On 14 Jun 2024, we held the fourth event of the project LEARNING FROM MANGUNWIJAYA with a lecture by Yuli Kusworo, Director of Arkom Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

An Indonesian priest, writer, political activist, and architect, Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya studied architecture at RWTH Aachen University in West Germany from 1960 to 1966, after which he returned to Indonesia. In his architectural projects, he sought to translate the universal principles of modernism into an authentic, indigenous expression. He can be seen as a forerunner in collaborative and sustainable architecture that responded specifically to the needs of the local environment.

Mangunwijaya received the Aga Khan Award in 1992 for his Kali Code River Redevelopment Project in Yogyakarta (1980–1985). In 1995, he was awarded the Ruth & Ralph Erskine Award in Sweden in recognition of his commitment to serving underprivileged sections of the population.

Significantly, Mangunwijaya’s architecture embodies his socially conscious approach; his architectural legacy is inseparable from his commitment to the common good. In his lecture, Yuli Kusworo, Director of Arkom Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, connected this approach to contemporary challenges and methods.

Moderation:
Johanita Anggia Rini, Ph.D., Universitas Islam Indonesia.

The lecture was part of the workshop programme hosted by the Department of Architecture, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta.