What happens when architecture meets people, culture, and local materials?
Wastu: The Praxis of Mangunwijaya is a cinematic exploration of the architectural work of Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya – priest, architect, and writer. Twenty-five years after his death, this documentary focuses on selected buildings he left behind. It not only showcases the buildings themselves but also how they are connected to the people and communities they serve. The film brings together former colleagues, collaborators, craftsmen, and users of these buildings to share their memories, shedding light on the social and cultural significance of Mangunwijaya’s architecture. Through their stories, the legacy of Mangunwijaya and the lasting impact of his work on people and society come to life.
Who was Mangunwijaya?
Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya (1929–1999) was an Indonesian priest, architect, and writer. Influenced by his studies at RWTH Aachen University in West Germany in the 1960s, Mangunwijaya aimed to adapt the universal principles of modernism into an authentic, locally rooted expression. He was a pioneer of collaborative and sustainable architecture, responding directly to the specific needs of the local environment—an approach that remains highly relevant today. His work is a testament to his socially conscious philosophy, with his architectural legacy deeply intertwined with his commitment to the common good.
Contributors:
Mahatmanto, Wirjono (Wing) Raharjo, Revianto Budi Santosa, Sr. Martina Martiningsih Surjo S., Leila Chairani Budiman, Surono, Ado Bintoro, Albertus Soegiyarto, Agustinus Warno Miharjo, Fr. Moses William Yuwono, Yohanes Basuki Dwisusanto, Ariyanto
Film Team:
Directors: Angeline Basuki, Avianti Armand
Executive Producer: Setiadi Sopandi
Cinematographer: William Sutanto
Language: Indonesian with English subtitles
Runtime: 52 minutes
Dedicated to Eko Agus Prawoto (1958–2023)
Doreen Heng Liu + NODE with GBA Lab / SZU, Shenzhen
Exploring Urban Transformation in the Pearl River Delta
Exhibition
8 February – 19 March 2025
Opening
Friday, 7 February 2025, 6.30pm
Water plays a key role in times of the climate change – both as an essential resource and as a potential threat. Rising sea levels, floods, and droughts demand innovative approaches in architecture and urban planning. Wind Blows, Water Rises is dedicated to the research-based work of Doreen Heng Liu and her office NODE, which focuses intensively on the Pearl River Delta in China – one of the world’s most densely populated metropolitan regions. The exhibition showcases 13 projects that highlight the rapid urban transformation and the challenges in managing infrastructure and public space. A highlight is the research project Water and Urbanization, which was initiated by Liu at Shenzhen University. It explores water ecosystems and offers concrete solutions for how water can be used as a driving force for sustainable urban development in other regions as well.
with:
Mahatmanto, Duta Wacana Christian University, Indonesia:
Tectonics in Y. B. Mangunwijaya’s architecture
Ranon Chotkamolpongsa, Yangnar Studio, Thailand:
Modern Vernacular Architecture with Local Materials
Xu Tiantian, DnA_Design and Architecture, China:
Fujian Tulou Adaptive Reuse
Kamil Muhammad, pppooolll, Indonesia:
Between the built and the social form
Jörg Finkbeiner, Partner und Partner, Germany:
Woodscraper – timber high-rises based on the “Cradle to Cradle” principle
Johannes Widodo, National University of Singapore:
Local wisdom and contemporary architecture
Moderation: Amanda Achmadi, University of Melbourne, Australia
Opening
Friday, 31 March 2023, 6.30pm
Speaking at the opening
Hans-Jürgen Commerell Aedes, Berlin
Dr. Eduard Kögel Researcher and Curator, Berlin
Liu Yichun Architect and Founder, Atelier Deshaus, Shanghai
Venue
Aedes Architecture Forum
Christinenstr. 18-19
10119 Berlin
Exhibition 10 December 2022 – 25 January 2023
Opening 9 December 2022, 6.30pm
Welcome
Dr. h.c. Kristin Feireiss Aedes, Berlin
Dr. Eduard Kögel Researcher and Curator, Berlin
Li Xiangning Professor and Dean, Tongji University, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shanghai
Zhu Xiaofeng Architect and Founder, Scenic Architecture Office, Shanghai
Venue Aedes Architecture Forum / Christinenstr. 18-19 / 10119 Berlin
The mountainous landscape of Jinyun County in Zhejiang Province, China, has been shaped by the manual mining of natural stone. For the rugged and hard-to-access region, the Beijing architect Xu Tiantian and her team were asked to develop strategies for new uses for nine of the over 3000 small, abandoned quarries, which now provide a stage for cultural and social activities, and simultaneously strive for ecological improvements and create new economic perspectives for the rural population. The pits, provided with new functions, have become part of a public infrastructure that puts historical aspects extending back over a thousand years as well as the everyday culture heritage in a new context. The exhibition, which reached us from Beijing by the most sustainable means of transport possible, namely by train, communicates the breath-taking sense of space in the stone quarries of Jinyun in a large-scale installation. Spacious, translucent models, photos, plans, and films visualize the complex structure of the spaces carved into the rock.
In February 2022, China will host the XXIV Winter Olympic Games. The various sports events will be held in three locations; Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. In Beijing, the games largely take place in the existing sports facilities built for the Summer Olympics in 2008. The only new project is the Big Air Shougang slope for freestyle skiing and snowboarding in Shougang Industrial Park designed by Brian Li Zhang’s design office TeamMinus at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Big Air Shougang is located at the once largest steel plants in the region. The Olympic Games will be used to sustainably transform the gigantic industrial relics for new uses. The exhibition focuses on the jumping track for the Big Air Shougang and encourages visitors to communicate ergonomically with the building through an interactive game. The office’s approach is presented in three other projects, where space for movement decisively shapes the architecture. The Jianamani Visitor Centre in Qinghai province, the underground cultural centre in the Piazza and Art Space Gujiaying Village in Yanqing and the Aranya Ideas Camp and Community Centre in Qinhuangdao. TeamMinus received the IUPA International Urban Project Award 2021, awarded by Bauwelt, Berlin and WA World Architecture, Beijing for the Big Air Shouguangtransformation project with the facility for free-style skiing and snowboarding, while the Jianamani Visitor Centre received the Zumtobel Group Award – Innovations for Sustainability and Humanity in the Built Environment back in 2017.