Paul Rudolph | Jakarta + Surabaya July 27th, 2011 • architectures , cities , movingmemos Intiland Tower | Jakarta, June 24, 2011 It is a weird, amazing, thrilling and depressive feeling to encounter the office towers that the architect Paul Rudolph [1918-1997] has constructed in Jakarta and in Surabaya . Weird, amazing and thrilling, because one can see a glimpse of an architectural future where tropicalist thinking meets megastructural modernity; depressive because they seem to be largely neglected by today’s architectural debate on sustainable structures. An introduction and a tale of two towers. Wisma Dharmala [completed in 1997] in Surabaya and the Intiland Tower [finished in 1986 and formerly knows as Wisma Dharmala Sakti office tower] in Jakarta are both owned by Intiland , one of Indonesia’s leading real -estate developers. In “Towards Indonesia Sustainable Future through Sustainable Building and Construction” ( pdf alert! ) the Jakarta building is poignantly analyzed “as the antithesis to the anonymous air-conditioned box constructed all around the world. ” Further on, following analysis of the Intiland Tower is being made: One of Paul Rudolph’s building, Wisma Dharmala has been considered as one of the best sustainable building in Jakarta, Indonesia. In addition, the government cited it to be an example of how other buildings should be design to preserve local environment. Its highly complex geometrical pieces was designed to meet more than just the esthetic merit, but also to gain a better natural air flow and lighting in order to greatly reduce the need for air conditioner and art ificial lightings. Rudolph said, “Indonesian traditional architecture offers a wide variety of solution to the problem of a hot and humid climate. The unifying element in this rich diversity is the roof (Rudolph, 2009). [...] The passage of air was achieved by raising structures above the ground, breezeways, venture openings in walls and roofs, controlled windows openings, manipulation of shade, shadow and light modulated in breathtaking array of roofs.