Liem Bwan Tjie was educated in Europe but was nurtured as a Chinese in an Indonesia cultural

environment. As an architect, he blended three elements into a highly versatile creative power. His
concept of beauty was based on dignity, prudence, and harmony. He had designed offices, sport
facilities, shops, markets, and many houses and villas during his thirty-five year career in Indonesia.

Liem Bwan Tjie was born on 6 September 1891 in Semarang. His great grandfather came to
Semarang from Fujian sometime in early nineteenth century. It was, however, his grandfather, Liem
Kiem Ling, who established a cloth shop in 1849 that grew into the biggest importer and distributor
of textile and draperies in Central Java. Thanks to this, the family had a good relationship with many
Dutch businessman, who offered to help the Liem children to further their education in the
Netherland. Liem Bwan Tjie was one of the young men who went to Europe. Apparently he had
finished his elementary school and basic technical education before joining the college Hogere
Burgereschool (HBS), in Haarlem. After graduation, he worked with various prominent architects in
Amsterdam, namely B.J. Ouendag, Michael de Klerk, Gulden en Geldmaker, and Ed. Cuypers. He was
immersed in the Amsterdam School style of architecture and was deeply impressed by de Klerk, who
worked together with him in the competition for the Royal Academy for Pure Arts in Amsterdam.

In 1920, after four years of work, he decided to pursue further studies in architecture at Delft
Technical University. It was there that he engaged in social and spiritual debates of the time, which
reminded him of his status as a second-class citizen back in the Dutch Indies. Social segregation
practised by the colonial government placed the Chinese and people of Chinese descent below the
Europeans. Along with the wave of nationalism in China the bitterness made many turn their hopes
to mainland China.

Then in 1924, he suddenly decided to go to Paris with some friends, attracted by the charm of the
Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the citys intellectual and aesthetic atmosphere. There, he met people
from all over the world, including China. After only two years, he moved to Beijing, this time, to
Yenching University to prepare himself to become a lecturer. But Japan invaded China, and when the
situation was worsening, his family urged him to return to Semarang, Indonesia.

He was back in Semarang in 1929 and began his own architectural practice. One of his first
commissions was the headquarters for the Oei Tiong Ham Concern (OTH-C), a big business
conglomerate based in Semarang. At the time, OTH-C had just adopted a modern western style
management for the company and wanted a building to express this new attitude western
modernity rooted in Chinese tradition. Liem Bwan Tjie simply fitted the bill. The grand building
stirred quite a sensation when it was officially opened in 1931. Liem became famous overnight and
assignment poured in; he designed offices, shops, cinemas, public swimming pools, in addition to
several country houses and villas for the Chinese community. OTH-C also commissioned him to
design their branch offices in Surabaya (1935) and Jakarta (1941); the latter was not built. His public
swimming pools showed strong influence from Frank Lloyd Wright, but his later works, two cinema
theatres in Semarang (1940), betrayed a cubistic tendency rooted in the works of W.M. Dudok.

Liem bwan Tjies works could be split into two periods: The Semarang (pre World War), and the
Jakarta (post-World War). In the first, the heavy influence of the Amsterdam School, which
employed ornamentation reflecting the dynamic quality of life, was vividly expressed. The compact
and organic organization of spaces still flowed into the second period, although the forms grew
more solid and bereft of ornaments, indicating the influence of W. M. Dudok. The cubistic forms
became more majestic in bigger buildings.
However, his interiors always conveyed a subdued, restrained atmosphere by his use of low-key
colours and controlled lighting. The materials he used were always of the best available quality and
craftsmanship, betraying a legacy from the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Art Nouveau spirit. He
was fully aware of, and responsive to, the tropical climate with its harsh sunlight and the need of
shade. Details and ornamentations, where appropriate, sprang from rich Chinese tradition, balancing
light and shade, mass and space, yin and yang.

It was his country houses and villas that best expressed his ideas about beauty and respect for the
environment. The house he designed for Han Tjauw Tjong (1931) was the grandest of his
experiments: two layers of curved roofs formed the horizontal elements facing the valley looking
into Semarang, abutted by a vertical mass of white at its entrance. Situated on a promontory, the
building jumped out of the landscape in total harmony. Less flamboyant, but no less beautiful is the
house for Sih Tjauw Hien (1934) in Pudakpayung, south of Semarang.

The Japanese Occupation terminated his activities and even forced him into hiding. After the war
ended, Liem and his family moved to Jakarta (Batavia), where the Dutch administration
commissioned him to do an inventory of war damage throughout the archipelago. This brought him
in contact with diverse circle and bigger project. He designed a palatial residence for the president in
Jakarta (1947), as well as a hospital and a high school in campus in Makassar (1948). However, these
design were never translated into actual buildings as condition in those times did not permit them.

It was only after the transfer of political power to the Republic of Indonesia that some of his design
came to fruitition. The Leper Hospital in Tangerang (1950), Institute for Mouth and Hoof Diseases in
Surabaya (1951-1958), Ikada Sport Stadium in Jakarta (1951), and Teladan Sport Stadium in Medan
(1953) are examples.

Since Dutch architects left Indonesia in the mid-1950s, the need for architect became more acute,
while the education of Indonesians architects which only began in 1950, was also handicapped by
the expulsion of Dutch citizen. At the time, Liem Bwan Tjie was working on the Ministry of
Agriculture building (1956), the National Police Headquarters (1960), the North Sulawesi University
campus in Menado (1961), and the Hospital of Ambon (1962). These building were national scale
and importance, so they were designed to be extremely functional. Yet their compositions reflect
beauty in their simplicity and retain harmonious proportions.

Besides doing big and monumental buildings, Liem Bwan Tjie still reserved time for doing smaller
project such as private houses, for which he could fully express his ideas, even if he could not
possibly control the execution of his design the way he would have wished to. Some building project
had higher spiritual quest more deeply: the Chinese temple, Wan Kiap Sie, in Jakarta; a Buddhist
vihara in Cipanas; and a Catholic church in Kramatjati, Jakarta. In their designs, Liem showed his
deep concern and mastery of details, while sharpening his focus on uniting his three basic element
of dignity, prudence, and harmony into an architectural form. Although he did not hold any degree
from any school he attended, he was nominated to be member of the Royal Institute of Engineers
(KIVI-Koninkijke Institute voor Ingenieurs) because his scholarship was considered well above any
academic qualification. The Dutch Union of Architects appointed him a member of the Council of
Architects, the highest body in the organization. He was also an active member of the Netherlands-
Indies Society of Architects. Later in 1959, together with some younger architects, Liem established
the Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia (IAI), the only organization for professional architects in Indonesia.

In 1964, his old schoolfriends in the Netherland suggested that he took a break from his hectic work
schedule and invited him to go there. Thinking that his two daughters needed better education
opportunities, he decided to accept the invitation in 1965 and go a trip that was planned for six
months. He fell ill in the Netherlands and his return to Indonesia was delayed. His condition
worsened and he died at the Rijswijk Hospital on 28 July 1966, leaving behind his wife and two
daughters.

Sutrisno Murtiyoso di buku Southest Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical

Dictionary (573-576)

Tak banyak yang tahu, bahwa Kota Semarang pernah melahirkan arsitek ternama bernama Liem
Bwan Tjie. Dia adalah salah seorang pelopor arsitektur modern di Indonesia. Ratusan karya
arsitekturnya banyak tersebar di Indonesia. Karyakaryanya pun disejajarkan dengan karya-karya
arsitek Belanda ternama yang dianggap luar biasa di HindiaBelanda pada masa 1850-1950, seperti
Maclaine Pont, Hulswit, Fermont dan Cuijpers, GmelichMeiling, Aalbers. Siapa Liem Bwan Tjie? Pria
berkacamata ini terlahir pada tahun 1891 di Semarang sebagai anak kelima. Ayahnya, Liem Tjing
Swie, adalah seorang pedagang tekstil di kawasan Gang Warung. Liem Bwan Tjie adalah orang
Indonesia pertama yang belajar di Sekolah Tinggi Teknik di Delft, Belanda. Dia juga pernah
mengenyam pendidikan di Technische Hoogeschool di Delft pada 1920 dan Ecole des Beaux Arts,
sekolah seni dan arsitektur di Eropa paling bergengsi pada waktu itu.

Awal karirnya di Semarang yang dimulai tahun 1929, Liem Bwan Tjie banyak membangun rumah
atau vila orang-orang kaya di HindiaBelanda pada masa itu. Yang paling terkenal adalah vila milik
keluarga Dr Ir Han Tiauw Tjong di Jl Tumpang yang menyerupai kapal, dan kantor pusat konglomerat
Oei Tiong Ham di Jl Kepodang dan Jl Sendowo Kota Lama yang dibangun pada 1930.

Kantor dagang Oei Tiong Ham Concern yang sekarang menjadi kan tor Rajawali Nusindo, diakui
banyak kalangan sebagai arsitektur cerdas.Meski dari luar nampak konvensional, memiliki bentuk
tidak rumit, namun ketika masuk ke dalam banyakditemukanpemecahandesain yang unik. Bangunan
ini menerapkan gaya Art Modern yang merupakan gaya populer pada paruh pertama abad ini.

Iklim Tropis Karya lain yang memperlihatkan hijaunya arsitektur rancangan Liem Bwan Tjie
diantaranya rumah tinggal Poeda Pajoeng dan rumah tinggal di kawasan Peloran milik Sih Tiauw
Hien, Pabrik Kopi Margorejo, perumahan Pabrik Kopi Margorejo, vila Oei Tjong Hauw (putra Oei
Tiong Ham) di Kopeng, rumah Tan Tjong Le di Ungaran, vila Kwik Tjien Gwan di Tawangmangu,
rumah R Van Duinen di Kopeng, dan Puri Gedeh (rumah dinas Gubernur Jateng).

Bangunan umum yang dipercayakan padanya diantaranya Gemeente Zwembad atau kolam renang
Stadion di Jl Ki Mangunsarkoro, Rumah Makan Grand yang dulu pernah menjadi kampus Fakultas
Teknik Undip Jl MT Haryono, gedung bioskop Grand atau Gelora, dan gedung bioskop Lux atau
Murni.

Dalam tiap rancangannya, Liem Bwan Tjie selalu menempatkan faktor iklim tropis sebagai salah satu
pertimbangan penting. Hujan dan sinar matahari langsung tak pernah dibiarkannya membuat
penghuni bangunan merasa tidak nyaman.

Ruang di dalam pun harus nyaman dan cukup terang, misalnya dengan membuat jendela-jendela
lebar yang dapat mengendalikan aliran udara.
http://archiholic99danoes.blogspot.co.id/2012/03/tokoh-arsitektur-modern-indonesia-
liem.html

Tiga hal penting yang patut diketahui oleh arsitek mengenal Liem Bwan Tjie, yaitu:

1. Dia adalah orang Semarang

 2. Dia adalah salah satu pelopor arsitektur modern di Indonesia
3. Dia adalah salah satu pendiri IAI

Liem Kong Bing adalah buyut dari Liem Bwan Tjie. Dia adalah pendatang dari Hokkian dan bekerja
sebagai penjual kain mori tahun 1849. Salah satu anak dari Liem Kong Bing adalah Kim Tjieng Soey
yang lahir tanggal 6 September 1891 yang kemudian menikah dan memiliki 10 anak. Salah satu anak
Kim Tjieng Soey adalah Liem Bwan Tjie yang merupakan anak ke-7.

Lingkungan dan Pendidikan:

- Menyelesaikan MTS (Middelbare Technische School) di Jl. Dr. Cipto.

- HBS di Harleem (1911-1915)
- Magang di Amsterdam (1916-1920)
- Sekolah di Delft (1920-1924)
- Paris Ecole des Beaux Arts (1924-1926)
- Harvard Yeuching di Beijing (1926-1929)
- Kembali ke Semarang (1929)

Setelah kembali ke Indonesia:

1. Semarang 1930
- Karya-karya (proyek rumah tinggal)
- Menikah dengan Han Swan Tien
2. Jakarta
- Beliau tinggal di Jalan Situ Lembang di Menteng serta menjadikan rumahnya menjadi kantor
pusat
- Proyek-proyek nasional seperti rumah sakit ternak di Surabaya, pusat penelitian di Ambon,
dan Universitas di Menado
3. Belanda 1965-1966
- Beliau meninggal di Rijswijk

Mentalitas Liem Bwan Tjie, walau dia telah menjadi murid dari sekolah terbaik di dua benua dia tidak
pernah mendapat gelar akademik secara resmi, namun karena profesi arsitek adalah panggilan
jiwanya, dia menekuni dunia arsitek. Pengaruh dan profesi yang dia capai tidak lepas dari paham
serta beberapa tokoh berikut:

1. Dasar: a. ekspresionalisme dan b. Amsterdam School

2. Pengaruh Langsung: Michiel de Klerk
3. Pengaruh tak Langsung: Hend. Retris Berlage dan Frank Llyod Wright

Berdirinya IAI, Liem Bwan Tjie adalah arsitek professional, dia menganggap bahwa profesi arsitek
adalah panggilan jiwanya, maka menjunjung tinggi kode etik keprofesian sepenuhnya. Di tahun
1959, ia pula yang mendorong generasi pertama arsitek Indonesia lulusan ITB berhimpun untuk
membentuk organisasi profesi arsitek yang diberi nama Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia bersama-sama
dengan M. Soesilo dan F. Silaban.

Widya Wijayanti

Penjelasan Bu Widya Wijayanti lebih menekankan pada bentuk bangunan serta bangunan yang telah
dibangun oleh Liem Bwan Tjie.

Gebrakan yang dibuatnya pada awal karir diwujudkan dalam desain kantor pusat Oei Tiong Ham
Concern di Kota Lama Semarang. Untuk bentang kawasan tersebut pada saat itu, yang dilakukan
sungguh mencengangkan. Untuk ukuran masa kini pun bangunan yang sekarang ditempati Rajawali
Nusindo tersebut terlihat sebagai arsitektur yang cerdas.

Beberapa karya Liem Bwan Tjie antara lain:

- Bioskop Gelora dan rumah makan di sebelah selatannya, Semarang

- Bioskop Murni (Lux), Semarang
- Gemeente Zwembad atau kolam renang Stadion di Jl. Ki Mangunsarkoro, Semarang

Liem Bwan Tjie menempatkan factor iklim tropis sebagai pertimbangan penting di samping yang lain.
Hujan dan sinar matahari langsung tidak dibiarkannya. Permainan atau lempeng-lempeng horizontal
dan vertical dipadukan dengan masa geometric, juga pergantian dari padat ke kosong menciptakan
pembayangan yang sangat mengesankan. Liem Bwan Tjie tidak anti kesetangkupan dan masih
menerapkannya meskipun dengan tampilan yang unik. Perapet menjadi ciri khas desain Liem Bwan
Tjie. Perapet tiap rumah atau bangunan selalu unik tetapi tidak sulit dikenali. Bangunan pendukung
stadion renang di Ki Mangusarkoro menunjukkan pendekatan tersebut.

Undak-undang Nampak sebagai komponen yang mendapatkan perhatian penuh dari Liem bwan Tjie,
bahkan terkesan arsitek ini sangat terobsesi oleh komponen tersebut. Undang bisa berupa pintu
atau menuju lantai di atasnya. Selain itu, dalam mendesain Liem Bwan Tjie berpikir dari makro
sampai mikro, garis besar sampai detail dari bangunan sampai parabot.

Catatan kuliah arsitektur ITB