Wisma Nusantara is an office highrise building located in

Jalan M.H. Thamrin Jalan M.H. Thamrin or Jalan Thamrin (M.H. Thamrin Avenue or Thamrin Avenue) is a major thoroughfare in Jakarta, Indonesia. The road is located at the center of Jakarta, running from the north end of Jalan Jenderal Sudirman at West Flood Canal at ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, Indonesia. Constructed from 1964 to 1969, Wisma Nusantara was amongst the first highrise buildings in Indonesia. The building complex included the Pullman Hotel.

History

The construction of Wisma Nusantara was inspired by President

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

'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 The rupiah (Currency symbol, symbol: Rp; ISO 4217, currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia, issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also inform ...

and the attempted coup d'état 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 the 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 Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...

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 is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...

. An Indonesian movie directed by

Sjumandjaja Sjumandjaja ( Perfected Spelling: Syumanjaya; 5 August 1933 – 19 July 1985) was an Indonesian director, screenwriter, and actor. During his career he wrote numerous films, directed fourteen, acted in ten, and produced nine; he also won ...

''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

, which clearly shows sentiment toward the Japanese in Indonesia during the period. The first major renovation was done in 1990 which consist of

JICA The Japan International Cooperation Agency (), also known as JICA'','' is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social gro ...

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-story 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 was constructed with a steel frame and a caisson foundation for resistance to earthquakes.

References

Cited works

* *{{cite journal , last=Miyake , first=Yoshimi , date=2006 , title=Political and cultural aspects of Japanese war compensation to Indonesia , url=http://www.meijigakuin.ac.jp/~gengo/bulletin/pdf/23YoshimiMiyake_p177.pdf , journal=Meiji Gakuin Daigaku Gengo Bunka Kenkyu 23 , access-date=June 15, 2016 Office buildings completed in 1972 Buildings and structures in Jakarta Skyscraper office buildings in Indonesia