Note: I wrote this in 2015 for a class assignment, and decided to repost it here because the content of this seminar has valuable points for Indonesian architectural discussion. Two of the notable architecture figures who spoke in this event, Achmad Noe’man and Sandi A. Siregar, are sadly no longer with us, and this post is dedicated to their memory. [Versi Bahasa Indonesia tersedia di akhir artikel.]
What makes good architecture? That is a question those in the architectural profession, be it in the realm of academics or in practise, seek to answer time after time. And as history tells us, the answer is hardly a simple set of principles that are universal and applicable over time; rather, they take the form of various approaches that are coloured by each person’s subjective understanding.
To understand where different preferences in approach are coming from, it is helpful to examine each of their zeitgeist: ideas that were influential at the time, events that had come to shape their social atmosphere, and what ideals were considered desirable to achieve at that time. Such are the matters brought to light in the seminar “Objectivity in Subjectivity” on February 21, 2015, which invited several generations of architecture professionals: those active at the time of its conception in Indonesia and their following generations.