Atmodirono Tentoonstelling's Architect

It is not easy to find traces of Atmodirono in Semarang, Central Java. The only one is in the Bangkong neighborhood, where his name has been preserved as the name of a street. But Atmodirono was the only native architect to join in designing pavilions for the Koloniale Tentoonstelling, a huge international trade expo put on by the Dutch colonial regime in 1914. Together with two Dutch architects, Maclaine Pont and D.C. Buurman, Atmodirono designed some of the 105 pavilions used as exhibition stands.

According to Tjahjono Rahardjo, Atmodirono's lack of popularity is because he did not leave behind any monumental buildings still able to be seen today. "In Semarang, the name Atmodirono is not as popular as Herman Thomas Karsten, who was the architect for Johar Market, Elisabeth Hospital and the residential area in Candi," said Tjahjono, a professor of environmental and urban studies at Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang.

September 23, 2014