Booty Edwards & Partners
Booty Edwards & Partners, now known as BEP Akitek Sdn Bhd, is an architectural firm based in Malaysia. Ralph Booty & Sidney James set up their practice in Singapore in 1910 and began the Booty Edwards & Partners firm on September 7, 1923. Ralph Booty had previously operated the firm Ralph Booty and Co. The new firm was first called Booty and Edwards.Arthur Oakley Coltman bought the firm in 1930. It was later called Booty, Edwards & Partners and the firm operated with offices in Colombo, Penang as well as Kuala Lumpur. In 1969 the firm was renamed BEP Akitek Sdn Bhd, the name it still carries. A major event in the firm's early history is when it won an architectural competition for the design of Colombo’s Town Hall and Municipal Offices, held in 1922 The Town Hall remains an imposing landmark in Colombo city. On May 24, 1924, the foundation stone was laid to build this magnificent building to house the Municipal Council of the country's principal city.
The firm became a major force in the development of Southeast Asia's architecture in the 20th century. It not only was responsible for some of the major governmental and commercial buildings in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore, it also ushered in a new type of architectural practice: a major office run on the corporate model established by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), in the United States. Many of the major Art Deco and modernist buildings came from architects who worked in the offices of Booty, Edwards, and Partners.
The idea with this project was to provide a governing building for the organization that would act as its centre of operations and cultural activities, and provide an architectural identity. The committee for the hall had existed since 1910 but officially came together in 1926. The size of the building is: 43 m (length) x 63 m (width) x 14 m (height) and is located at No.1, Jalan Maharajalela, 50150 Kuala Lumpur, across the MR3 Maharajalela Monorail station. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) is designed following a neo-classical model. It is an architectural style that began in the late-18th century. Neoclassical works were a stylistic reaction against the Rococo style of florid ornament, although some of the building's features are Late Baroque, with certain classical and Palladian elements. The hall also shows the British colonial influence. The most prominent feature of the interior is a central hall with a high ceiling. The three entrances at the front relate to the significance given to the number three in Chinese culture, which means – man, earth, and the sky which balance out the universe. During its glory days, the hall was filled by the Chinese community that gathered for news, to participate in cultural programs or to watch stage performances. During World War II, it was a place where people sought refuge and aid, and later in the 1950s, after independence, members of the hall played significant roles in encouraging the Chinese community to apply for citizenship. In the early twentieth century, many Chinese retained a close attachment to mainland China and during World War II, they even collected money to fund China’s war against Japan. But after the war, the communities felt there was a need to change the perception of the Chinese community towards the then Malaya and to create sense of belonging. The hall played important role in this social movement. Construction of the building started in 1926 and it was completed only in 1935. The building has a touch of Asian architectural features with its dome and some of the detailing. The budget was 177,135 Malayan dollars.
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