THE SIX MULES

“Ambiguity and tension are everywhere in an architecture of complexity and contradiction. Architecture is form and substance-abstract and concrete-and its meaning derives from its interior characteristics and its particular context.” - Robert

Venturi

Department of Architecture

National University of Singapore

Studio Associate Professor Erik G L’Heureux

Vice Dean & BA. Arch Program Director

All photographs and drawings are produced by the author unless otherwise stated. Copywrite © 2018 Ulrich Chia. All rights reserved.

Master Thesis Research

Atmosphere & Agency

Hot, Wet & Sticky Studio

Student Number: A0173916X

Year: 2018/19

Thesis Statement

My thesis is concerned with the extraction and abstraction of orthodoxy through allusion and sampling of persistent architecture in Bandung. It juxtaposes symbols, weirdness and memory of place with the underlying motive of preserving the informal settlement, Kampong Braga.

My proposal positions itself as a resistance to developmental ambitions of the previous mayor which include plans for large scale redevelopment and erasure of the settlement’s fabric.

My agency sets up a series of urban bookmarks along its perimeter which reinforces and allows the kampong to develop on its own terms. The insertions are an expansion of architectural language situated in the cultural context of Bandung.

The Paris of Java

There are many architectural phenomena that give rise to hybridity in the built environment. Contrasting and strange hybrids are a result of cross-contamination in architectural styles between the East and the West; the temperate and the tropical; the old and the new.

I was interested in Bandung mainly because of its rich history of such a phenomenon. It became known, in the 1930s as an architectural laboratory, owed to the many Dutch architects who experimented with what was considered exploratory architectural projects, a mash-up of sorts.

The capital of Indonesia’s West Java Province was dubbed the Paris of Java appropriated by the Dutch colonials who gave rise to the Tropical Dutch Colonial architectural style, which is a combination of modern design with classical and vernacular tropes from both Europe and Asia. The city of Bandung is approximately 150km from Jakarta and is situated in a river basin, surrounded by topographical peaks.

There were plans to move the capital of the Dutch East Indies, Batavia - now Jakarta - to Bandung where the hills supposedly provided natural defence for the city, and has a cooler climate because of its elevation. Bandung is the 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia only accessible by land and air, with an urban populace of approximately 3.1 million people, of which majority are Muslim.1 The significance of Bandung in the constellation of architectural modernisation of Indonesia through colonialism and onward into independence is that, within this urban environment, a series of influential characters along with their oeuvres emerged. It therefore, brought forth different architectural traits crucial to the evolution of contemporary architecture in Bandung.

1 http://www.citypopulation.de/php/indonesia-jawa-admin.php

Expedition

I felt it was important for me, as part of my thesis research, to understand the ground conditions of which the city is built upon. To be on foot, on a Grab taxi or a Go-jek motorcycle, experiencing the city’s atmosphere first hand. The framework of my research examines the duality of the city - the colonial and the local; the formal and the informal, to contribute to the discourse of absolute certainty, very beginnings and radical departures.

I went on 2 research trips to the city of Bandung, the first was from 7 September 2018 to 11 September 2018 and following that was a 3-day trip from 29 October 2018 to 31 October 2018. Despite the short spend of my travels, it was an adequate duration for me to gather sufficient information required to base my thesis on.

Interviews

During my research expedition, I interviewed key Indonesian architectural figures such as, the King of asian architectural heritage, Johannes Widodo; colonial architecture enthusiast, architect David Bambang Soediono; and Bandung starchitect, Mr Setyadi Ongkowidjaja just to name a few. They shared insights and opinions on the intricacies of the city’s built environment that stretch between the early 20th century and present-day.

Documentary

My thesis research is compiled into a full-length documentary film driven by an investigative and observational approach that is composed of interviews; visits to the oeuvres of Dutch colonial architects such as Schoemaker, Maclaine Pont and Gerber; as well as site walks, in and around my site of interest - Kampong Braga.

The equipment I used for the film includes a Canon 600D mounted with a Canon EF-S 18–135mm lens is a standard to short telephoto telezoom as my main lens for wide angle angle architectural shots and a Nikon AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4D lens for B-roll footages especially of close-ups and people.

As a tripod and stabilizer I am using Sirui T004KX Black Travel Kit, portable and appropriate for observational documentaries.

As far as editing goes, everything is post-processed on Adobe Premiere Pro before exporting.

day 00 - fri 07 sep

09:00 Drive from Jakarta to Bandung

13:30 Check-in at Bumi Sangkuriang

14:30 Lunch at Warung Ayam Gebuk near Parahyangan Catholic University

17:00 Interview with Setyadi Ongwidjaja - Atelier East, AWP

20:00 Dinner at Warung Nasi Ampera Trunojoyo

day 01 - sat 08 sep

08:00 Breakfast at Bumi Sankuriang

08:30 Check-out from Bumi Sangkuriang

09:15 Institute of Technology, Bandung

09:30 Interview with Dr Heru Poerbo

12:00 Chveck-in at Harris Hotel & Convention Ciumbuleuit Bandung

14:00 Interview with David Bambang Soediono at his home

19:00 Dinner at Warung Ayam Penyet Ibu Tris, Jalan Braga

day 02 - sun 09 sep

10:00 Breakfast at Waroeng Nasi “Neng Ena”, Jalan Braga

11:00 Bank BJB building, former Denis Bank Building

12:00 Gendung Merdeka, former Club Concordia

13:00 Grand Savoy Homann Hotel

14:00 Prama Grand Preanger Hotel

14:30 Environment Agency of West Java

15:00 De Majestic

17:30 Sunset shoot in Caringin

19:00 Dinner at Kitchen Caringin Tilu

day 03 - mon 10 sep

10:00 Check-out from Harris Hotel & Convention Ciumbuleuit Bandung

11:00 Gedung Isola

12:00 Gedung Sate

13:00 Pullman Hotel Construction Site

13:30 Interview with Ardi and Nastiti

16:00 Gereja Katedral Santo Petrus, Bandung

day 04 - tues 11 sep

09:00 Jalan Braga

10:00 Kampong Braga

12:00 Lunch at Boemi Joglo Dago Pakar

14:00 Drive from Bandung to Jakarta