Rebuilding Ruins: PT Pembangunan Kota Tua
Most of Jakarta will be made of completely new developments as well as expanding suburbs, however look to the North as well as you’ll find Kota Tua, or ‘Old Town’, which was where the original city of Batavia began hundreds of years ago. Until recently, little or no work had been done to restore the old buildings in This particular area, as well as many were left in ruins. In 2013, PT Pembangunan Kota Tua was launched by a consortium of eight companies as well as began restoration works, so far having renovated the Fatahillah Museum as well as Post Office. Local media have reported in which Governor Ahok will be disgruntled with the work achieved thus far, with only two buildings having been restored.
We meet Luki Santoso, the Site Manager of PT Pembangunan Kota Tua in charge of reconstruction projects taking place to turn Kota Tua into a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to find out the difficulties they face, as well as when the scheduled plans for completion of the Tjipta Niaga building will be.
Luki Santoso (right) with one of his architects.
Pak Luki, how did you get involved in This particular career path?
I’m quite a recent addition to PT Pembangunan Kota Tua, having joined the team as Site Manager in November. I’m currently in charge of all the construction phases of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kota Tua in North Jakarta.
Can you share a little bit about Kota Tua’s history with us?
I am not the best historian, nevertheless I will try! Kota Tua was the first town in which was built by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) when Jan Pieterszoon Coen was the Governor General. In 1619, the Dutch were able to regain control of the town which had been taken over by the English temporarily when they were away on an expedition, nevertheless a fire had ruined much of the city. Coen rebuilt the fort as well as the city, as well as in 1621 he renamed the city Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies.
PT Pembangunan Kota Tua was launched in late 2013 by a consortium of eight companies. Can you share with us who the founders are as well as what the shared vision will be?
Those are Jababeka, Intiland, Agung Pomodoro Land, PT Pembangunan Jaya, Plaza Indonesia, Mr. Setyo Dharmono (SDD), as well as Mr. Lin Chi Wei (LCW). Kota Tua as a tourism destination will be united with the buffer area of Pulau Seribu (the Thousand Islands), which means having a business district as well as tourism destination will be achieved. The vision will be to create history as the soul of the city.
The original plans coming from 2013 were to revitalize Museum Fatahillah, as well as make the Fatahillah post office a visitor centre as well as a museum of contemporary art. Have these plans been achieved?
I’m happy to say these plans have been achieved. When I was first engaged in Museum Fatahillah as well as Fatahillah Post office, the contemporary art museum was already in operation.
Renovation taking place inside the Tjipta Niaga building
What specific project are you the manager of right today?
We’re currently working on the restoration of the Tjipta Niaga block, the building next to the Batavia Cafe, which was built in 1912 as well as was originally an insurance office by the name of Koloniale Zee en Brand Assurantie. I am in charge of implementing the construction planning as well as cooperating with the contractor as well as consultant as the part of construction management team.
What does the job of Site Manager entail?
To make sure in which all the construction phases run on schedule! I also have to look after cost controlling as well as cooperating with the Project manager as well as Project Director.
What challenges do you face with old buildings in Jakarta?
We face all kinds of challenges. For instance the construction methods, research, as well as trying to think like the original architects of the buildings who lived hundreds of years ago.
What technical skills must one possess in order to restore buildings hundreds of years in age?
We have to enough ‘flight hours’ behind us. Skills as well as experience required to pull off a revitalization project of This particular nature includes architectural as well as structural experience, chemical material support, as well as mechanical – electrical tool as well as equipment knowledge. We also have to have an understanding of history, city planning, laws, government policy, budgets, as well as, of course, health as well as safety at work. This particular will be truly important for the safety of all of our workers.
Why do you believe preserving the city’s history will be so important?
We have a slogan: history will be always inside the doing. I believe a town without history will be one without a soul.
What difficulties do local residents face with your revitalization project?
Sometimes This particular can take many years for results to come. Everyone has their own expectations nevertheless once finished, the old town will foster a great community for many generations to come. People only want the best environment for their sons, daughters, parents or grandparents to live in, to achieve a not bad quality of life. We work hard to socialize the developments to the local community in order in which they understand our plans as well as how they will be benefited inside the future.
Renovation works taking place on the facade of the Tjipta Niaga building in Kota Tua
When will be your target due date for the revitalization project?
The block in which I’m working on, which will be called Tjipta Niaga, will be scheduled for completion at the end of This particular year or the latest in 2017. The building to be restored next will be the G. Kolff & Co. Building, which was once a publishing house as well as the first book store in old Batavia.
coming from a business perspective, what investment opportunities are there in Kota Tua as well as why would likely you invite potential investors to look at This particular area in more detail?
This particular area has the potential to be a wonderful heritage site. This particular connects Kota Tua as a national tourism destination as well as a world heritage site. Potential businesses could be restaurants, cafes, offices, travel agents, as well as even shopping for cultural products.
What will be your personal vision for Kota Tua?
I would likely like to see This particular block be completely pedestrianized for everyone to enjoy.
Thank you, Pak Luki. To get in touch, please email: lukisantoso99@gmail.com
Comments
Rebuilding Ruins: PT Pembangunan Kota Tua
Rebuilding Ruins: PT Pembangunan Kota Tua