Exterior perspective, Wisma Dharmala Sakti (Intiland Tower) (1982–1990), Jakarta, Indonesia印尼雅加達大馬集團總部大廈(1982至1990年)外部透視圖
1984
In the 1980s, Southeast Asia provided the setting and patronage for American architect Paul Rudolph to exercise his long-held concepts of the megastructure for an urban environment. These two drawings represent Rudolph’s skyscraper design that is adapted to local climatic and cultural conditions. As a precursor to today’s ‘tropical highrise’, Rudolph’s work has had a great influence on architects in the region.
The sketch presents a four-sided tower with slightly cantilevered parallel planes overlapping at right angles on each side. Though unbuilt, it encapsulates Rudolph’s earliest studies for integrating shading, airflow, planting, and even a waterfall, in a skyscraper. The design features staggered volumes and a large opening in the form of a sky atrium that punctuates the building. For Wisma Dharmala Sakti, Rudolph was asked to design a tower that would respond to the ongoing discourse on identity in Indonesian architecture. His observations of overhanging roofs in indigenous dwellings led to the tower’s roofs—formally derived from the rotation of floor plates—that shield offices from direct sunlight while providing outdoor terraces. The tower remains as a hanging vertical garden, with plantings on the terraces and vines cascading down the side— as envisioned in the drawing.
In Search of Southeast Asia through the M+ Collections. M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong, 22 June–30 September 2018