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GEORGE TOWN, March 19 — Berthel Michael Iversen was born in Denmark but he came to call Malaya home.
An architect, he designed and built 38 cinemas, landmark buildings like the Federal House in Kuala Lumpur, the Veterinary Research Institute in Ipoh, the Chinese Swimming Club in Penang and thousands of other buildings throughout peninsula Malaya.
Based in Ipoh for a period stretching from pre-war Malaya to post-colonial Malaysia, his iconic architectural style is one well known by many during that time.
As his daughter Ruth Iversen Rollitt puts it, all his architectural designs have a unique quality to them; they are beautiful to look at and built in such a way that these buildings, particularly residential houses, remain cool in our hot, humid weather without the need for air conditioning.
Iversen left his mark in the lines and built of the buildings found all over Ipoh, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands and Singapore but sadly not many people knew about him, his life and the details of his life’s work.
That is why Rollitt decided to write a book on her father; a tribute to him and to put on record his remarkable work.
“My father was a great architect, he was a great artist, he was a great music lover, he was a great man in every way so this book is my way to show my love for him ,” Rollitt said at the soft launch of her book titled Iversen: Architect of Ipoh and Modern Malay yesterday.
The hardcover book — published by Areca Books — is over 200 pages on Iversen’s work and his life until his death due to cancer at the age of 70.
The Iversens had a tradition of keeping letters and journals so the book is a compilation of Iversen’s own journal — which he presented through colourful cartoons written in Dutch — and his wife Corry Iversen’s handwritten letters, pictures and building plans kept throughout the years.
Compiling and writing the book took almost six years and started when she met Khoo Salma of Areca Books in 2009. The latter had suggested that she write a book on Iversen due to his tremendous contribution in terms of architecture to the country.
What resulted was not simply about Iversen’s life, according to Rollitt, but due to the additional extensive research done by Salma and her team, the book has become more than a memoir but also a book for architects too.
There will also be a soft launch in Ipoh at the Sarang Paloh event hall on Sunday (March 22) and the book will be officially launched in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (March 23).
The book will be available at Kinokuniya, MPH and Popular bookstores nationwide from next week onwards.
It is also available at Areca Books, The Star Pitt Street, 15, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, Penang. For details, email to [email protected] or call 04-2610307.
