The Story Behind Jengki Houses
KEBAYORAN Baru is well-known as the site where 'jengki'-style architecture began to emerge in the 1950s. At the time, jengki-style houses displayed their owners' prosperity. Numerous homes along the upscale Jalan Pakubuwono in South Jakarta applied this architectural style. Although it's not known who first established the style, some say the distinctive characteristic aimed to be a deliberate departure from (Dutch) colonial-style architecture. In his book "Retronesia: The Years of Building Dangerously", Scottish photographer Tariq Khalil explores the history of jengki houses in several Indonesian regions, providing snapshots of these homes as they begin to fall into disrepair.
Tempo
July 17, 2018
FROM the outside, the two-story house looks distinctive with its side walls slanting outward and forming a pentagon. Its steep roofs don't converge to a single point and have no ridges. The plane of the first roof peaks at around half a meter taller than the second roof, as if they were fitted separately, though sheltering the same building.
The old house with drab walls on Jalan Sultan Hasanudin, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, is no longer occup
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