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Architecture An Architectural Culture for the People
Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya, more popularly known as Romo (Father) Mangun, died 10 years ago. An architect alumni of the Bandung Institute of Technology, Erwinthon P. Napitupulu, has recently traced and documented Mangunwijaya’s architectural achievements in a book which will be published before the end of this year. It will describe in detail for the public the architectural style of Romo Mangun who last May 6—had he lived—would have been exactly 80 years old.
WHEN he first read the news of Romo Mangun’s death on the Internet, Erwinthon Parulian Napitupulu began to cry. At the time Erwin was a lecturer in architecture and Head of the Computer Lab at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and had never met Romo Mangun before. Nevertheless, he immediately left for Jogjakarta to attend his funeral. The body of this pastor and architect who had passed away on 10 February 1999 was laid out for the public to pay their respects at the Kidul Loji Church.
There Erwin met Romo Sandyawan Sumardi. Together they discussed the architectural works of Romo Mangun. Romo Sandi advised Erwin to meet Romo Martin who later introduced him to Romo Mangun’s assistant, Dini. She then took him to see 15 of Romo Mangun’s architectural creations—at that time Erwin was only familiar with four of Romo Mangun’s works. This all happened 10 years ago.
Erwin says that when he spent the night after the funeral at Romo Mangun’s home, Wisma Kuerta in Jogjakarta, it was as though he were possessed, an experience which increased his determination to further study Romo Mangun’s other architectural works. There was at the time very little information available about them.
As a result of his perseverance Erwin discovered 82 other Romo Mangun creations. He also noted more than a thousand stylistic details specific to Romo Mangun. For example the shape of the sun on a ceramic tile, the picture of two fish and five loaves of bread scratched on some cement. ”There is still the likelihood of my finding more because his creations not only encompassed peoples’ homes, big buildings and churches but also mosques,” said Erwin.
Erwin also has many stories about Romo Mangun who used to do his architectural projects almost without any drawings at all. He used to only have one or two pieces of paper full of his scribblings in the unusual language that he liked to use. Mangunwijaya’s architectural designs resembled more instructions for the construction force. He often did the work of a laborer by way of example, to show how something should be carried out. People say that Romo Mnagun’s hands were rough like a workman’s hands.
All of which merely served to intrigue Erwin even more. He gathered the courage to leave his work as a lecturer at ITB in order to be able to continue to document Romo Mangun’s architectural creations. He has traveled countless times between Bandung and Jogjakarta for this purpose. He himself measured Romo Mangun‘s buildings because there are no proper architectural drawings of them. He was once left confused and frustrated when he tried to draw a plan of the house in Kuwera. “The architecture of Romo Mangun for this house is extraordinarily complicated. I simply cannot understand it,” he cried.
The documentation of various notes, photographs and architectural creations has now been computerized. Erwin says that he was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to go through a cupboard—never opened by anyone else—containing various notes and drawings made by Romo Mangun. In all, the data collected by him fills 1,600 pages. He says that he has finished computerizing about 80 percent of it.
As a result of his persistance, Erwin received a special award from the Indonesian Architects Assocition (IAI) for Best Architectural Documentation of 2002. Dozens of students interested in Romo Mangun’s work use Erwin as a source of information. He is also frequently a speaker at the many discussions held to commemorate 80 years of the birth of Romo Mangun as well as the 10th anniversary of the passing away of this great architect. One of these commemorations was held at the Goethehaus in Jakarta, two weeks.
Mangunwijaya was a pastor born in Ambarawa, Central Java on May 6, 1929 who has been at rest with God since February 10, 1999. He succeeded in becoming one of Indonesia’s most renowned architects, according to a simple survey conducted by Erwin among new architecture students. When the students are asked to mention 10 Indonesian architects, Romo Mangun’s name always comes out in first place, even above F. Silaban, the architect of the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Jakakrta. The houses of the poor along the banks of the Code River are Mangunwijaya’s most memorable architectural work. These creations were awarded the prestigious international architectural award, the Agha Khan Award, in 1992. His name was an international topic of discussion in the 1980s. Romo Mangun with his students and the surrounding community changed the settlement along the river from what it was then: a filthy and bedraggled place, into a clean, tidy and aesthetically pleasing area. The cardboard hovels of migrants became storied apartments of woven bamboo painted in various colors in line with the bamboo weaving. According to the senior architect and conservationist Han Awal, Romo Mangun’s work was very progressive. “It seemed like a contradiction because although these dwellings were located along the sides of a filthy river, his dwellings were able to fulfill the needs of urban Indonesian life,” commented Han. According to him, Romo showed that traditions need not be only a place in which to exist but must also be able to predict the future. Romo Mangun used two methods, namely an intuitive approach as well as the so-called “transparent reality approach”. The rational transparent method can be seen in his work with the Code River settlement. Romo Mangun involved the community in its creation, from its conceptualization till its final realization. “As an example, Romo Mangun simply showed them how to paint. Then with the help of his assistant they painted their own buildings. This created a feeling of pride and ownership in the inhabitants which in turn fulfilled Romo Mangun’s desire to enhance their dignity as human beings,” said Han Awal who was himself the recipient of the Professor A.A. Teeuw Award in 2007. Another specific characteristic of Mangunwijaya’s work along the Code River, as well as elsewhere, is his use of materials found at the venue, even old disused goods. Han Awal remembers how when he found a reinforced concrete drainage pipe, Romo Mangun immediately cried out, “Look, we can use this as a support.” Then all the pipes were filled with metal and reinforced cement and became pillars to hold up the pendopo (Javanese meeting hall, usually with no walls) which functions as a meeting place for the community along the river but does not block the flow of the water. Unfortunately, the Code River area is no longer as lovely as it used to be. From the bridge the dwellings no longer look special. They are no longer tidy and look worn-out like the other dwellings along the river. Their bamboo windows are slanting crookedly and disintegrating. The paint on them is no longer shiny and new but looks as though it had not seen a paintbrush for a long time. Exploring the complex of bamboo buildings it is apparent that a large number of the trunks of palm trees used as lower beams to support the walls have started to crumble. The zinc guttering is full of holes, metal T-joints are rusting as a result of the rain and the heat of the sun. It is as though the happiness and the beauty of the Code bamboo settlement have all gone. Nevertheless, according to Han Awal, Romo Mangun’s architectural creations stand out as the exceptions of his time. At the time many Indonesian architects were deeply influenced by modern Western architects like Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier. “Romo Mangun was different,” says Han. Although if we look at his education where after finishing three years at ITB he continued at the Rhineland-Westphalian Institute of Technology in Aachen, Germany, Mangunwijaya should have been following the mainstream in architecture In fact according to Han, Romo Mangun buildings were always made with an eye to the conditions of the community for which they were made. For example, when he built a church in Cilincing, North Jakarta, Romo Mangun wanted it to be in the Betawi (traditional Jakarta) style with a slightly slanted roof. Nevertheless its interior was modern with four pillars supporting vaulted ceilings as Romo had seen in the West. “He was influenced by Felix Schmidt, the German architect specializing in ship design,” said Han who helped Romo Mangun during the project. In the beginning it was not easy for Han and Mangunwijaya to marry the two architectural concepts. According to Han it was somewhat difficult in the first place to formulate a Betawi style of architecture. There is nothing specific in the Betawi style which is a combination of colonial architecture as well as that of various other cultures. “So we decided to use a modern style but with specific motifs,” he explained. Romo Mangun’s desire to create dwellings for the poor is indisputable. His intentions were clear. During his time, there were a few other such architects. In Surabaya there was Johan Silas. This professor who helped establish the Technical and Architectural Department at the November 10 Institute of Technology, also known as ITS, in Surabaya was one of the people who helped create the Kampong Improvement Program (KIP). In Bandung there was the late Hasan Poerbo, a professor of the Technology & Architecture Department at ITB who was also known as a ‘peoples’ architecture’ proponent and was always concerned with the human aspect of each building. Traces of ‘peoples’ architecture’ can also be seen in the works of Professor Eko Budihardjo, Rector of Diponegoro University in Semarang. According to Eko, when we study art we return to the ways of our ancestors. “From our ancestors we can learn wise ways of building strong and economical buildings,” says Eko. He is on the Board of Advisors for City Planning of the town of Semarang. “Our society actually has the capability of building better, more cost-effective and simpler houses,” he says. However, there are also criticisms of Mangunwijaya. He was extremely intuitive and never followed any of the standard rules of architecture. “He would dismantle something traditional which was in actual fact already perfect simply because he wanted to introduce new elements into it,” said Han Awal. Also according to Han, Romo Mangun was known to be authoritarian and to have a temper. About this Erwinthon joked, “Good thing I never met him in real life!” |
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