Stanley Edward Jewkes
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Stanley Edward Jewkes (1913–2011) was an American architect as well as an engineer. He was a key figure in Southeast Asian post-independence architecture. His close relationship with Malaysia's then Prime Minister
Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman (8 February 19036 December 1990), commonly referred to as Tunku, was a Malaysian statesman who served as prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 to 1970. He previously served as the only chief minister of Federation of Malaya ...
led to his getting several prominent architectural commissions in Malaysia including for
Stadium Merdeka The Independence Stadium or Merdeka Stadium is a stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as the site of the formal declaration of independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957. The stadium is also the site of the proclamati ...
and
Stadium Negara Nation Stadium is an indoor arena located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Background Nation Stadium is located about 2 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur City Centre, next to the Stadium Merdeka, Independence Stadium and Merdeka 118, Merdeka 118 buildin ...
. He practiced in Malaysia from 1941 until 1962. He then continued to work in the United States for a multi-national architectural and engineering practice.


Early life

Jewkes was born in the United States on the 9th of October, 1913. After World War I, he and his parents travelled to Birmingham and there, he won a scholarship to study at Dudley Grammar School. At Northampton Institute and the London Polytechnic, he studied architecture and engineering before being hired as the chief engineer of British Steel Construction. He was associated with both the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as well as the Institute of Civil Engineers in London. In 1941, Jewkes came to Malaysia to join the Public Works Department (PWD). He served first in the districts of Krian and Keroh. He was then asked to become the head of the new Design and Research Branch. Subsequently, Jewkes became the Director of the Public Works Department from 1959 to 1962. Soon after coming to Malaysia, war broke out in the peninsula and he was made a lieutenant in the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force. in 2001, he compiled and published his philosophical rumination about his life in relation to his own encounters in a book named “Humankind: Planet Earth’s Most Enigmatic Species”. At 98 years of age, Jewkes died peacefully at the Mission Oaks Hospice in Oxford, Florida on the 19th of June, 2011. He left behind his wife Ella, and their two children, Carole and Peter.


Buildings

Of the many buildings that he had designed and/or engineered, his most famous works are located at the Petaling Hill. *Merdeka Park *
Stadium Merdeka The Independence Stadium or Merdeka Stadium is a stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as the site of the formal declaration of independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957. The stadium is also the site of the proclamati ...
*
Stadium Negara Nation Stadium is an indoor arena located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Background Nation Stadium is located about 2 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur City Centre, next to the Stadium Merdeka, Independence Stadium and Merdeka 118, Merdeka 118 buildin ...


Contributions

With his help, he made sure that the PWD’s engineering department capabilities were on par with most developed nations in the world. He also reworked and clarified traffic circulations around the city, as well as supervised the construction of
Klang Gates Dam Klang Gates Dam (Malay: ''Empangan Klang Gates'') is a dam in Ulu Klang, Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is also known as the Bukit Tabur Dam. Completed in 1958, the dam is the first dam in Malaysia for water supply. It is a concrete arch ...
for KL’s water supply. He even determined the site of the dam after extensive surveys. At the same time of being the Director of the PWD, Jewkes managed to find time to teach Advanced Engineering at the KL Technical College. He guided a whole generation of local engineers at PWD who would take over after his retirement from Malaysia. He was even responsible for the awarding of overseas engineering scholarships based on meritocracy rather than on race. As for his buildings, the
Stadium Merdeka The Independence Stadium or Merdeka Stadium is a stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as the site of the formal declaration of independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957. The stadium is also the site of the proclamati ...
won an award given by the
Badan Warisan Malaysia Badan Warisan Malaysia (''The Heritage of Malaysia Trust'') 198301009532 (104789-A) is a non-government organisation formed in 1983, concerned with the conservation and preservation of Malaysia's built heritage. It is a voluntary organisatio ...
for having the tallest prestressed structure in the world during that time with the 140 feet tall lighting towers, as well as having one of the longest cantilevered shell roofs in the world.


Honour


Foreign honour

* : ** Honorary Commander of the
Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...
((P.M.N. (K)) - Tan Sri (1962)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jewkes, Stanley Edward Modernist architects from the United States 20th-century American architects American engineers American expatriates in the United Kingdom American expatriates in Malaysia 1913 births 2011 deaths