Friedrich Silaban (16 December 1912 – 14 May 1984) was an
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
. His most well-known designs, such as the
Istiqlal Mosque and the
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium
Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium ( id, Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno; literally "Bung Karno Sports Arena Main Stadium"), formerly Senayan Main Stadium and Gelora Senayan Main Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located at the center of the Gel ...
in
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
, were commissioned during the presidency of
Sukarno
Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.
Sukarno was the leader of ...
. Silaban preferred
architectural modernism over traditional Indonesian styles.
Early life and education
Silaban was born on 16 December 1912 in the village of , today in
Samosir Regency
Resort in Ambarita, Samosir Regency
Batak Toba House in Simanindo, Samosir Regency
Tomok Market, Samosir Regency
Samosir Regency is a regency in North Sumatra. The regency covers an area of 1,444.25 square kilometres and it had a population o ...
, as the fifth child of a
Batak Protestant Christian Church pastor, Rev. Jonas Silaban. He completed his basic education in
Tapanuli, graduating in 1927 before moving to
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
to attend the ''Koningin Wilhelmina School'', where he studied building design and construction. He graduated from there in 1931.
Career
After graduating, Silaban began working under Dutch architect
J.H. Antonisse who had moved to Batavia in 1914, and between 1931 to 1937 Silaban worked on drawings for
public works
Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...
projects in Batavia. He was then reassigned to
Pontianak
Pontianak or Khuntien is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.31 km2 in the delta of the Kapuas River at a point where it is joined ...
, where in 1938 he designed the
Equator Monument. He was interned for several months following the
Japanese invasion in 1942, and during this period he met
Sukarno
Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.
Sukarno was the leader of ...
, and the two had discussions on architecture and the arts. During the
Indonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...
, Silaban remained a public works official based in
Bogor
Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.[Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...]
between 1949 and 1950. During his stint overseas, Silaban toured modern architecture including the
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
Locally nicknamed "'' ...
, the buildings of
Brasilia, and the
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...
.
Aside from his public works projects in Bogor, Silaban began working on national projects in the 1950s. He designed the gateway to the
Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery in 1953, and his designs for the headquarters of
Bank Indonesia
Bank Indonesia (BI) is the central bank of the Republic of Indonesia. It replaced in 1953 the Bank of Java ( nl, De Javasche Bank, DJB), which had been created in 1828 to serve the financial needs of the Dutch East Indies.
History
Bank of Ja ...
and the
Istiqlal Mosque were accepted around 1955. According to Silaban's son, in order to participate in the Istiqlal Mosque's design competition despite being a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
man, Silaban had to use a
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
in order for his submission to be acceptable. Other mosques designed by Silaban includes the
Al-Azhar Great Mosque
Al-Azhar Great Mosque ( id, Masjid Agung Al-Azhar) is a mosque located in Jalan Sisingamangaraja, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta. The mosque was constructed between 1953 and 1958. It was originally known simply as ''Mesjid Agung'' (Great Mosque). It wa ...
(the country's largest prior to Istiqlal) and another mosque in
Biak
Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and c ...
which was constructed following the Indonesian takeover of
Western New Guinea
Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, or Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea which is administered by Indonesia. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region ...
.
Silaban also took part in the
National Monument
A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure.
The term may also refer to a spec ...
design competition. While his first submission in 1955 was the highest ranked by the jury, it was not accepted and won second place while the first place went vacant. After a second attempt failed, Sukarno offered Silaban and another architect, Soedarsono, the opportunity to lead the project in 1961, but Silaban refused, preferring to work on the project alone. Soedarsono was eventually commissioned to design the monument. In 1959, Silaban co-founded the in 1959 along with Mohammad Susilo and
Liem Bwan Tjie Liem Bwan Tjie (6 September 1891 – 28 July 1966) was a prominent architect, and a pioneering figure of modern Indonesian architecture. He belonged to the first generation of professionally trained Indonesian architects.
Early life and educati ...
.
After the
fall of Sukarno, Silaban had less success as an architect, since he was strongly associated with the former president. His career situation was worsened by the poor economic conditions, forcing him to rely on his pension to support his ten children. He did receive some work in the late 1970s and early 1980s, designing a number of private residences and a university building in
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...
. Silaban's health worsened in 1983, and he died at the
Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital
Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital ( id, Rumah Sakit Pusat Angkatan Darat Gatot Soebroto, Gatot Soebroto Army Central Hospital; abbreviated as RSPAD Gatot Soebroto) is a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. The name of the hospital is derived from Gatot Soeb ...
in Jakarta on 14 May 1984.
Style
In his high-profile projects, Silaban preferred clean designs which lacked the ornamentation traditionally found in Indonesian architecture. He wanted to avoid elements which correspond to a specific culture in Indonesia, arguing that an authentically-Indonesian architectural style did not need to imitate traditional forms.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Silaban, Friedrich
1912 births
1984 deaths
20th-century Indonesian architects
People from North Sumatra
Indonesian civil servants
Batak people
Indonesian Christians
Indonesian Protestants
Indonesian Lutherans