecture.

Bay window is used in Panggung Bandaraya to provide illusion of a larger room. It is also to
increase the flow of natural light into a building as well as provide views of the outside.
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1.5 Arch

Lancet arch Round arch or Semi-circular arch

Lancet arch is usually found in late middle Semi-circular arch can be found in castles,
ages in Europe, in the period of Gothic churches and others.
architecture.
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2. Islamic Layer
2.1 In the Islamic layer, there are two Islamic influence to the building. Although, Panggung
Bandaraya is classified under the Moorish architecture, there still some Mughal elements at
the building.

The features of Panggung Bandaraya building was inspired and borrowed from various
Muslim countries. The architect Arthur Bennison Hubback (A.B. Hubback) tried to put in
some Islamic elements to the building as a show of respect to Malaysia, an Islamic country.

The Mughal Layer is an amalgam of Islamic, Persian and Indian architecture. It is

symmetrical and decorative in style and usually found in Persia and India.

The Moorish Layer is branch of Islamic art and architecture developed in the westernmost
lands of the Muslims, known as the Maghreb; Spain and North Africa.

2.2 Dome

The dome is one of the most prominent feature of a mosque and also to Panggung Bandaraya
Building. Dome is usually construct with concrete because it is to be moulded. One of the
characteristics in Mughal architecture is the existence of dome.

The hemispherical dome in central building give an attraction and symbolize our Islamic
country.

2.3 Form

The shape of Panggung Bandaraya is a hybrid product of a creative interaction between

diverse architecture form. Islamic form has been used in this country for a building type and
social form.
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2.4 Voussoir ( Moorish )

A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone (piatra) used in building an arch or

vault.

Voussoir.

The voussoir is obviously adopted from the Moorish architecture. The pictures shows
comparison between the Panggung Bandaraya voussoir and the voussoir from Mosque of
Cordoba, Spain.

2.5 Minarets

The minarets used in Panggung Bandaraya functions a landmark or to make the building
legible from far. The minarets constructed in square and circle to support the domes on top,
this constructed at the facade of the building make it unity in design and represented certain
meaning in Islamic religious.
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2.6 Muqarnas

Muqarnas is type of decorative element in traditional Islamic architecture. Muqarnas usually

applied to domes, cornices and the underside of arches and vaults. Muqarnas may be
decorated with painted tiles, or pain on wood or plaster.

A simple form of muqarnas is applied in Panggung Bandaraya building inside of a minaret.

2.7 Arches

There are several type of arches that can be seen throughout Panggung Bandaraya building.
The architect used arch extensively to represent the Islamic aspect at the building.

The Horseshoe arch also called as the Moorish arch, sometimes Keyhole arch, is the
emblematic arch of Islamic architecture. The Horseshoe arch is used in the mosque in Spain,
Syria and also North Africa.

Moorish Arch
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The Moorish arch in Panggung Bandaraya is similar with the one in La Mezquita, Spain.

3.0 Layer From The Existing Buildings.

Five-foot walkways from bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad is adopted by Panggung Bandaraya by the
architect to form unity between the buildings.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
1. Repetition

The curved lines, space and texture of Panggung Bandaraya Building are repated throughout
the design to tie the structure together to form aesthetical and to achieve unity. Repetition can
be seen very clearly in The panggung Bandaraya Building, the lines joint repeatedly to create
a geometrical forms of shape. The bricks used in the building is repeatedly arranged to make
the building more successfully achieve unity.
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2. Rhythm

There are several rhythm that can be found in Panggung Bandaraya Building. First is the
repetition of the window shapes, columns, arches, and the minarets. Next is the the progresive
vertical rhythm of the window that imply a strong sense of motion, either from the small to
the large and from large to small.

3. Variety.

The front view of Panggung Bandaraya is full of variety of form. Play of shadows are
inserted, different types of arches, window and also the ornamentations. These elements give
different manifestation and pattern to reduce the dull and tiresome to the viewers.

4.Balance
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The building is well balanced work of art, because of the porte cochere that is situated in the
centre of the building. The four minarets in front of the building are constructed to give more
balance to the building.

Conclusion
As a conclusion, Panggung Bandaraya has not only adopt the Moorish style of
architecture but also a few other architectural style into the building. Panggung Bandaraya
now, before was the City Hall is a very unique architecture as it has a lot of layers yet it suites
the architecture of Malaysia. Now, Panggung Bandaraya has become an identity or an icon to
Malaysia as it is one of the famous heritage buildings in Malaysia. Therefore, heritage
buildings need to preserved in order to ensure the individuality of our own architecture.

Reference:

David Ng and Steven Tan, Kuala Lumpur in Postcards 1900-1930. Fajar Bakti (1987)

Kuala Lumpur Pictorial Book (1995). City Hall KL

Victor Chin.(1982) Looking at Kuala Lumpur.

Syed Zainol Abidin Aidid. Pemeliharaan Warisan Rupa Bandar.

http://www.builderbill-diy-help.com/types-of-arches.html

http://www.dbkl.gov.my/portalv7/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=104&lang=bm

http://www.daftarwarisan.gov.my/index.php?
page=warisan_keb_home&subpage=show_detail&category=1&id=18