A house more than a place to live for Ciputra
A house more than a place to live for Ciputra
Text by T. Sima Gunawan, photos by Arief Hidajat
JAKARTA (JP): The closer you are to Ciputra's house, the less of the city's hustle-bustle you hear. As you step into his yard, you forget you're in Jakarta.
The elegant house is situated in a peaceful neighborhood of an elite housing estate in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta.
Finding the place is easy.
"Turn left and go ahead. When you see big rocks in front of a house on the left side of the road, yeah, there it is," a security guard in the area adeptly explained.
Of course the guard knows exactly where Ciputra lives, because Ciputra developed Pondok Indah along with the Metropolitan Group.
Ciputra, the leader of Indonesia's property business, established Metropolitan Group in 1970 and ten years later he set up Ciputra Group. Long before that, in 1961, he formed PT Pembangunan Jaya along with the city administration.
His first project, the Senen shopping center, was finished in 1965, while the Pondok Indah housing development started early in the 1970s. His other projects included Ancol Fantasy Land, the Bintaro Jaya housing estate, the Bumi Serpong Damai housing estate, the Pantai Mutiara marine housing estate, the Atrium and Senen Triangle shopping center, the Pantai Indah Kapuk housing estate, the Citra Garden housing estate, the CitraLand Mall and Hotel, the Citra Golden Triangle and the CitraGrand City. He also has two projects outside the city: CitraLand Semarang and CitraLand Surabaya.
Ciputra's own house is 1,000 square-meters and is located on 5,000 square-meters of land.
There is no security guard lazing at the main entrance of the unfenced expanse of green yard dotted with big trees and various plants. Japanese landscape lights and huge Chinese jars, including a 500-year-old antique, welcome you instead. A life- size bronze Dayak tribesman statue, entitled Menjangkau Langit (Reaching the Sky), symbolizes Ciputra's endless spirit to keep moving forward in the property business. The statue, erected last year, was designed by Ciputra himself.
A number of big rocks are scattered along the way to the main building, which is tucked in behind a small landscaped hill.
"I put this rock about a meter away from the edge (of the hill), but it suddenly rolled down here. It wanted to be there naturally, so I let it stay," Ciputra said, pointing to the recalcitrant rock.
A hallway leads to the front door, with several statues of elephants standing guard. Fine furniture sits in front of the door under a dragon carving on the wall. The carving was made from the root of a rambutan tree by Kanton, the grandson of the Balinese carving master Cokot. A sculpture of an eagle with large claws watches the incoming guests, but the real security system is the blinking TV monitor.
On the other side of the door is a gracious painting by Sunaryo hanging beside one by Rudolf Bonnet. But Ciputra's favorite painter is Hendra Gunawan.
"I have about 100 of Hendra's paintings," he said.
Ciputra has 150 paintings, including works by Affandi, Dede Eri Supria and Arie Smit. Dozens of Hendra's paintings cover the specious dining room ceiling.
"I am having those paintings copied," Ciputra said. He will hang them on ceiling, and store the originals in a temperature controlled room to preserve the precious works of art.
On one side of the large dining room is a nice open area with a fish pond and a waterfall. Redish goldfish and koi fish with red, white and black spots swim graciously in the pond. There is also an arwana fish in a big aquarium. Arwana and koi are believed to bring luck to the owners, but Ciputra said this was not the main reason he kept them.
"They bring peace," he said, adding they also look nice.
Ciputra, who graduated from the Bandung Institute of Technology in 1961, said he selectively applied Feng shui, the Chinese art on the arrangement of buildings, when designing his house. He didn't apply it for the measurement of the building materials, but did look to Feng shui when locating the doors. Even though he doesn't seem to really believe in the ancient principle, Ciputra said he applied it because he had nothing to lose.
Ciputra's favorite part of the house is the marble-tiled back patio where he receives his guests. A huge painting by Hendra (who else?) hangs on the wall. Gorgeous Chinese pots line the patio while a few huge rocks stoutly stand nearby. Thousands of pebbles were scattered to enhance the beauty of the garden. The patio is supported by strong square pillars with turtle carvings for bases.
Next to the neatly trimmed yard, is a golf course and you can see the top of the Pondok Indah Mall tower in the distance.
Ciputra and his wife Dian Sumeler have two daughters, Rina and Yunita, and twin sons, Candra and Cakra.
"Three of our four children live with us," he said.
Two of the those living in the house are married and have three children.
"An ideal house is a house which brings happiness to the dwellers. This is fundamental," Ciputra asserted.
The house must also be comfortable, healthy and safe as well as having aesthetical value and good architecture.
For Ciputra, a house is more than a building to live and eat in, it is also a place for children to be born.
"Our three grandchildren were born here," he explained.
Another important factor is that a house should allow the occupants to develop their hobbies, he added.
"I have dreamed about this house since I graduated from school in 1961. It took 22 years until I owned my ideal home."