page_title: New Indies Style
section_title: Neo vernacular form
hierarchical_section_title: New Indies Style / Architecture / Neo vernacular form
caption_attribution_description: Pasar Gedhe Harjonagoro at Surakarta, Indonesia. Designed by Dutch architect, Thomas Karsten.
context_page_description: New Indies Style is a modern architectural style used in the Dutch East Indies between the late 19th-century through pre-World War II 20th-century. New Indies Style is basically early modern architecture, which applies local architectural elements such as wide eaves or prominent roof as an attempt to conform with the tropical climate of Indonesia.
  Even though New Indies Style refers specifically to the Dutch Rationalism movement that appeared in 1910s Indonesia, for the purpose of covering the many architectural styles that appeared during the brief early modern period, the term is used as a general term for all the architectural styles that appear between the late 19th-century to pre-World War II 20th-century.
context_section_description: In the Netherlands, the modernist and functionalist Nieuwe Bouwen presents a stark contrast with the traditionalist Delft School. Delft School in the Netherlands is expressed as modern architecture with humble simple look inspired by the old houses of Dutch countryside. Delft School does not appear in Indonesia, however it can be defined as a 20th-century architecture style which conforms toward the traditional tropical consideration – Indies architecture (Indische architectuur).
  Despite the strong contrast between Nieuwe Bouwen and Indische architectuur, both styles shared the thrust of overcoming the Empire architecture style and symbolic remnants of the 19th century's colonial feudal lords.
  This new school of thought and design with strongly implement traditional elements using 20th-century technologies and Modernist architectural principles from Europe appeared mainly in the 1920s and 1930s. Indigenous roofs were singled out for particular attention and there were many interesting syntheses of local and European forms and construction techniques. The interest of Modernists in the dynamic interplay of geometrical elements was soon incorporated into the new style and led to bold experiments that combined these structural forms with traditional vernacular ornamentation. Thomas Karsten and Henri Maclaine Pont were among the architects active in developing this movement.
  One example is the former offices of the Dutch steamtram company Joana Stoomtram Maatschappij in Semarang by Thomas Karsten (1930). The ground plan of this single-storeyed building is identical to that of a traditional Javanese Joglo: tall columns support a hipped, two-tiered roof, which facilitates cross ventilation of the roof cavity.
  Notable examples of this movement appear in Maclaine Pont's design for the ceremonial halls of the Technische Hoogeschool te Bandung (which became Institut Teknologi Bandung). The building features an eclectic synthesis of various Indonesian local forms, including the architecture of Lake Toba, the Mentawai islands, and Sunda. The building is a striking example of innovative tropical architecture. With an elongated elevation aligned on an east-west axis, the building is provided with effective natural ventilation. This orientation also minimizes the effect of solar radiation in that the morning and afternoon sun only strikes the narrow end facades of the building. The external galleries of the building create a double facade which shield the interior from direct sunlight, while cooling towers at either end ensure good ventilation.
  Other example is the guesthouse of the Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij in Brastagi (1939) by Herman van den Houvel of the Langereis & Co architecture firm.
caption: Karsten's early attempt in producing an overtly Javanese form in Pasar Gede Harjonagoro.
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