Project tampering with 'sacrosanct' public space

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 10/10/2006 10:17 AM | Jakarta

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A year ago, amid the inadequate amount of recreational space in the city, office workers and passersby could still enjoy the generous space of Danamon plaza.

It was not unusual to see stargazers on a Saturday night and street vendors resting at the end of a hard day. It may have been on property belonging to an office building, but the plaza was considered public space.

On top of that, passersby could stroll through the sheltered corridor connecting Jl. Sudirman with the Casablanca area on the other side of the building.

It is a rarity in a city where office property owners appear to be suffering from sociophobia, the fear of society and people in general.

The privilege ended when the new owner of the building, which was initially built as Plaza Danamon, decided not to let the public congregate on his property.

""It is not as comfortable as it used to be. We now have to circle the building to go to Casablanca. The plaza is also gone,"" said one woman, who works as a cashier at a cake shop in the building.

The Sampoernas, one of Indonesia's wealthiest ""tycoon"" families, acquired Plaza Danamon from the previous owner, Panin Group, forming a new vision for the plaza, the Sampoerna Strategic Square.

A comprehensive building and facilities upgrade is in progress within Sampoerna square, which is set to become the first ""boutique office"" in Jakarta, the website of the real estate agency managing the property, Jones Lang LaSalle, said.

With the renovation scheduled for completion by the end of 2007, Sampoerna Strategic Square will boast a magnificent .4-hectare English garden, in addition to other features in keeping with a boutique office, it said.

The company declined an interview request, saying the master plan of the area was not yet finished.

But downtown workers are already losing a peaceful place to spend their lunch hour.

""Danamon, now known as the Sampoerna Strategic Square, used to be the best privately owned building in Jakarta. The loss of public space is a real shame,"" city architecture review team (TPAK) head Mohamad Danisworo said.

Although the construction project has begun, the company has not submitted any plans to the TPAK, Danisworo said.

""The first owner of the building consulted with us before finalizing their project. Then, we suggested they open the sheltered corridor, which they did. But, we cannot force the new owner, it is private property,"" he said.

Initially, the office complex -- consisting of two towers, a smaller separate foyer and a plaza -- was designed by the US-based Pei Cobb Freed and partners in 1996. Its construction was finished in 1998.

Pei is an internationally renowned architect who also designed the extension of Paris' Louvre museum. The Danamon project was led by his partner Henry Cobb.

The architects had been warned that creating a public space on private property would encourage vendors and other ""undesirables"" to frequent the area, but they responded with, ""why not?""

""Since the beginning of the project, it never crossed their minds to build a fence around the building. Everyone is welcome to pass through or occupy the plaza,"" said architect Marco Kusumawijaya, who was also a director of the initial project.

""As the building passes to new owners, the problem of us versus them occurs,"" Marco said.

The ""us"" or building owner is not happy seeing ""them"" or the general public invading their space. ""From their perspective, the public creates chaos,"" he said.

A busway shelter in front of the building has been moved to a site several hundred meters from there.

However, the city transportation agency has denied any connection between the two ongoing projects.

""We are going to redesign the Karet area. The busway shelter has been moved to a new site in line with the plan. It has nothing to do with Sampoerna,"" city transportation agency head Nurachman said Thursday.

In line with the beautification of the Karet area, the river beside the office complex will also be cleaned up, Nurachman said.

Ideally, office buildings should be located close to public transportation.

""When we talk about office property, access to and from buildings in the CBD is important,"" property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle's country director Spencer Roberts said in a past interview.

""In Bangkok, buildings of a lower quality but with better access enjoy higher rental rates compared to better ones without access to the transportation system,"" Roberts said.

Comments (0) | Post comment

A | A | A |