Indonesia: Dutch Colonial Buildings

Abstract

This chapter starts with a brief history of Dutch colonial architecture in Indonesia. The arrival of Europeans in the early fifteenth century had a great impact on building construction in Indonesia. The material and spatial concepts of European buildings were completely different from those of the Indonesian indigenous people. With the passage of time, it proved that building designs imitated from existing European buildings could not be used directly in the tropical climate of Indonesia. This led to the development of buildings that were adapted to the local context. Secondly, this chapter shows the results of a field measurement conducted in a Dutch colonial building in the city of Bandung. The results showed that, overall, daytime indoor air temperatures in the building maintained relatively low values compared to the corresponding outdoor temperature mainly due to the thermal mass effect. Other passive cooling strategies found from the measurement include night ventilation, use of corridor spaces, high ceilings, and permanent openings above windows/doors.