Architectural Profession and its Role Towards the Design of Administrative Architecture in Malaysia

Abstract

The paper aims to discuss the role of architects in the evolution of three main formal administrative architectures in Malaysia. All these three chosen case studies housed the main seat of the government of the era. The main concern is to outline the evolution of the administrative architecture in Malaysia through understanding the factors that may influence the production of these national buildings. A case study approach as defined by Yin (2011) was applied by using interpretivist approach in order to understand the factors that may have influenced the design of these prominent administrative architecture in Malaysia. The research shows there is a significant tie between the architect as part of the decision-maker and the design of the administrative building, making the selection of the architects for the purpose of building an important national architecture very important. To date, the research on the administration building in Malaysia focuses on design aspects, and none discussed the relationship between the administrative buildings with the architects’ background with reference to societal conditions. The research is of value for clients as patrons of national projects to understand the syntax of ‘administrative architecture’ as these buildings are deemed as meaningful national symbols.