Foreigners leave no room for RI architects<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Foreign architects have dominated the design of
\nbuildings in the capital, leaving little scope for locals,
\nan executive of the Indonesian Architecture Scholars' Association
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Foreigners designed almost 90 percent of the skyscrapers in
\nthe city, the association's chairman, Prijono Maruto, said over
\nthe weekend.<\/p>\n
"They even handled two-story buildings," he said.<\/p>\n
Most of the foreigners' works could be seen in the prestigious
\nbusiness area of the city, including Jl. MH Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman
\nand Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Prijono said.<\/p>\n
"It's not a problem if they are already well noted in their
\nprofession," he said. "The problem here is if they're just
\namateurs."<\/p>\n
"If we let the existing situation continue, all local
\narchitects would be laid aside," Prijono said during a press
\nmeeting on the preparation of the group's upcoming congress on
\nNov. 11.<\/p>\n
According to Prijono, the goliath role of the nondomestic
\nbuilding designers in the city was due to the lenience of
\nIndonesian regulations on foreign architects.<\/p>\n
Most of the overseas architects designed the buildings from
\ntheir offices abroad without even coming to Indonesia, he said.<\/p>\n
They only assigned their local staff or assistants to sign and
\nbring the drawings to the city administration for approval, he
\nwas quoted by Antara as saying on Friday.<\/p>\n
"It's no wonder that some Indonesians are able to 'handle'
\nabout 300 projects in just one year," he said.<\/p>\n
Out of about 4,000 Indonesian architects, only 7 percent have
\nthe chance to design projects, he said.<\/p>\n
"The rest have chosen other professions, such as lecturers and
\njournalists."<\/p>\n
According to Erick Leimena, the head of the association's
\npersonnel compartment, the mushrooming number of foreign
\narchitects in Jakarta was partly due to the strict competition in
\ntheir homelands.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Indonesia's control over them was not as strict as
\nregulations imposed by other countries, such as Singapore and
\nIndia, Erick said.<\/p>\n
In Japan, for instance, foreign designers have to speak the
\nlocal language first before being permitted to handle projects,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Both Prijono and Erick, however, did not know the precise
\nnumber of foreign architects looking for money here. (bsr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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