Wisma Nusantara

Wisma Nusantara
File:Jakarta Wisma Nusantara.jpg Wisma Nusantara and the adjacent Hotel Pullman.
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Office
Architectural style	International style
Location	Jakarta, Indonesia
Address	Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 59, Jakarta 10350
Coordinates	6°11′38″S 106°49′25″E
Construction started	1964
Inaugurated	December 2, 1972
Owner	Pt. Wisma Nusantara International
Height	117 m (384 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	30
Floor area	25,386 m2 (273,250 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	4 units for 13th-28th floor, 3 units for 1st-13th floor
Design and construction
Main contractor	Mitsui Construction Co.

Wisma Nusantara is an office highrise building located in Jalan M.H. Thamrin, Jakarta, Indonesia. Constructed in 1964, Wisma Nusantara is considered to be the first highrise in Indonesia and Southeast Asia to reach 100 meter height. The building complex included the Pullman Hotel.

History

The construction of Wisma Nusantara was inspired by President Sukarno's intention to have the first high rise building in Jakarta. The first contract was awarded in 1964 for $5.7 million using the Japanese war reparation and construction commenced in the same year. However, the decline of the rupiah and the attempted coup d'etat interrupted the construction of Wisma Nusantara. As a result the money ran out, leaving the building unfinished with only its steel frame completed for more than 5 years.

Construction work was continued by Mitsui Construction Co. in 1972 after renewal of the contract. Wiratman Wangsadinata, the founder of PT. Wiratman & Associates, was chosen as the supervisor of the project in 1970. The building was finally completed in 1972. It was officially inaugurated by President Suharto on December 2, 1972, together with the adjacent President Hotel (now Pullman Hotel). As part of the deal, the share was held by Mitsui 55% and the Indonesian Government 45%. Because of the considerably high cost of renting office space, the building was only used by Japanese companies for a couple of years. Because of this, the building stimulated the antipathy of Indonesian citizens. The building was at one time topped with a large sign of Suzuki. An Indonesian movie directed by Sjumandjaja Budak Nafsu (1984), literally "slave to lust", depicts a scene where a young woman was raped and made a concubine for the Japanese during the war, and having lost her energy for life, wanders around Jakarta surrounded by neon signs of Japanese enterprises on Jalan M.H. Thamrin, which clearly shows sentiment toward the Japanese in Indonesia during the period.

The first major renovation was done in 1990 which consist of JICA building construction. The connecting bridge between Wisma Nusantara office building and the hotel (then known as Nikko Hotel) was built in 2002. In 2003, Nikko Hotel was expanded with an additional 11-storey executive suite tower to the north of the Wisma Nusantara complex. This hotel tower was designed by Kenzo Tange International. In 2005, the Annex Building was completed to accommodate parking.

Design

Wisma Nusantara is considered to be the first skyscraper in Indonesia and Southeast Asia to reach the height of more than a hundred meter. It was the first earthquake-proof building prototype of second generation of high-rise building in Japan. Japan-imported high quality steel was used as the main structure for the office building. Wisma Nusantara used caisson foundation to stabilize building when earthquake happens.

Cited works

• Merrillees, Scott (2015). Jakarta: Portraits of a Capital 1950-1980. Jakarta: Equinox Publishing. ISBN 9786028397308. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Miyake, Yoshimi (2006). "Political and cultural aspects of Japanese war compensation to Indonesia" (PDF). Meiji Gakuin Daigaku Gengo Bunka Kenkyu 23. Retrieved June 15, 2016. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)