The origin & evolution of the Malayan shophouse is the first book to attempt to give an overview of shophouses in Malaya from 1794 (Malacca) to 1969 (Kuala Lumpur) — a period of 175 years, during which over 30,000 shophouses were built.
The period of 175 years coincided with a period of mass migration from mainland china to Nanyang, and British colonial rule in Malaya via India. Indeed, shophouses were a direct result of the intersection of these three cultures in the context of Malay sultanates. We have all inherited the DNA of migrants.
Earlier authors have generally confined their enquiry to a single city in peninsular Malaysia or a certain category e .g. federated Malay states shophouses. In this publication an attempt is made to link shophouses in various cities along the western seaboard of the peninsular and in Sarawak, all of which developed within their individual time frame.
The subject is fascinating, for every shophouse in Malaysia and Singapore has a story to tell . the stories are often as intriguing as the architectural details that help date the individual buildings.
About the Authors
British-born architect and academic Professor Robert Powell has built a multifaceted career as an architect, city planner, critic, and educator, but he is also known for his influential writings on tropical Asian architecture. After 12 years at Ainsworth Sparks Associates in Newcastle, Powell moved to Singapore in 1984 and start his career as a lecturer at the National University of Singapore; a move that rekindled his fascination with Asia, first sparked five years earlier, where he fell in love with the tropical vibe while helping to build a nature reserve deep in the jungles of Sulawesi. His time in the region inspired a lifelong passion for exploring and documenting the architectural identity of the tropics.
Alongside Origin & Evolution of The Malayan Shophouse, Powell authored numerous other landmark books, including Innovative Architecture of Singapore, The Tropical Asian House, Contemporary Houses in the Philippines, and The New Malaysian House. He also co-wrote Rethinking the Skyscraper: The Complete Works of Ken Yeang and edited several volumes for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. After a period in London with the now-defunct firm Llewelyn Davies Yeang, Powell returned to Asia in 2016 as Professor of Architecture at Taylor’s University Malaysia. Having recently stepped back from academia, he now devotes his time fully to writing, continuing his mission to chronicle and celebrate Asia’s rich architectural legacy.
