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View from south west
SWAN & MACLAREN,
architects
MALAYAN RUBBER FUND BOARD,
owners
LIM TIN and LEE YIN CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD.,
contractors
WING CO.,
piling
NATURAL RUBBER BUILDING,
W
HEN the Malayan Rubber Fund Board started to plan its head- quarters two years ago, it emphasised that while the building must be de- signed to meet the particular require- ments of the organisations using it, special care and attention must be taken to ensure that the highest architectural and aesthetic standards were met.
Aimed at collecting all the rubber industry's official and administrative bodies under one roof, the newly completed M$1.5 million Bangunan Getah Asli literal translation the Natural Rubber Building in Kuala Lumpur, is seen as a logical step for- ward in the task of streamlining a vital industry.
―
With this in mind, the Board pro- moted a nation-wide architectural competition under the direction of the Federation of Malaya Society of Architects. A design submitted by Swan and Maclaren was adjudged the winner, and the firm was duly ap- pointed as architects and structural engineers for the new building.
Prestige Building
The brief called for a prestige building with a reasonably high
standard of finish. As the 12 acre site for the building at the junction of Jalan Yap Kwan Seng and Jalan Ampang is in a predominantly re- sidential area with a low density factor and a park-like atmosphere near the city centre, a conscious effort was made to design the building in
64
such a manner as to detract as little as possible from these unusually at- tractive conditions.
The building is therefore raised above ground level on widely spaced columns is order to emphasise the integration of the site with the build- ing, while the accommodation requir- ed has been planned so as to keep the height of the building within the
limits of a suitable scale.
In addition to the accommodation for the plantation industries' various official and administrative bodies, provision was required for 12,000 sup. ft. of lettable office space, and so it was decided that the latter should be arranged on the first floor, while the developer's requirements should be planned on the second and
Ground floor, showing ornamental pool and reflecting glass walls. beyond pool screen a permanent display area
Glass partitions
Far East Architect & Builder October, 1965
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