“It was only in Germany that I learned about the great concepts of architecture.”
Han Awal (1930–2016), Indonesian architect
Beginning in the 1950s, a number of young Indonesians went to study in West Germany, including architecture students. Motivated by factors such as limited educational opportunities at home, discrimination against ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, political tensions, and new political alliances, these students found new prospects in the young Federal Republic of Germany.
The Architecture Museum of the Technische Universität Berlin houses photographic documentation of the final diploma projects of nine Indonesian students who earned degrees in architecture (Diplom-Ingenieur Architektur, in Indonesian: Dipl. Ing. Arsitek) in 1960 and 1961. This collection serves as the starting point and inspiration for this project.
Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek. An Indonesian-German Architectural History highlights eight architects whose careers were shaped in Germany. In addition to Han Awal, Soejoedi Wirjoatmodjo, Herianto Sulindro, Jan Beng Oei, and Mustafa Pamuntjak, who studied at the Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), it also includes Bianpoen and Suwondo Bismo Sutedjo, who completed their studies at the Technische Hochschule in Hannover (TH Hannover) in 1961, and the priest Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya, who gained his architecture degree from the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH Aachen) in 1966.
After receiving their degrees, most of the graduates returned to Indonesia. At that time, shortly after gaining independence from the Netherlands, the country was seeking an architectural design language that would break decisively from its colonial past and embody a modern civil society through contemporary structures. During this dynamic period, many of these young architects quickly became influential voices in Indonesian architecture. They made significant contributions to the country’s architectural and aesthetic development, became engaged in architectural education, and laid the foundation for contemporary Indonesian architecture.
Through their work, they built on the promise of modernity, striving to promote harmony, social justice, and a distinct Indonesian identity with a well-designed environment. They looked to transcend regional circumstances and characteristics by incorporating international design principles, while evolving their own architectural language, informed over the years by shifting political contexts and architectural discourse.
This also applies to the graduates who did not return to Indonesia, represented in the exhibition by Jan Beng Oei, who made a new home in southern Germany and achieved success as an architect through numerous public competitions, and Herianto Sulindro, who worked in Hamburg before joining the city planning department in Zurich, Switzerland.
In Europe, this period of Indonesian architectural modernism remains largely unknown. In the region itself, however, local discourses have been evolving in recent years. These discussions involve re-framing modernism, which has long been viewed through a predominantly western-centric lens. The debate extends to whether these buildings should be preserved, not least in light of the planned relocation of Indonesia’s capital from Java to Borneo, which could render some of the structures designed by these architects obsolete. This discourse also acknowledges a forward-looking (tropical) modernism that continues to inspire new approaches to urban design.
Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: An Indonesian-German Architectural History contributes to the broader discussion of Southeast Asian modernism and enriches it by highlighting the academic and professional exchanges between Indonesia and Germany and tracing the work of outstanding Indonesian architects up to the 1990s. This is the first time that attention in Germany has been drawn to the achievements and concepts of these selected architects within the context of their German education. A closer examination of their final projects reveals the importance of both knowledge transfer and migration history in shaping this architectural dialogue.
Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: An Indonesian-German Architectural History aims not only to reconnect these architects and their works with the place where they completed their training, but also to highlight that their significant contributions to international architectural development remain underacknowledged in global, and particularly Western, discourse. This raises important questions: How can previously overlooked and marginalized architects be incorporated into global discussions? How might this reshape the role of architecture in society, both in Germany and Indonesia? What new discourses could emerge in both regions? And how does public debate influence the appreciation and treatment of their built work in its original context?
Launched in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the city partnership between Jakarta and Berlin, this project exemplifies mutual cultural appreciation and highlights the positive impact that can be achieved through academic and cultural exchange.
View the full programme here.
Initiators and artistic directors:
Sally Below, Moritz Henning, Eduard Kögel
Exhibition curators:
Avianti Armand, Sally Below, Moritz Henning, Eduard Kögel, Setiadi Sopandi
Supporting programme:
Sally Below, Moritz Henning, Eduard Kögel
Research team Indonesia:
Adelia Andani Djarot, Adetania Pramanik, Angeline Basuki, Anita Halim Lim, Avianti Armand, Bangkit Mandela, Febriyanti Suryaningsih, Fernisia Winnerdy, Gregorius Jasson, Hedista Rani Pranata, Setiap Gedung Punya Cerita, Jesslyn Amanda, Nadia Purwestri, Nadira Adiswari, Rifandi Nugroho, Setiadi Sopandi, Siti Arfah Annisa, Trisha Karina Lahu, Warda Lutfiah Roihana, Yasmin Tri Aryani
Video programme:
Lisabona Rahman, Harry Hariawan
Photography:
William Sutanto, Moritz Bernoully, Moritz Henning, Eduard Kögel
Photographic reproduction and imaging services:
Arti Fenestra Group, Jakarta
Visual identity, exhibition design, exhibition construction:
ConstructLab – Peter Zuiderwijk/The Hague, Alex Römer/Berlin, Jan Sticker/Basel
Production control of printed materials:
Heilmeyer und Sernau, Berlin
Exhibition production:
sbca, Berlin
Project management and communication:
sbca, Berlin
Thanks to:
Pusat Dokumentasi Arsitektur, Yori Antar Awal, Maria Daryati Awal, Daisy Gandasubrata, Maria Widyati Awal, PT Han Awal & Partners, Carla Bianpoen, Mirah Miryatta, Ranan Samanya, Maruto dan Cecilia Sutedjo, Endang Pamuntjak, Laksmi Pamuntjak, Sharmi Ranti, Santoso Soejoedi, Hadijanto Soejoedi, Arya Abieta, Eko Prawoto, Linda Hoemar, Linda Lochmann, Jan Beng Oei, Steffen Oei, Thomas Oei, Marc Oei, Birgit Steffan/Rumah Budaya Indonesia Berlin, Elias Baumgarten, Nadia Bendinelli, Universitätsarchiv Technische Universität Berlin, Yipei Lee, Sharo Liang
Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: An Indonesian-German Architectural History is supported by the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin.
Partners:
Museum Arsitektur Indonesia
Institut für Architektur (IfA), Technische Universität Berlin
Architekturmuseum der Technischen Universität Berlin