Berthel Michael Iversen

Berthel Michael Iversen (, 1906–76) was a Danish architect active in Malaysia, and the founder of Iversen, van Sitteren & Partners.

Most of his works were in Malaya (now Malaysia) and Singapore.

He designed a large number of buildings in his Malayan home town, Ipoh.

He eventually had offices in Ipoh, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.

He did a large number of cinemas throughout Malaysia for the Shaw Brothers, a film production company which was the precursor to the Shaw Organization.

Iversen's early works are sometimes described as Art Deco, but after World War II, his buildings became increasingly modern, and he became one of Southeast Asia's most important modernists.

His works were an integral part economically and symbolically for the newly developed countries of Malaysia and Singapore.

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1906, Berthel Michael was the youngest of seven siblings in the Iversen family.

He was named after the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

He exhibited an artistic streak from a young age, and graduated from the Royal Academy in Copenhagen in architecture.

He relocated to Ipoh, Malaysia.

He was married and had two children, Ruth Iversen Rollitt (daughter) and Per Iversen (son).

His elder brother Werner Iversen had been a successful planter in Malaya since 1918, and convinced Berthel to relocate.

Young Iversen worked for Keys And Dowdeswell firm when he first landed Asia.

In 1928, Iversen came to Malaya (Malaysia) and started his career as an architect.

Originally the park was used as an entertainment space to raise money for the victims of the China 1931 flood.

It was then bought by Archibald Russel who leased the park to the Shaw Brothers, 30 April 1935.

In 1936, Iversen established his own firm with S.H van Sitteren in Ipoh- Iversen, van Sitteren & Partners.

Iversen was a member of the Building Association of Ipoh, in the state of Perak.

He was responsible for some of the famous modernist landmark buildings in Ipoh, including the Ipoh Race Course.

He designed a large number of cinemas for his hometown, including the Lido., Rex, Majestic (demolished), Ruby, Odeon and Cathay cinemas, many of which are still standing.

Also for the Shaw Brothers he designed Jubilee Park which was an outdoor entertainment centre and cinema.

The Mercantile Bank, Lam Looking Bazaar, Geological Survey Building, Ipoh Swimming Club, and MCA are some of his prominent projects in Ipoh.

Iversen and his firm did many private houses for wealthy clients throughout the Malay Peninsula.

His oeuvre includes numerous government buildings, hospitals, schools, cinemas, radio stations, and churches.

In 1950, Iversen won in a design competition for a post office saving bank in Malaya while he was recovering from a kidney operation; the prize was $5000.

This prominent building eventually became the Federal House, and it is today the Rumah Persekutuan.

15 architects took part in the competition and Iversen's entry placed first.

The final working drawings were completed at the end of 1951 and the foundation was completed in May 1952.

There was a change of plan when the Post Office Savings Bank would not be accommodated in this building and used entirely for Government Offices.

The main block remained unaltered but the two storey block was increased to be the same height as the main building and an additional storey was later added to accommodate Radio Malaya.

The reinforced concrete frame-work was designed so that all secondary beams and slabs are of uniform spam and size, thus reducing the cost of frame-work.

Federal House is one of the earliest building to use plastic as a building material.

The exterior of the solid panel is covered with green vitrolite with aluminium cover beads over the joints.

The upper part of the panel is filled in with 'Cooper' glass louvers, which forms a continuous window.

The delightful visual quality of the facade treatment was later compromised when the occupants painted the clear glass panels to reduce the sun glare and resultant heat gain.

Jubilee Park

Once called "Ipoh Amusement Park", Jubilee Park was owned by the Shaw Brothers.

In 1966, Iversen retired and left his firm to his son Per and his Chinese partners.

He died in Copenhagen in 1976, age 70.