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."