Friedrich Silaban

• Name — Friedrich Silaban • Born — 16 December 1912 • Birthplace — Bonan Dolok, Samosir, Dutch East Indies • Died — 14 May 1984 • Place of death — Central Jakarta, Indonesia • Burial Place — Cipaku Cemetery, Bogor • Education — Academy of Architecture • Occupation — Architect

Silaban was born on 16 December 1912 in the village of Bonan Dolok, today in Samosir Regency, as the fifth child of a Batak Protestant Christian Church pastor, Rev. Jonas Silaban. He completed his basic education in Tapanuli, graduating in 1927 before moving to Batavia to attend the Koningin Wilhelmina School, where he studied building design and construction. He graduated from there in 1931.

After graduating, Silaban began working under Dutch architect J.H. Antonisse who had moved to Batavia in 1914, and between 1931 and 1937 Silaban worked on drawings for public works projects in Batavia. He was then reassigned to Pontianak, where in 1938 he designed the Equator Monument. He was interned for several months following the Japanese invasion in 1942, and during this period he met Sukarno, and the two had discussions on architecture and the arts. During the Indonesian National Revolution, Silaban remained a public works official based in Bogor, before attending the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam between 1949 and 1950. During his stint overseas, Silaban toured modern architecture including the Eiffel Tower, the buildings of Brasília, and the Empire State Building.

After the fall of Sukarno, Silaban had less success as an architect, since he was strongly associated with the former president. His career situation was worsened by the poor economic conditions, forcing him to rely on his pension to support his ten children. He did receive some work in the late 1970s and early 1980s, designing a number of private residences and a university building in Medan. Silaban's health worsened in 1983, and he died at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Jakarta on 14 May 1984. He was buried at the Cipaku cemetery in Bogor, West Java.

In his high-profile projects, Silaban preferred clean designs which lacked the ornamentation traditionally found in Indonesian architecture. He wanted to avoid elements which correspond to a specific culture in Indonesia, arguing that an authentically-Indonesian architectural style did not need to imitate traditional forms.

• Illustration — Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium • Illustration — Istiqlal Mosque • Illustration — Istora Gelora Bung Karno • Illustration — West Irian Liberation Monument