WORKING EXPERIENCE

After letting down two scholarships after his Sixth Form, Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar had to find a job

because his parents could not afford to pay universities fees and were baffled over Dato’ Ar.

Hajeedar’s decision without discussing with them. Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar went to work at an

accounting company named HRN Hanafiah Razlan. He lasted there only for two months. That

was when he realized he could not take accounting as a professional job. It was too easy for

him and he is the type of person who loves challenges. He continue to work at a labour office,

Telekom Malaysia HQ to support his daily life. Working there required him to compile statistics

of the telegram that comes in and out of Malaysia. This working environment makes him a very

precise and sensitive to every detail that is under his responsibility. While working in the

basement, observing the telegram goes in and out, his friend saw an advertisement wanting to

give out scholarship for naval architecture. His friend insisted Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar to apply for it.

Being determined in what he wants, he cancelled the word naval and was called for an

interview. The interviewers were shocked because Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar’s interest towards

architecture could not be changed. They awarded him a scholarship as they have faith in Dato’

Ar. Hajeedar’s future in the architecture field.

Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar stayed back in United Kingdom (UK) after finishing his Diploma in

Portsmouth to continue his practical training. He practiced in Brighton with a company named

M/S Rawlinson, Miles, Raynsford Chartered Architects. It was a small company which is a

bonus point for Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar as he could experience various workloads in a firm. Training

in the company made he learned about dealing with human needs and bonding with the

authorities. From what he had learned, his architecture will always reflect the human behavior in

a space. In his designs, all spaces should have a significant use to the users. For example, he

talked about his design for the Sultan Abdul Aziz Mosque in Petaling Jaya, where he did a

multipurpose hall, which could cater the women who is not “holy” and could not enter the

mosque area. Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar designs a building with the thought of every single user.

After completing his two years of practical, he got his professional registration with Royal

Institute of British Architect (RIBA). When he came back to serve Malaysia, he did some

restoration project in the city. Born in the 40’s, he valued the heritage importantly. He

considered our heritage as a measure of our achievements in the past. Growing up in a

kampong area, he still value the design layout of the kampong houses. He sometimes apply it to

his design. Some of the restoration projects were Industrial Courts, Infokraf Centre, while works

on conservation and re-adaptation were on the former colonial British Residence to a boutique

hotel Carcosa Seri Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

In 1973, he started working in Urban Development Authority (UDA) to serve the government. At

that time, UDA was just officiate by Tun Abdul Razak in 1971. UDA is known to plan the nation’s

urban development. Majoring in Urban Studies and Conservation, Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar sits

perfectly in the company. There were tough times when a client would not want to listen to his

advice. Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar is known for his critical decision. He said that he is being critical

because things can be improved. He had clients that wants an extraordinary building but being

Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar he is not that kind of person. He is the ‘budget controller’ for the client. He

tries to design a building that is enough for users to utilize the space without any unnecessary

extra costs.

In 1978, Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar opened his own firm called Hajeedar & Rakan-rakan which is

renamed into Hajeedar & Associates. He started alone and slowly hire staffs. Many of them

came to his office for training and later became a registered architect. From 22 staffs, he now

has only 5 staffs. He prefer to work in a small group so that he can work “his way”. In 1984, his

firm was the first firm to acquire Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) system. This led

Tun Dr.Mahathir Mohamed to come to his firm and checkout the system. Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar

was also among the first to export architecture out of Malaysia. The President of Maldives liked

the design of Masjid Abu Bakar As-Siddiq, Bangsar and asked Dato’ Ar. Hajeedar to design the

first mosque in Male, Maldives.The mosque design was simple but it reflects the form, function

and context of the surrounding.

All in all, Dato’ Ar. Haji Hajeedar’s works reflects his philosophy on designing a space based on

the usage. On these he applies his assessment on client intentions, limitations of budget, site

potentials mixed with the viability, sustainability and dynamism of architecture as a challenge

towards creating the expression of space and form. His experience has enabled him to expound

his philosophy into contemporary architectural education through his seminar papers and

‘pioneering’ efforts for conservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings in urban

environmental context especially in Kuala Lumpur. The look of the building might be a four-wall

form, but as long as the space is used the building will stand firm for a long time.

Working Experiences

Practical

Dealing with people/ authorities

Got use with peoples behavior

UDA

Restoration works and Urban Planning

Matured enough to open his firm

Hajeedar & Assoc.

Many practiced under him

Get to educate the younger generations