cavingliz non-cave albums: KTMB Headquarters

Sunday, May 29, 2011

KTMB Headquarters

One of Kuala Lumpur’s most distinctive buildings, this majestic gazetted national monument is representative of the British Colonial Raj style and complements the old KL Railway Station across the street from it. The KTMB

The railway station

I've gone past this building so many times over the years but I had never really bothered to look at the architecture in detail. And as KTMB is still in use by a government department, there is no general access to the public.

Our tour was led Lim Take Bane, who is very passionate and extremely knowledgable about the building and its architecture. Lim talking to a KTM worker -

The construction was started at the turn of the last century and finished just after the First World War. It gave a sense of importance and was very formal. It was designed by A.B. Hubback, an Edwardian man, and is similar to Masjid Jamek and Sultan Abdul Samad buildings.

It is symmetrical from the front and has gentle curves

Neoclassical arches are inspired from Indian Moghul.

The arches and domes dress the outside of the building. The whole appearance gives a nice skyline, with the railway station opposite. Corbel & true arches -

The 3 floors have different shaped arches (true and curved) and differing numbers of columns. The ground floor has a single arch, the middle floor has 2 arches with tri columns (3 + 1 + 1). Top floor has interlocked arches with single columns. According to Lim this gives a a staccato rhythm - column, space - which gives cadence.

The 1st & 2nd floor also have perforated holes in the walls. These 'jalis' are decorative but also act as wind holes.

Above the floors, the roofline juts out, supported by carved brackets that look like bookends. This helps absorb and dissipate heat.

The domes on top are more Buddhist, not Islamic, and have a stupa. The Brits borrowed designs from all over the world. The chaktri – dome with shape below - is from the Moghuls, e.g. at Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh) and have borrowed motifs. The balustrade has an open framework.

First floor dome

The main central dome has a cupola (small cup), or smaller dome that crowns the bigger dome, which sits on top of a small pavilion. The other domes at the ends of the building at topped by long thin minarets and have 4 twisted columns. These domes sit on top of towers that have wide staircases to the top

These towers have an overhanging balcony with a criss-cross pattern, and allow people to see out without being seen themselves

View of the station -

A pilaster is a column in a wall topped with filial – onion or dome.

Generally stone is not used for buildings as it is not easily available and not cheap. Usually buildings are made from wood, or bricks or rammed earth. On the KTMB building it is stucco - stimulating stone, behind is cement or plaster. This photo shows the modern white paint but underneath is the original brownish colour, made with lime -

Double columns enable thick walls. Panels cut in the arches in the foyere show the depth of the walls.

The main entrance has a porte cochere or carriage porch, to enable people to get out of carriages (or cars nowadays) without getting wet. The porch also has giant arches and at the top are the holed walls. The porch design is from Alhambra (Moorish)

Today the main entrance has modern glass

The outer corridor is neither in or out, gives a feeling of space with high roof, and the floor slopes out for drainage -

Inside the octagonal foyer a draught of air enters the building and the thick masonry walls help keep it cool. There is natural ventilation and light, aided by the windows in the dome roof. Inner domes have wrought iron grilles.

A cantilever staircase leads up to the upper floors and the dome.

Outside the corners have protruding and recessive forms. Protruding corner -

recessive corner (above). However they ran out of money after the war, so the inside of the exterior walls on the upper floors are plain and not ornate.