Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: An Indonesian-German Architectural History

In the late 1950s, several young Indonesians went to study in West Germany, including architecture students. Most of them attended the Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), while others studied at the technical universities in Hanover and Aachen. Motivated by factors such as limited educational opportunities at home, discrimination against ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, political tensions, and new political alliances, these students found new prospects in the young Federal Republic of Germany.

After completing their studies, the majority returned to their native Indonesia and quickly became key figures during this dynamic period of the country’s history. Around a third of the graduates remained in Europe, where they embarked on successful architectural careers in Germany and Switzerland.

Drawing from the diploma theses of the Berlin graduates, archived at the TU Berlin Architecture Museum, Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: An Indonesian-German Architectural History provides insight into this little-known aspect of German-Indonesian relations, for the first time in Germany.

In Europe, this period of Indonesian architectural modernism remains largely unknown. In the region itself, however, local discourses have been evolving in recent years. These discussions involve re-framing modernism, which has long been viewed through a predominantly western-centric lens. The debate extends to whether these buildings should be preserved, not least in light of the relocation of Indonesia’s capital from Java to Borneo, which could render some of the structures designed by these architects obsolete. This discourse also acknowledges a forward-looking (tropical) modernism that continues to inspire new approaches to urban design.

An exhibition and a workshop programme contribute to the broader discussion of Southeast Asian modernism and enriches it by highlighting the academic and professional exchanges between Indonesia and Germany and tracing the work of outstanding Indonesian architects up to the 1990s. The project aims not only to reconnect these architects and their works with the place where they completed their training, but also to highlight that their significant contributions to international architectural development remain underacknowledged in global, and particularly Western, discourse. This raises important questions: How can previously overlooked and marginalized architects be incorporated into global discussions? How might this reshape the role of architecture in society, both in Germany and Indonesia? And how does public debate influence the appreciation and treatment of their built work in its original context?