The Long Game
Indonesian architect Budiman Hendropurnomo of Denton Corker Marshall Jakarta is one of our revered INDE.Awards 2019 Luminaries. Here he reflects on his practice, the beauty (and pain) of being based in Indonesia, and experimenting on a large scale.
“You will not find anyone here if you come at nine sharp in the morning,” says Indonesian architect Budiman Hendropurnomo. “Here” refers to the Denton Corker Marshall (DCM) Jakarta office, better known locally as Duta Cermat Mandiri – a studio that Hendropurnomo set up and has been running since 1987. He shares that the 40-strong studio has had flexible working hours “for donkey's years” – about a decade. “It’s the traffic jams, and parents may need to drop off their kids at school. So as long as you clock in 40 hours a week, we’re good,” he says.
Born in Malang, East Java, Hendropurnomo is one of the most decorated and respected architects in Indonesia. He is responsible for many of the country’s celebrated architectural landmarks and award-winning hotels and resorts, all of which he completed under the DCM banner.
Hendropurnomo joined DCM Melbourne in 1981 right after graduating from Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne. In 1983 he relocated to Jakarta to lead DCM’s projects in the city. Four years later he was named the Director of the branch office, and the company was formally incorporated under the localised name Duta Cermat Mandiri.
Under his leadership, DCM Jakarta successfully navigated the turbulent industry waters caused by the 1997 Asian Financial
Crisis and emerged stronger and more prolific than any of the other international architectural practices in the country.
Today, Hendropurnomo’s name is synonymous with large-scale projects that have shaped the face and perception of Indonesia’s modern architecture.
There are elements of experimentation coupled with rigorous attention to detail in each of these large-scale projects. And at the heart of the experimentation is the search for sustainability and the desire to articulate Indonesian culture with architecture in a fresh way.
“I see each of them [large-scale projects] as a mini city or a village. Each must have an ecosystem that works. After you make sure it works, then you try to make it not boring,” he says. Hendropurnomo spends around 150 days of the year outside Jakarta for various projects. He has that reputation of the big boss that likes to spend his time on site. “It’s where the magic happens. And the beauty of being based in Indonesia is that everything can be made. We are rich in crafts and materials.”
Asked if everyone – his team, the builders and craftspeople – work better with him on site, he laughs. “Yes. Communication is critical.
We’re moving from a craft-based society toward an industrial society, but we’re not quite there yet. Standardisation may not be there yet, and modular products may not be so modular at all because they’re handmade. But that’s the beauty of it. These days you can design 100 different columns with machines, but we’ve been able to do that since ancient times,” he shares.
While DCM Jakarta’s forte is hospitality projects – and Hendropurnomo considers DCM Jakarta to be DCM Group’s think tank for hospitality – its commercial and educational portfolio has been shaping the face of modern Indonesian architecture. The late ’90s financial crisis left Jakarta with many unfinished large-scale structures. DCM Jakarta transformed five of these abandoned skeletons into distinct silhouettes in the city skyline, like the
UOB Plaza.
The Ministry of Trade Building at Jakarta’s bustling city centre rejuvenated the image of a government office with its public spaces when it was completed in 2008. Nearby, the 28-storey Allianz Tower (2011) provides a generous space on its ground floor to house the food vendors that previously (illegally) occupied its site. A little outside the city, the 18-storey UMN Campus (2017) received an IAI Award 2018 from the Indonesian Institute of Architects for its passive design. And in central Surabaya, the Esa Sampoerna Centre (2011) started a trend of green-skinned multi-storey car parks.
Shaped like a fountain pen, DCM Jakarta’s latest completed office tower Kompas Multimedia Tower (2018) features a double skin that references the media group client’s transition from print to digital media while significantly reducing the building’s energy consumption.
“I wish there could be more architects who dare to experiment on large-scale projects,” he shares of his hope for the future of the industry in Indonesia. That said, he admits that it takes years to develop the reputation and creative influence to do so.
“It’s a long game that requires stamina, and you cannot do it alone,” he says, giving credit to DCM’s founding partners, who have made DCM Jakarta what it is today. “A good way to start is by infusing more design management skills into design schools. These skills will complement the powerful tools that the millennials have today,” he suggests. dentoncorkermarshall.com
“I see each of them [large-scale projects] as a mini city or a village. Each must have an ecosystem that works. After you make sure it works, then you try to make it not boring."
Budiman Hendropurnomo