The Dutch Settlement of Malacca

The ideas of the Flemish mathematician and military engineer Simon Stevin (1548-1620) had an influence on the design of the town and fort of Malacca. Stevin wrote treatises on the construction (design and planning) of towns and forts in the Netherlands. These treatises had an influence on the construction of settlements and forts of the VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie/Dutch East Indies Company) in Southeast Asia. This book will discuss forts and settlements in East Indies, Dutch India, Dutch Ceylon and of Malacca. Stevin developed a city design in which he had been influenced by ideas of an ideal town according to the principles of the Italian Renaissance: the application of arithmetic units and strict symmetry and Dutch engineering and fortification works from the 16th and 17th centuries. Also will be discussed whether the principles of arithmetic and symmetry were applied on the architecture of Dutch buildings in Malacca in particular on the design of the front facade. Included in this book are selected shop houses which have Dutch decorative characteristics. This analysis will be an aid to historians who are doing research on the settlements of the VOC in Southeast Asia.

Dr. Robert C.M. Weebers has completed a PhD with the Faculty of Built Environment in Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2012. His research was on the Influence of Simon Stevin (1548-1620) Principles on Dutch Towns and Buildings outside the Netherlands: Case Study of Melaka. He has published his research in articles for proceedings.