The lecturer of ITB’s Undergraduate Program in Architecture chronicled his journey to becoming a Global Architect in the webinar series ‘The Path to become the Next Global Architect,’ which was organized by the ITB’s School of Architecture, Planning, and Policy Development (SAPPD) on Thursday (14/4/2022).

Born in Semarang, 1956, Dr. Baskoro recounted the memory of his father, who was a journalist. He then reminisced about his involvement in the arts during his youth. He often took roles in many plays and sang songs in theatrical performances. Both affairs influenced him in parallel: to deliver words as it is, not unlike a journalist, and to convey messages in the form of something else, with the manner of an artist.

“An architect shows ideas through his physical design, while telling ideas through a project design report,” expressed Dr. Baskoro.

After his graduation from ITB in 1982, Dr. Baskoro resumed his career as a lecturer in the same institution. He later proceeded with his education at The City University of New York and enrolled in the Environment and Behavior program. The specific attitude towards designing learned during his postgraduate studies contrasted a lot with the rather general approach to the design process from his undergraduate years.

“My master’s studies taught me to design through the lens of human behavior and their environment,” stated Baskoro.

After finishing his Master of Science degree, Baskoro returned to his homeland and was promoted to a lecturer in ITB’s Undergraduate Program in Architecture. In 1994, he and Sunaryo, a prominent artist and sculptor in Indonesia, worked together to design the Selasar Sunaryo Art Space (SSAS). The project was completed in 1998 and achieved the IAI Awards in 2002.

“My first project, the Selasar Sunaryo, had transformed my career path,”

Dr. Baskoro returned to his studies at the Department of Architecture, Osaka University, Japan. “I learned from many architects about compact-living designs and the signature Japanese architectural style.”

After obtaining his doctoral degree in 1999, he decided to join several architect’s associations such as the Indonesian Institute of Architects and the Indonesian Young Architects. He also established his design firm, Baskoro Tedjo & Associates.

At present, Dr. Baskoro often introduces his works by participating in exhibitions, including international ones such as in Hague, Netherlands, on 23rd April 1999 while his firm also partakes in construction designing contests. Not long after, he won the Bung Karno Library design contest. “Both projects unfurled my name in the world of Indonesian architecture,” bespoke Baskoro.

Many design requests approached Baskoro Tedjo & Associates after his rise to fame. With his Japanese-influenced compact-living or minimalist house styles, Baskoro’s housing design attained national recognition. Many of his works were featured in architectural magazines, even as far as creating their own trends.

Dr. Baskoro and his firm continued to win many prestigious competitions, such as the Jakarta Monorail Station, Campus Centre ITB, Makassar’s Kalla Tower, Jakarta’s WWF House, and most recently the Indonesian Cultural Center in Dilli, Timor Leste. His first book, “Baskoro Tedjo – Extending Sensibilities Through Design” contains a collection of his works since its publication in 2012. A while later in 2021, Baskoro released his second book, “Baskoro Tedjo – Berbagi” which compiles his works and the story of his journey from 2012 onwards.

Reporter: Favian Aldilla Rachmadi (Civil Engineering, 2019)
Translator: Firzana Aisya (School of Life Sciences and Engineerign, 2021)