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

The first trip began with a flight from Singapore’s Changi Airport to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. There were arrangements made to rent a car in Jakarta and proceed with the approximately 3-hour long drive over 150 kilometres of tarmac to Bandung. The first interview was scheduled for 7 September with Architect Setyadi Ongkowidjaja. Ongkowidjaja was born and grew up in Bandung, he received his architectural education from the University of Manchester, UK and is now a director at architectural firm Atelier East AWP. The Singaporean architecture practice founded by Alfred Wong and Edward Wong is behind the design of the Singapore National Theatre which has been torn down, and the NUS Graduate Residence in University Town just to name a few.

Perhaps the most important contribution from Colonial architecture was its architectural technology. The materials and construction methods they imported were of the temperate and were drastically contrasting to local building materials. The colonial buildings however, adapted quickly and was cross-contaminated with the tropes of native equatorial architecture which was more suited to the tropical climate, with the incorporation of wider eaves as shade from the scorching sun and larger openings for natural ventilation.

Ongkowidjaja flies in and out of Singapore regularly as his family is based in Singapore. He agreed to meet in northern Bandung, area of Ciumbuleuit. at Bumi Sankuriang, formerly known as Hotel Concordia. It was club built by Dutch Architect Ab Gmelig Meyling for the European society for entertainment, recreation and where parties would be held by the Societeit Concordia. Their original building was located along Jalan Asia-Afrika before the Japanese occupation. After Indonesia’s declaration of independence, the building was claimed by the municipal government of West Java which forced the Dutch association to move their club to Ciumbuleuit.

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 Check-in at Harris Hotel & Convention Ciumbuleuit Bandung

14:00 Interview with David Bambang Soediono at his home

Dutch architects such as Thomas Karsten, C.P. Wolff Schoemaker, Henri Maclaine Pont, J. Gerber and Albert Aalbers were behind some of Bandung’s most important and iconic architectural landmarks that have been accepted and celebrated by locals as part of the city’s main identity. Most of which have been maintained immaculately, and remain under the ownership of the government. They endure functionality in regards to current-day programs that may not necessarily follow its predecessors. These buildings have been documented and studied by historians and architectural figures both native and foreign to Bandung.1 The afore mentioned Dutch architects have inspired new blood in receiving the baton of architectural production. The first precedent of Indonesia who led the nation into independence, Sukarno, was mentored by Schoemaker who taught at the Technische Hoogeschool Bandoeng, today known as the Institute of Technology, Band- ung (ITB). Sukarno assisted Schomaker in several projects such as the renovation of the Art Deco Hotel Preanger in 1929. He later went on to design several houses throughout Bandung.2 They remained close friends throughout the Japanese occupation and even during the Indonesian National Revolution, till Schoemaker’s death.

That following morning I met with Professor Heru Poerbo for an interview. Following the interview, after which he showed me around the East Wing built by Henri Maclaine Pont from 1918-1920. The buildings of the ITB embody the hybrid of both western technology and oriental design sensibility. Constructions of parabolic arches of glued laminated timber (glulam) with a span of 15m, which allowed the centre area of the hall to be free of columns, synthesized with traditional roof shapes referencing Bataks and Minangkabau from Sumatra made the building very modern in its architectural characteristics.1

During my interview with professor Poerbo, he expressed that the Dutch colonials planned to grow the economy with tea and quinine as the main cash crop. Factories were placed in close proximity with train stations for export transportation. The city was organised in a way that created zones for different uses, programmes and ethnic groups.

It is evident, from the information harvested, that the fabric of modern-day Bandung, has grown and is continuing to grow exponentially, so much so that the concerns of hasty urban redevelopment are considered old news. With the former Mayor of Bandung, Ridwan Kamil taking on the role of governor of West Java, he now has before him a different set of priorities. Even though he brought forth the rigor of aspirations for the city’s built environment during his term as mayor, it is undeniable that the rate at which Bandung is being stuffed, with the influx of population, cannot be matched by its policies that rarely follow through.

Apart from the city’s plethora of colonial architecture built mainly during the early twentieth century, Bandung is unique in terms of its setting. It is situated on a higher plateau compared to other major cities within West Java, Indonesia. The climate is marginally cooler, and according to Professor Heru Poerbo1 education was better implemented and named Higher education town because of this reason. Bandung was later developed as a technology based industry as well as the main creative industry of Indonesia. Today, the city, amongst its many contributions to the nation’s economy, is known particularly as the centre of fashion, with numerous textile manufacturing factories and outlets; and the arts including fine arts, music and culinary.

QR code to Documentary Trailer

“I’ve been living here for 20 years, and still my home is not complete. This my experimentation site when it comes to material, detailing and new construction methods”

- David Bambang Soediono

From the interview with David Bambang Soediono, he mentioned a number of architects that were influential to him and many others. Soejoedi Wirjoatmodjo, who studied architecture in Paris, the Netherlands and Germany before teaching at Technische Hoogeschool Bandoeng during the 1960s, are amongst Soediono’s biggest influences. During the interview he stated that he was lucky enough to have renovated Wirjoatmodjo’s only building in Bandung, a restaurant along Jalan Braga.

Slamet Wirasondjaja dubbed by Soediono as the legend of landscape architecture was the first Indonesian architect who graduated from Harvard University, as well as, Ahmad noe’man and the architects of Atelier 6 Architects were also brought up during the interview.

In the afternoon, I was invited to the home of architect David Bambang Soediono where the third interview for the research trip was held. He is an architect who specialises in the restoration of colonial buildings and is a member of the advisor team for the 2 different governmental bodies in Bandung – Public and High-rise buildings; and Heritage Buildings and Districts. He also teaches part-time as an adjunct professor at Parahyangan Catholic University, department of architecture, where received his architectural education in the past. His house was self-designed and built in the style of what he named ‘Indonesianized international style architecture’. The structure of the building was mainly load bearing walls assembled with 400x200mm concrete blocks with rebar inserted and filled cement. When I asked how long he has been living in this house, he said this, ‘I have been living here for 20 years, and still my home is not complete. This is my experimentation site when it comes to material, detailing and new construction methods.’

The living room is among the most basic units of architecture and nucleus for daily interaction and identity. Here I imagine and project the characteristics of the city of Bandung on the walls in the form of décor, reflecting on what I saw and experienced in Bandung. Rarely do we consider the specificity of these places, which simultaneously serve as refuge and site of preservation, of reproduction, of identity formation and representation.

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

2018, 035

This segment of the expedition was planned so that the entire day would be dedicated to observing, both through and lens and in first person, besides experiencing the atmosphere around Braga. This experience was led by a walking route that mainly aimed to cover and document as many colonial buildings in and around the Braga area. The walking route began at Bank Jabar Banten (BJB) at the intersection of Jalan Braga and Jalan Naripan. The former Denis bank was designed by Albert Aalbers in 1935 in the style of ocean-liner design revolutionised by Le Corbusier. The modernist building, despite its roots in Art Deco, is appropriate in its execution and response to climate with thick exterior walls that provided thermal mass and narrow streamline openings that minimised heat from penetrating the interiors, while allowing for sufficient air flow and ventilation.

About 100m south of BJB, at the intersection of Jalan Braga and Jalan Asia Afrika, stands one of the most iconic buildings in Bandung. The Gendung Merdeka hosted the first ever AsianAfrican conference. Before Sukarno renamed the building marking the pivotal point of the country’s new found independence.1 It was formerly known as Concordia Club renovated by C.P. Wolff Schoemaker in 1921 due to the lack of space in

1 http://asianafricanmuseum.org/en/gedung-merdeka-darimasa-ke-masa/ the building that precede its current form. The club was the centre of cultural activities during the rule of the Dutch East Indies. Lavish parties and event were organised and held frequently. The European modern building is decorated with Indonesian ornaments and adornments of stylised heads of the Makara2 at both ends of the pediment.

2 Lenin, Janaki. “My Husband and Other Animals - The Beast Within.” The Hindu, Accessed November 24, 2018. https://www.thehindu.com/ features/friday-review/history-and-culture/My-Husband-and-Other-Animals-mdash-The-beast-within/article15520956.ece

Less than 50 meters east of the Gedung Merdeka, along Jalan Asia Afrika, is Savoy Homann Hotel design by Dutch Architect Albert Aalbers in the distinct style of Art Deco. The building even though aesthetically temperate at first glance is actually an adaptation. The more obvious would be the balconies that form the façade of the building creating a buffer zone from typical tropical torrential storms and the sweltering heat of the equatorial sun.

Further along Jalan Asia Afrika is a building redesigned by Schoemaker with Sukarno as his apprentice It is a modernist Art Deco building that in many ways resemble a Hindu temple from its ornamentation to adornments.

The course then circulated back towards Jalan braga, which brought me to a colonial theatre named De Majestic designed by Schoemaker. The building is fronted by a rather intimate main entrance and has a single large auditorium space where movies and newsreels were screened.1 I then headed out of the city, up the mountains, North-east of Bandung – Caringin. I documented the city of Bandung from that high vantage point before the sun began the set.

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

Another building by Schoemaker which I documented was the Gedung Isola. It was a house originally built for the wealthy founder of the Aneta press-agency, Dominique Willem Berretty, in the Dutch East Indies. The combination of modernist aesthetics and functionality is a reoccurring theme in Scheomaker’s buildings.

According to Schoemaker, ‘the combination of strength and functionality in a single building already produce a certain beauty, as in an engineering work’. He also states that ‘the possibility of a grand design that impresses us is also an aesthetic factor that should not be underrated’.1

These ideals can be witnessed in this particular building, where the Art Deco form is contrasted with indigenous Javanese philosophy, with regards to its positioning and orientation on site. The eaves of the building extend out above the exterior openings of the façade. Today the building and its premises have been repurposed as the University of Education Indonesia, with the house now serving as the headmastership office.

Villa Isola, Plan. Source: Exsa, http://xarch87.blogspot.com/2011/05/ Bandung architectural expedition, 2018, 051

During my interview with Setyadi Ongkowidjaja, he spoke about the characteristics of the Gedung Sate – formerly built as the Department of Government Industries by the Dutch East Indies, is now a state owned public building that serves as a the seat of the governor of West Province of West Java.1 He revealed that the architect J.Gerber tried to blend traditional Javanese architecture with European architecture. The

1 Gedung Sate Museum, “Museum Gedung Sate Reservation.” Accessed November 23, 2018. http://www.museumgedungsate.org/ sejarah.

Javanese architecture tropes identified by the cascading roof form and the Chandi base reminiscent of temples in Bali and temples in Central Java respectively; and the columns of the building along the exterior façade as European.

The Dutch architects, through their experimentations of cross-contaminating architectural styles, gave rise and developed a new style of architecture that is unique in its modern approach and appropriateness to climate.

Just across the road from Gedung Sate are the Bandung International Conventional Centre (BLCC) and Pullman Hotel, which are both currently under construction and are in its final stages of completion. The team in the photo are representatives of Agung Podomoro Land and PT. Nasa Raya Cipta. Ardi the Site Engineer shared with me some of his experiences as a builder and how the local construction industry has been employing cutting edge technology no different from some the world’s major city’s but also how some traditional methods of construction are still used.

Nastiti from Agung Podomoro Land shared about the process of this particular project and how the biggest design inspiration is borrowed from the Gedung Sate.

What stood out to me most during my expedition was the exploration on foot through Jalan Braga and Kampong Braga, it was one of stark contrast. Walking along Jalan Braga, the formal, there are almost no signs of a hidden city beyond the rows of colonial fascia on each side the Parisian-esque thoroughfare except for a few puncturing alley ways that are doubled-up as Pasar-malams where the locals would grab their grub. The atmosphere along Jalan Braga is teeming with life, made vibrant from bars, cafes, furniture shops, art vendors and restaurants with Eiffel tower signages. The patrons, from all walks of life, made the atmosphere of the street comparable to touristic heritage sites similar to Kota Lama in Semarang, or Kampong Glam in Singapore. My first impressions were that it felt nothing like Indonesia but every bit like what I had imagined the Paris of Java to be. According to Wieland (1997), The Europeans who inhabited Braga during the late 1900s, demanded for a social life in a European atmosphere. That intention was definitely preserved in my opinion.

Within Kampong Braga, radiated an entirely different form of vibrancy, it was filled with the mischievous screams of children playing, distinct chatter between neighbours and the rumbling engines of motorcycles, all happening in the negative figure-ground of an organic, unplanned, unregulated, informal city. Every tight turn had its own distinct atmosphere orchestrated by characters that share the Kampong corridors. The collage of facades that seem to almost converge above me at certain parts of my walk embodied the unfiltered and uncensored identity of the dwellers. The narrow kampong alleyways belonging to the households adjacent to them felt intimate with a certain warm conviviality emitting from the almost suffocating fabric. The neighbouring hotel giants that peak through the cracks of the dense and help the Kampong dwellers I was meandering through a maze of a culturally and socially robust interface that is seen detrimental to the aspiring image of Bandung because of the lack of unregulated facilities, infrastructure and sanitation. The notion of slums and squatters is in general is uncompromising, in that it is disease-breeding, incredibly over-populated and detrimental to the city’s image. While there is truth in the living discomforts of slums, my corporeal experience of Kampong Braga strums the familiar, but sweeter tune of that song.

Bhumiputra - Son of the land

Kampong Braga and Jalan Braga is representative of the intersection of these 2 different yet unified worlds– vernacular Bandung and colonial Bandung. Kampong Braga consists of settlers from as early as 1826 as well as refugees who fled from all over West Java to seek solace during the Indonesian National Revolution. It lasted from Post-declaration of Independence to the early 1960s (page 18,

Wieland 1997). Jalan Braga is flanked with a blockade of colonial shophouses on each side, most of which were built during the mid-1900s and early 20th century. The development was to accommodate an influx of Europeans migrating to Bandung after its appointment as capital of Priangan – which is the mountainous region of West Java.

A Letter to Dr Tan Beng Khiang and Fung John Chye

Dear Beng Khiang and John,

At the start of my thesis, I came to know of the architecture studio you both led, titled ‘Bandung - Vertical Studio’ in the academic year of 2016/17. In your studio report, it was mentioned that the brief was to ‘...research, examine and investigate how densification can be achieved without the erasure of the natural community spiritness that is embodied in kampong settlements.’

During the course of my thesis, I have wrestled with conceiving a viable agency that would not only preserve the spirit of the kampong, but the actual place, the physical kampong. The organic settlement is rich in history, culture, and dare I say, embodies true Bandungese identity. Yes, it is unregulated, unsanitary for the most part and dingy to visitors, but could a redevelopment based off a tabula-rasa scheme, really retain and preserve the intricacies and complexities of an organically robust and vibrant community? Surely not.

I had to take the step back and question the very basis of the brief handed down by Ridwan Kamil, the mayor at the time. Informal areas take up huge parts of cities throughout Indonesia and are continuing to grow in size and numbers. Let us face it, policy makers and housing boards in Indonesia cannot keep up with the demands and influx of populace flooding in from rural outskirts, not even if the proposal is for a high density housing, which does not guarantee affordability nor the return of its locals.

We need to address the potentials and problems of parallel and juxtaposed modes of existence between the informal and formal. I suggest we start with small scale architecture, architecture that preserves rather than eradicates; coexist rather than intrude; add value rather than add to the skyline. Let Kampong Braga be.

Yours truly, Ulrich

A Brief History of Braga – Notable Periods

1825 – 1830: Sundanese house built along Braga which had developed into a street that was muddy in rainy season and dusty and dry in dry season.

1856: Bandung appointed as capital of Priangan. More permanent houses built to accommodate large number of Europeans who entered Bandung.

1874: Houses standing on a big site with large front, back, and side yards.

1879-1882: pronounced social life was demanded by the rich European tea-estate owners. In 1879 the “Society Concordia” (club for European expatriate) was founded, followed by the Braga Theatre Club on 18 June 1882. In the same year Karrenweg underwent improvement on the physical condition and was baptised in the new name of Bragaweg (Braga Street)

1925: Horse-keepers of the Post compagnie occupied the 3 Kampongs already situated in the 5.5Ha area as early as 1826 – Kampong Banceuy, Kampong Haji Affandi, Kampong Cibantar. The houses in the 3 Kampongs were traditional Sundanese wooden houses with uplifted floors.

1945: In November a flood killed hundreds of people in the kampongs during the Indonesian War of Independence. There were stories suggesting that the flood was a act of sabotage by the Dutch Colonial Army who suspected that there were Indonesian revolutionaries hiding in the Kampongs.

1950: Drastic increase in population due to the migration of refugees from all over West Java, since Bandung was considered to be the only safe place during the 50s through to the early 60s.

The 6 Mules

The 6 Mules I am proposing personify the offspring of architectural styles that are conflicting and contradictory. They each have their unique semblance and mannerisms imbued by their plot, neighbours and contextual relationship to the Kampong.

Some don irreducible pitched crowns alluding to the vernacular, while others nod to the acclimatized art-deco buildings which were conceived mostly between the 2 world wars.

These mules replace specific existing buildings along the fringe of the Kampong. They are bookmarked at intersections along Jalan Banceuy and become gateways which then manifest into urban characters and architectural personas.

It appears at the street level, peering out towards the main road, as if it occupies a single slice of plot with the width referenced from its neighbouring shophouses. The building is predominately cladded in screens of different motifs and roofs of varying heights and shapes. The snorkel is a viewing tower that faces the nearby alun alun. As you wander further, the plan opens up to reveal a much larger space. It directs circulation towards the middle of the building with 3 entwined spiral stairs that draws circulation up vertically before it fans views back out towards the kampung and the main street. The multi-directional; linear and intimate plan on the upper floors are an abstraction of the tight alleyways that give off the sense of discovery throughout the negative figure ground of the kampung. The mule with the snorkel is both a low and high rise; it dons flat and pitched roofs; and is an open plan as well as a labyrinth.

This mule sits on a corner plot with edges that are filleted and offset from the radius that forms part of the major road intersection. The scale of the building shifts, depending on the direction of approach. The seemingly art deco facade morphs into a plain extruded exterior, striped of ornament and wears a steep mono-pitched roof. The large windows facing north-west, light the large interior void, and allows for hot air to escape. The interior volumes are juxtaposed with compression and expansion as well as crude exposed glulam structure that is married with opulent gold anodized trimmings and carefully plastered scalloped ceiling.

The mule with the little huts

embodies the symbol of granularity of the kampong. The building is separated by a minor road and connected by a bridge. Its fragmented floor plan is 2 but 1. The motif of screened facade that wraps the interior spaces are abstracted from the roof scape of the kampong which materialize into actual huts at the top. This mule can be read as both granular and whole in symbol.

The mule with the split roof

Symmetrical from Jalan Bancuey yet asymmetrical when approached from within the kampong. It superficially obstructs, but under the fenestrated circle on the symmetrical facade, is a squeezy tunnel that leads in and out of the kampong like a gantry that only enables motorcycles through. The split floor plan merges into one on the upper floors where the perception of roof and wall; attic and floor becomes blurred. In between the split roof is a 2 way peephole visually connecting the formal and informal at the turn of a head. On the face of it, this mule is reductive in form, but embodies tension and paradox.

The mule leading into the mosque

This buikding works as a new frontage into the Masjid behind the formal perimeter. It is layered with multiple facades. A pedestrian entering from the side of the building along the timber cladded wall, would not be immediately aware of the protruding arched facade, and is led through a 5 foot way into a cavernous pitched volume. The main space is both a destination and a transitory space.

The mule with the motorcycle ramp

It is both a square and circular plan. It sits at the corner of a major intersection, with its radius sprung upwards to form a spiral ramp for motorcycles. It is supported by a clock tower with a broken clock, the time frozen at 9:49. The the ramp provides vertical excess to the multi-storey square plates which are held-up by stilts, appearing to lift the heavy cube of the ground. The multi-tiered pitched roof is borrowed from the prevailing shapes found throughout bandung.

An agency that asks more than it tells

There is duality and multiplicity of symbiotic existence between the formal and informal. The amalgamation of contrast and contradiction are demonstrated through the band of mulesmorphologically and symbolically. They embody tension and unity as a collective and at times put together a puzzle that asks more than it tells.

I would like to leave you with a quote from

Venturi, he said: “...equilibrium must be created out of opposites. Such inner peace as men gain must represent a tension among contradictions and uncertainties. . . . A feeling for paradox allows seemingly dissimilar things to exist side by side, their very incongruity suggesting a kind of truth.”

References

Books

Dullemen, C. J. van. Tropical Modernity: Life and Work of C.P. Wolff Schoemaker. Uitgeverij Boom/ SUN, 2010.

Jackson, Iain, et al. The Architecture of Edwin Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew: Twentieth Century Architecture, Pioneer Modernism and the Tropics. Ashgate, 2016.

Shastry, Vasuki. Resurgent Indonesia: from Crisis to Confidence. Straits Times Press, 2018.

Tan, Hock Beng. Tropical Architecture and Interiors: Tradition-Based Design of Indonesia, Malay sia, Singapore, Thailand. Page One Pub., 2001.

Venturi, Robert. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. Museum of Modern Art; Distrib uted by New York Graphic, 1977.

Wieland, Hendrik F. Braga: Revitalisation in an Urban Development. Parahyangan Catholic University, Dept. of Architecture, 1997.

Online

“Gedung Merdeka from Time to Time | Museum of the Asian-African Conference.” Museum of the AsianAfrican Conference, asianafricanmuseum.org/en/gedung-merdeka-dari-masa-kemasa/.

“Gedung Merdeka from Time to Time | Museum of the Asian-African Conference.” Museum of the Asian African Conference, asianafricanmuseum.org/en/gedung-merdeka-dari-masake-masa/.

Sate, Gedung. “Museum Gedung Sate Reservation.” Gedung Sate Museum, museumgedungsate.org/sejarah.