C

ity architects will hold a public exhibition of their works at the first Jakarta Architecture Trienniale (JAT) starting Wednesday in a bid to increase public awareness of the importance of good design for Jakarta's environment.

Organized by the Jakarta chapter of the Association of Indonesian Architects (IAI), the triennial will run from Nov. 4 to 22 at the Grand Indonesia shopping mall, Central Jakarta.

"Our theme is affording architecture, not affordable architecture. We want people to appreciate architecture. It's not a question of expensive or cheap, but whether it's good or bad," 2009 JAT director Sukendro Priyoso said.

He said people sometimes associate wealth with huge marble houses that take up land, which he said is not a good design for a city like Jakarta.

"These designs take up land and make the city feel more crowded," he said.

For people on a budget, using the services of an architect can actually cut costs, as a good architect will design a building with efficient use of materials, he said.

The trienniale will feature exhibitions from winners of the IAI Jakarta Awards, 20 years of Young Indonesian Architects, Affording Architecture and Turkish architecture.

Lectures by award-winning architects will be held from Nov. 19 to 21 at the Blitz Megaplex cinema at Grand Indonesia. Speakers will include Michel Rojkin from Mexico, Han Tumertekin from Turkey, Anton Garcia Abril from Spain, Ma Qingyun from China, and Adi Purnomo, Andra Matin and Eko Prawoto from Indonesia.

Ticket information is available at the triennale's website www.JAT2009.com.

Sukendro said they were trying to empower Jakarta architects by increasing their knowledge of designing buildings for Jakarta.

"We hope that empowered architects will begin to focus more on the surroundings and the environment instead of just the building design," he said.

Sukendro said the Jakarta Trienniale was supportive of environmental initiatives and would be holding a cycling tour on Nov. 15.

IAI Jakarta's triennial convention will be held during the last day of the trienniale. Sukendro said he hoped at least half of the IAI's 4000 members would be present at the convention. This will be the 10th IAI Jakarta convention.