home
subscribe
free e-newsletter
reader service
widget
advertise
Subscribe to Architectural Record
and save 60% off the newsstand price
print this article   |    e-mail this article    |   comment     

Menara Karya

Jakarta, Indonesia
Arquitectonica

A commercial tower in Jakarta stands out from its blocky neighbors.

Menara Karya is a 26-story, 531,396-square-foot commercial office development, located in Jakarta’s prestigious “Golden Triangle,” the heart of Indonesia’s commercial and financial district.  It also forms the next phase to Menara Kadin, already a premier address in the city’s business community.

Menara Karya
Photo © Ray Sugiharto
Menara Karya

Rate this project:
Based on what you have seen and read about this project, how would you grade it? Use the stars below to indicate your assessment, five stars being the highest rating.
----- Advertising -----

The exterior of the building has been sculpted in an angular, chiseled shape.  This sets it apart from the uniformity of rectilinear buildings on the Jakarta skyline. The pure crystalline form rises directly from grade, allowing the lobby and office floors to be unhindered by any above-grade parking podia that are endemic to many local high-rise commercial developments. Parking is contained in three basement levels, and permits the pure building form to sit in spacious and lushly landscaped grounds.  

With the dramatic facades continuing unbroken to the ground, the entrance is marked by a planar wing-shaped canopy of fritted glass, clipped to the building’s base and corner.  The randomly balanced forms extend to the interior, where the tall main lobby takes a cue from the sculpted exterior: two-story high angular facets are repeated on the lobby wall where they are expressed in travertine. The main lobby ceiling is also composed of simple angled planes that align with the walls.  Four tones of granite are used on the lobby floor in a parallel barcode pattern.

The façade is treated to emphasize the opposing facets of a diamond.  Clad in a simple monolithic, semi-unitized curtain wall system, the narrow east and west elevations use expressed vertical mullions, while the wider north and south elevations are called out in horizontal transoms.  

The form is interrupted only by a dramatic twist in the facade towards the top of the building.  The extension forms a commanding space that houses the building’s business and meeting center on levels 24 and 25, and when viewed from the main approach to the building, the soffits below the twist glow softly to accent the building against the evening sky.

Formal name of project: Menara Karya

Location: Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Block X-5 Kav. 1-2
Jakarta, Indonesia 12950

Completion Date:
Dec 2006

Gross square footage: Square feet  / square meters: 531,396 SF / 52,200 m2

Total construction cost: $26,540,000 USD

Client/Owner: PT Karyadeka Pancamurni
165, Daan Mogot, Duri Kepa
Jakarta Barat, Indonesia
T. (62-21) 566 3730
F. (62-21) 5696 3513
Client: Mr. Solidi Korompis
Client Rep.: P.K. Jalan

Architect:
Arquitectonica
801 Brickell Avenue Suite 1100
Miami, Florida 33131
Telephone: 305.372.1812
Fax:  305 372.1175
www.arquitectonica.com/

Reader Comments:

We welcome comments from all points of view. Off-topic or abusive comments, however, will be removed at the editors’ discretion.

Reader Feedback
Most Commented Most Recommended
Rankings reflect comments made in the past 14 days
Rankings reflect comments made in the past 14 days
----- Advertising -----
View all Record Blogs
AR Selects: Project Blogs
View all Project Blogs
McGrawHill
Search

© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved