Nestled on the top of a hill, Dewan Tunku Canselor, an iconic landmark that cannot be missed in the immense campus of Univeriti Malaya is one of the creation of Dato Kington Loo of BEP Akitek Sdn.Bhd. The giant assemblage of concrete was named after and officiated by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj on June 25. 1966. 18 months was the time taken to complete the Giant of Universiti Malaya and the first convocation ceremony held there was for 587 graduates. The Hall is still operating as a convocation hall and as performance theatre where cultural performances are frequently held.

 

Dewan Tunku Canselor, is the pure image of Brutalism Architecture, which Dato Kington Loo inspired himself from the prestigious style of Le Corbusier. The building id a two and a half storey massive structure consisting of a great hall and a foyer area connected to an Experimental Theatre. It’s capacity is of about 25,00 people, considered as the uncontestably largest hall in Kuala Lumpur at that time. In 1969-1971 a stage was finally installed because the British Council wanted to have a ballet presentation which called for a relatively spacious hall.

 

The mezzanine floor is actually a viewing gallery that forms a ‘U’ shape. The roof of the great hall consists of steel trussed structures and a reinforced concrete slab with up-stand beam forming the perimeter roofing system. Access to the different floor levels is provided by two spiral concrete staircases located within oval shaped shear walls.

 

On June 29th 2001, a tragedy striked the Building, the hall was ripped through by a fire just jours before a student leadershiop symposium was supposed to be held. Along with 1,800 graduation robes and 2,000 mortar boards, the interior was completely destroyed resulting in a loss amounting to RM12.4 million. However, the building main structure was untouched.

 

In 2002, the Rehabilitation Process was made operational and staff, students and The New Straits Times set it up. Construction works was of duration 4 months and 3 weeks and it was rebuilt to its original image with a few better-sophisticated adjustments.  

 

A Comparative analysis was executed on the building, and it was found throughout our research that the Chandigarh High Court in India designed by the master himself, Le Corbusier is the pure inspiration from which the Dewan Tunku Canselor was born from. The Rough Formwork traces left intentionally and the exaggerated number of openings is the pure essence of making the building a dramatic space and part of the Brutalism Style.

 

To conclude, Dewan Tunku Canselor is truly one of the early finest example of southeast Asian architecture at its best. It is often overlooked, but once looked at closely, the beauty and pure ingenuity cannot be denied. The raw concrete look of the building is a masterpiece of Modernism. Dato Kington Loo made Le Courbusier’s style his own by succeeding to incorporate it into a tropical country such as Malaysia.

 

Dewan Tunku Canselor is a snapshot of an era when new architecture was identified by form, function and materials, rather than the typical colour, stylism or novelty. In the book Shapers of Modern Malaysia, editor Lim Teng Ngiom mentions: “(It is) unsurpassed in concrete plasticity. Despite it’s concrete expression, the building is appropriately tropical and has weathered well over the years.” Kington Loo has managed to achieve a state of equilibrium by softening the harsh concrete with void spaces and with water elements. Declared a National Heritage Site in 2005, it certainly is something worth being proud of. Designed by a locally born and bred architect, and gracing the campus of a Malaysian university, it certainly is a Malaysian building that is the pride of the nation.