SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN ARCHITECTURE CULTURE & HISTORY 2 [ARC 1323]

Project: Architecture Heritage Building Analysis

SMK Maxwell

Name Ang Boon Cheong Poh Wei Keat Ling Teck Ong Brandon Ang

ID 0315560 0303646 0303127 0302955

Table of Content

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Table of Content Abstract 1.0 Introduction

Topic

Page No. i ii 1-5 6-8 9-10 11 12 13 13 14 15-16 17 18 19-22

1.1 Differences: Before and After 2.0 Building Analysis 2.1 Columns 2.2 Doors 2.3 Entrance Portal 2.4 Windows 2.5 Structures and Materials 2.6 Comparison between two buildings 3.0 Conclusion References Appendix

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Abstract

School Old name Motto Established Type Affiliations Grades Location Colors Abbreviation

Maxwell Secondary School Maxwell Road School Disco UT Serviam - I Learn That I May Serve 1917 Government non-boarding all-boys secondary school Malaysia Ministry Of Education Form 1 - Form 6 Jalan Tun Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia Royal green and blue Max-So-Well, Maxwell's

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1.0 INTRODUCTION Maxwell School or Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan was established in the year 1917 (Sheppard, 1983). It was a school for boys except form 6. It is located at Tun Ismail Road which was formerly known as Maxwell Road in the center of Kuala Lumpur (Figure 1.2). The school was named after Sir William George Maxwell, the chief Secretary to the Government of the Federated Malay States. Maxwell school was not just the oldest school in the north of Kuala Lumpur but also one of the oldest in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. A student of the school is known as a Maxwellian. Maxwell School opened its doors to 110 students and five teaching staff on 1 June 1922. At present there are approximately 1500 students and more than 100 academic and non-academic staff members (Sheppard, 1983). During its pre-war days, it functioned as a feeder school for the Victoria Institution. By 1933, the school was shut down to the public due to the recession, but was opened as a private school from 1934 to 1938 (Sheppard, 1983). It was then given to the Trade School for their use. During the Japanese Occupation, it was used as a camp for the Japanese Kempeitai. After the war, the school was used as a hostel by the newly formed Technical College which now named as University Technology Malaysia until 1953, when, in September, the school was re-opened as Malaya's first Modern Secondary School. Today, the Maxwell School is still housed in the same building and had remained a secondary school ever since (Sheppard, 1983). The school originally consisted of two blocks which is A and B, the present day main block and the gymnasium block, which is now the library (Figure 1.3 to 1.5). The school consists of a two storey structure which was later extended to a block of solid masonry construction. The main building has an H-shape layout, and is designed in the Neo-Renaissance style popular of the period featuring keystone arches, balustrade colonnades and coupled with massing that dictate strong forms, which can refer to the elevations plans (Figure 1.6 & Figure 1.7). A decade later, three blocks of building were added. They were block C, a three storey building and function as classrooms, labs and canteen, Block D, a seven storey building containing science laboratories, store and classrooms. The third building- Block F was also single storey and it was used as carpentry cum metal workshop. The Figure 1.1 below is the layout plan to show out the detail layout of Maxwell School.

Legend:
A - Afternoon Session Supervisor's Room E - Internal Examination Unit S1 - Senior Assistant's Room - Senior Assistant of Students' Affairs S2 Room T1 - Toilet (Male) T2 - Toilet (Female) T3 - Toilet (Staff) P2 - Prayers' Room (Female)

Figure 1.1 Maxwell School layout plan (Source: Sia, 2000)

Figure 1.2 Site Plan of Block A and B Maxwell School (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

Figure 1.3 Ground Floor Plan of Block A (Source: Sheppard, 1983) 5

Figure 1.4 First Floor Plan of Block A (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

Figure 1.5 Ground Floor Plan of Block B (Source: Sheppard, 1983) 6

Figure 1.6 South East Elevation of Block A (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

Figure 1.7 North East Elevation of Block B (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

Maxwell Secondary school was a 90 over years old building. During this period, there are lots of changes occurs in terms of overview of the building, function, physical, social, political, economy, cultural aspects, architectural styles and building materials as shown in (Table 1.1). Table 1.1: Differences in aspects of Maxwell High School before and after it was built: Before Differences Overview After

(Source: Sia, 2000) - Wall and column are plain white in color - The school are surrounded by lots of plants 1917-1952 Originally a primary school for boys Consists of 3 blocks, Block A, B and C 110 students and 5 teaching staffs only Year Function Physical Social

(Source: Maxwellian, 2008) - Wall and column are painted light orange and brownish red - Trees surround the building are reduced

1953-Now Secondary School Newly added 3 blocks, Block D, E and F 1500 students and more than 100 academic and non-academic staff members

Ruled by British government and then by the Japanese

Political

Local government non-boarding school, Malaysia Ministry of Education as affiliations

Bad economy due to war period. Includes a hall, a gymnasium and 13 classrooms

Economy

Economy developed. Includes a hall, 34 classrooms, three workshops, five science laboratories, computer room, resource centre, canteen, bookshop and own Mini Sports Complex outside school compound

Practiced Colonial-period traditions Cultural

Focuses in sports. There are four sport houses, and every year they compete on sports day

Renaissance style

Architectura l Style

Renaissance + Moorish designs

Bricks and clay tiles

Building Materials

Concrete and metal

As in overview of the Table 1.1 above, Maxwell Secondary School in the early years is painted in plain white color while now it is refurnished and painted with light orange and brownish red. It looks more colorful and aesthetic. The building last time was surrounded with lots of trees and but now was reduced. Maxwell school was first function as a primary school at the end of World War II. In 1933, the school was shut down to public due to recession. Then it was opened as a private school from 1934 to 1938. During Japanese Occupation, it was used as a camp for Japanese Kempeitai. After the war, the school was used as a hostel by the newly formed Technical College until 1953 September; the school was re-opened as Malaya's first Modern Secondary School. In the physical aspect, as you can see in Figure Maxwell School consists of 3 Blocks, Block A, B and C in the early years. Block A is the very heart of the Maxwell School. It consists of the main hall, sixth-grade classes, school office and prayer room on the ground floor and is the access center to the upper level. Block B is Block of single-storey block with operation room, 7 decades hall, Textbook Loan Scheme Store, sports room and employee restroom. Whereas Block C is a fourstorey block with science laboratory, moral rooms, canteen, class levels 1,2,3,4 and 5. Now, it newly added 6 floors academic blocks, Block D and E with arched openings along the corridors. It was first used in 2012 to accommodate Form six students. Lastly, Block F is double-storey block that houses the woodworking workshop rooms, self-management, plumbing, computer lab and the art room. 9

Next, in social aspect, Maxwell School opened its doors to 110 students and five teaching staffs on 1 June 1922. During the early years, Maxwell school was a school for boys only. The main social area of the students at the time was the hall. At present, there are approximately 1500 students and more than 100 academic and non-academic staff members. Maxwell school now open to female students to study for form six. Canteen and Mini Sports Complex later was added in and become the main social area of the students. In political aspect in the pre-war periods, Maxwell School was controlled by British government. At the end of World War II, British move students from Victoria Institution (VI) to use Maxwell school for few months due to renovation of VI building. Later on, Japanese came and converted the school into military headquarters. In 1947, it was reopened as a secondary school and now it is under the local government and the Malaysia Ministry of Education as affiliations according to what stated in (Chin, 2011). Economy during the early period was pretty bad. There are only 3 blocks of buildings, a hall, a gymnasium and 13 classrooms. Later on, economy developed and 3 new blocks of buildings were added to accommodate the increasing population of students. In 1973, the school acquired a portion of neighbouring land and they enlarge the compound and built the Mini Sports Complex, scien ce laboratories, computer labs and workshops. Libraries were added but one of it later converted to offices of Principal Chef Assistant. In cultural aspect, Colonial period traditions were practiced during the early years and some still remains (Chin, 2011). Building materials like bricks and clay tiles were used during early period to build the old blocks of buildings. Now, concrete were used to build new blocks of building with metal structure and built in with lift facility.

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2.0 BUILDING ANALYSIS The design and features of the two blocks is typical of the colonial era structures bearing with Moorish designs. Moorish denoting the style of architecture used in Spain from the 13th to 16th century, characterized by the horseshoe arch Also Morisco, Moresco. The school consists of a two storey structure with arched openings along the corridors, typical of many of the school buildings that were built that time. There is a veranda on sides of each storey, high ceilings and broad stairways which depict typical colonial architecture. While the modern-day Ministry of Education has added rectangular-shaped blocks to the school, the distinctive "H" shape of the main block is still one of the more interesting features of Kuala Lumpur. The walls of Block B are plastered brick shaped to give the impression that it was made out of large dressed masonry blocks. This makes for an imposing building with its own sense of dignity and strength (Figure 2.1). Semicircular arches in Blocks A and B are expressed in different ways. Arches in Block A are supported by columns of Tuscan and Ionic orders repeated throughout the building. In Block B, the arches frame the doors and windows. Although the two blocks emphasize the semicircular arches in different ways the two buildings are unified with one common architectural vocabulary which is the semicircular arch with a keystone. Semicircular arches is a strong structure often found in bridges and aqueducts, forms a half circle and is a major feature of all Roman architecture. A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece, placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight (Figure 2.2 & 2.3).

Figure 2.1 Large dressed masonry blocks of Block B (Source: Sheppard, 1983) 11

Figure 2.2 Block A faade showing the arch and the keystone (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

Figure 2.3 Block B faade showing the same semicircular arches and the keystone (Source: Sheppard, 1983) Descriptions of some of the interesting architectural elements in the buildings follow. These include the columns, doors, entrances portals and windows. 2.1 Columns: Column or pillar in architecture is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below, in other words a column is a compression member. Block A has columns of the Tuscan and the Ionic order. The former is an order of Roman origin (Figure 2.4). One of the columns is basically a simplified Roman Doric which is characterized by an unfluted column and a plain base, capital and entablature having no decoration other than moldings. Columns on the ground floor are grouped in three types of arrangement: single small column, twin small columns and a larger single column. 12

The Ionic column is considerably more complex than the Doric or Tuscan. It usually has a base and the shaft is often fluted. The Ionic order dates from the 6th Century BC from the Greek colonies of Asia Minor. It is characterized by the spiral volutes present on its capital (Figure 2.5 & 2.6(A)). The fluted column typically had molded bases and is supported by an entablature consisting of an architrave of three fasciae, a richly ornamented frieze, and a corbelled cornice. The Roman and Renaissance versions are often more elaborated, and usually the capital volutes are at forty five degrees to the architrave. Columns of the Ionic order can be found on the first floor. These are slightly different from the original classical order as previously described. First of all, they are unfluted like the Tuscan order. Secondly, the cornice and frieze are not ornamented. However, they are characteristic of the Ionic order in that the volutes are at forty five degrees to the architrave (Figure 2.6 (B)).

Figure 2.4 The Tuscan Order in the school (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

Figure 2.5 The Ionic Order (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

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Figure 2.6 (A) The Ionic Order in the school (Source: Sheppard, 1983) 2.2 Doors:

Figure 2.6 (B) The Ionic Order

In Block A, there are three types of doors which are presumed to be original (Figure 2.7). One particular door was chosen for recording because of its workmanship and appearance. It is a fourpanelled door with a mouse-molded (double curved) panel bead of the British Victorian style. This is an internal door with a high frame and a fan-shaped tracery above the door. In Block B, there is no trace of its original door (Figure 2.8).

Figure 2.7 Block A original door (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

Figure 2.8 Types of doors in Block B (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

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2.3 Entrance Portal: A portal can be defined as a doorway, gate or entrance usually emphasized by its size and stately architectural treatment (Figure 2.9). The main entrance of Block A is a modified version of the early 19th Century Classical Revival temple-front doorway of the Federal & Empire Period In the classical portal the Tuscan columns support an entablature surmounted by a pediment which is decorated with a Greek fret but in Block A Tuscan columns support the first floor of the building. The entablature is then supported by Ionic columns at the first floor.

Figure 2.9 Entrance portal (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

2.4 Windows: The design of the windows in Block A is the same as that of the doors. However, the design of the windows in Block B is vary. One appears to be a modified version of a geometric shape (Figure 2.10). Another window is shaped like the form of ventilation holes located in the walls of the toilets. These are encased in green coloured Chinese ceramic tiles. It is difficult to ascertain the reason for the presence of this Asian element in a building which is predominantly European in architectural vocabulary. 15

Figure 2.10 Block B windows (Source: Sheppard, 1983) 2.5 Structures/Materials: These buildings are of masonry construction with timber roof trusses. Stairways are concrete and sos are the baluster and columns. Brickwork of both blocks use English bond. English bond is a brickwork bond having alternate courses of headers and stretches in which the headers are centered on stretchers and the joints between stretches line up vertically in all courses (Figure 2.11 & Figure 2.12). This bonding not only increases the structure but also enhances the appearance of the construction.

Figure 2.11 English Bond (Source: Sheppard, 1983)

Figure 2.12 English Bond

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We decided to make a comparison between Maxwell Secondary school and St. John Institution (Figure 2.13) which also known as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St. John. This is because these two schools have the same background which only for boys and once ruled under the British government western school which we found interesting. Table 2.1: Comparative study between three buildings with the same typology: Differences Original layout of the building Maxwell Secondary School two block storey with arched opening along the corridors, a verandah on sides of each storey, high ceilings and broad stairways St.John Institution two storey with wood structure and a brick pillars and verandah Mfantsipim School Rectangular shape tropical style building

Location Number of buildings added after decades later Architectural design

Malaysia Least

Malaysia Most

Ghana Moderate

Moorish & Neo-Renaissance

Romanesque

Colonialism and modernism

Main colors

Plain yellow and brown red

Red and white

Plain yellow and brown red

Maxwell school originally consist of two block storey with arched opening along the corridors, and there is a verandah on sides of each storey, high ceilings and broad stairways, after a decade three block of buildings are added whereas St. John Institution originally also with two storey but with wood structure and with a brick pillars and verandah situated in Bukit Nanas. Over the years, various buildings were added including hall, science block, gymnasium, two lecture halls and a Form 6 block which is more than the buildings added in Maxwell School High School. The design of the Maxwell School is Moorish design and St. John Institution is Romanesque architecture design. The Moorish design in Maxwell school is shown in the columns and arches which are strongly influenced by Moorish architecture. In the other hand, St.John School is famous for its imposing red and white-brick main building with Grecian-Spanish influences. Besides,

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the main colors of the Maxwell School are plain yellow and brown red while the St. John Institution is red and white.

Figure 2.13 St. John Institution (Source: Super, 2013)

Another building that we would compare is Mfantsipim School (Figure 2.14). Mfantsipim School is a high school in Cape Coast, in Ghana. It was established by the Methodist Church in 1876 as an all-boys secondary school dedicated to fostering intellectual, moral and spiritual growth. Its foundation name was Wesleyan High School and the first Headmaster was James Picot, a French scholar, who was only eighteen years old on his appointment. The original building is a rectangular block with tropical design which uses the atap roof. The architecture design which changed lately is different from Maxwell School, which uses European colonial and modernism style. The school was originally designed by Fry and Drew for the extension project of Mfantsipim School. They applied the design style into the school dormitory site which can be seen in the elevation the whole block (Figure 2.15). The materials used to build the building are the same with the other two buildings which mainly concrete. The main colors of the building are quite similar to Maxwell School, which are light yellow and brown red.

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Figure 2.14 Mfantsipim School (Source: Kay, 1984)

Figure 2.15 Dormitory Site of Mfantsipim School (Source: Jessica, 2013)

3. CONCLUSION In summary, based on the research we conducted on Maxwell High School for the past few weeks, we have acknowledged some learning outcomes. Firstly, we learned to interpret architectural language in relation to the development of Western architecture between Industrial Revolution and post-World War 2. For example, Maxwell school was built by the British government during the war period and this turns out one of the starting point of the development of Western culture into our country. We get to know the history and background of the old aged schools and how it slowly develops in term of urban layout and architecture. For instance, Maxwell high school was established in 1917 and was once a primary school with only 2 storey structure. Many blocks of buildings were added later on which extended to a massive area. Furthermore, we also get to differentiate the way in which many varied factors contribute to the development of form. Examples of the aspects are like political, social, economy and function. Lastly, we manage to gain the ability to extract important information and present them in our own style which is important to our future studies. For example, we manage to take down the important points of information from book and retranslate and write them into our own meaning and this comes in handy for our future presentation. 19

References:
Chin, Y. (2011.). Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Maxwell. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from http://maxwellgreatalways.blogspot.com/2011/10/sekolah-menengah-kebangsaanmaxwell.html

Jessica, H. (2013). Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast, Ghana. Retrieved July 2, 2013, from website: http://transnationalarchitecturegroup.wordpress.com/tag/colonialism/

Kay, K.(1984). Moba 84. Retrieved July 2, 2013, from website: http://www.moba84.com/Mfantsipim.html

Maxwellian. (2008). SMK Maxwell. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from flickr website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxwellian/4649126109/

Sheppard, M. (1983). Memorial Prize: Volume 1. Kuala Lumpur: Badan Warisan Malaysia.

Sia, K.C. (2000). SMK Maxwell Online. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from geocities website: http://www.geocities.ws/smkmaxwell/layoutplan.htm

Super, U. (2013). Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan St.John. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from http://www.stjohn.edu.my/

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Appendix:

Changes by Brandon Ang

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Response by Ang Boon Cheong

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User & Context by Poh Wei Keat

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Concept by Ling Teck Ong

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