HYDRO-ENGINEERING.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Large archive of photographs recording the construction of the Batang Padang hydroelectric scheme in Malaysia. A collection of well-composed photographs likely assembled by one of the project's contractors and here arranged chronologically with expert captions. The albums cover the period from June 1964, when the scheme was in its infancy, to the end of 1967, when construction had mostly finished.Funded by a loan from the World Bank and involving international and domestic firms, the Batang Padang hydroelectric scheme was a major effort to meet the energy needs of the newly independent Malaysian federation. It involved the building of power stations, intakes, and two earthfill dams (Jor and Mahang) with clay cores. The site became operational in 1968.The archive opens with photographs that show the undeveloped site. The progression of images through the albums charts the building of access and spillway tunnels, surge shafts, intakes, bridges, and power-station infrastructure, as well as the taking-shape of the overall sites. The focus is not on the people involved but the machinery and construction techniques employed, the project's careful and steady progress, and the passing of important engineering milestones. The third album concludes with many photographs of the finished sites and the events held to mark the completion of the work.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.