“It was the time when there were no malls at all. So my father and I would go around town every weekend — there were so many old houses,” he recalled.

“I don’t know why every time I passed these buildings, my heart would beat so fast and I would even open the windows and all.”

He later went on to pursue architectural studies in Austria where vintage buildings once again caught his attention and pumped his interest in design up to the highest level.

Despite his interest in the old-fashioned, he did not mean he only dwelt in the past in terms of design as most of his projects resonate with the modern and contemporary.

“Of course, the past sums up our heritage, our identity — yet we don’t have to live in it. We live for the future,” he said.

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Not long upon returning, he set up Atelier Cosmas Gozali in 2005 with a feeling of natural pride by building progressive and even futuristic spaces while incorporating local elements.

“The knowledge I acquired during my studies fed my local spirit even more. I always try to develop local designs with my Western knowledge so in the end you will see a work of global scale with a local essence,” he said. In fact, he has adopted the

“promenade architecturale” concept invented by architect CharlesÉdouard Jeanneret, who is known as Le Corbusier.

This concept creates more of an architectural experience, whereupon entering a space or structure one will immediately look around to relish all the elements of design.

This concept definitely translates into his designs. At a glance, one will notice a bright and spacious area with soaring windows that allow curtains to billow in the wind, giving the chance to glimpse the surrounding area. Therefore nature is his compass in helping his clients to not only feel at home, but also one with nature.

“When I create a space, I give it a soul. In every project, you can see that they are strongly connected to the environment. You will see big ventilation to create a flow of air and lots of natural light — so there is a balance between the indoor and outdoor feeling,” explained the architect, who was the curator of the recent “Living Italian Design” exhibition on March 16 to 23 in Jakarta.

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His love for natural light resulted from his time in Europe, where cold weather does not make for a lot of sunshine. So, with every design he has the utmost enthusiasm to utilize this abundant source to transform and give life to a space.

“It was pretty much like winter all the time so I rarely got to see the sun. When I got back, people seemed to dislike opening their windows so I always try to make use of as much sunshine as possible,” he said.

Throughout the years, he has had his share of memorable projects. To name a few are his first ever, the Rumah Jambu (1991), the Football Stadium at Sunter BMW Park in North Jakarta and the award-winning Swiss Ambassador Residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

As winner of the Building Heritage Award in 2011, Cosmas has integrated splashes of Art Deco, with tall ceilings to present us with an elegant vision of white that compliments refreshing tones of nature. This work of architecture seamlessly blends nature and modernity to resemble an oasis amidst the smoky urban jungle.

“Some of my favorite projects are those that are conceptually and constructionally challenging,” he said.

However, the biggest challenge of all is in fact understanding the human mind and the various selections of taste or preference. It is not about simply carrying out his principles, but it is also to make people feel connected to their surroundings because his role leans toward being a provider of a modern space, while leaving his clients room to roam and personalize their home however they wish.

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“I want people to feel more comfortable because then a part of them will be in the space that they live in,” he said.

Still, if there is one color Cosmas adheres to relentlessly, it is white. “White to me is like a blank canvas, whereas the role of a painter goes to nature: the shadows, the trees, the water, the sky and even humans.”

Cosmas finds it important to fix his eyes on the horizon and absorb new ideas toward expressing a love for his country through modern buildings. “This is why I like to travel and to hang out with young people because I design for the future,” he says.

Thus, he urges young architects to persevere and continue observing the world around them as one does not always need to cross oceans to find inspiration.

“Inspiration can come from anywhere,” he said. “So, never give up learning because knowledge will never stop coming so always bring the best of yourself. There’s no success without sacrifice.”

With the actual designing process, it is easy to be webbed in by current sensations so that one becomes oblivious to the sensory and emotional experiences that come when actually living inside a space.

“If a space has soul, whatever you wear, for instance, whatever the decorations, it will always look good.”

He said Indonesian architects have all the necessary tools to stand tall in an international crowd.

“We are just as good as other architects around the world, with the same capabilities and skills.”

***

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

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