Architect Rafi Haikal and His Vision of Advancing Indonesia's Development through Architecture
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29 December 2023 16:14 WIB
During the meeting, Haikal emphasized the urgency of preventing increasing inequality between Indonesia and the world by improving the quality standards of architecture and city planning. He stressed that the rule of law, political stability, and individual freedoms in Indonesia create a very safe and attractive investment environment for international businesses. It is safe to say that Rafi Haikal has pioneered a human rights-friendly approach to architecture in Indonesia.
Based on the IKN Authority's presentation at the meeting on Monday (20/11), 20% of the IKN development budget will come from the state budget, while the remaining 80% will come from foreign investment. IKN is described, by the Indonesian government, as a megaproject that focuses on building a unique green and smart city located in the middle of Kalimantan's forests.
“This is a big achievement for my home country, Indonesia, and its architectural community. Nusantara is only the beginning of our mission together. We will continue to strive for a long-term relationship with these global developers, like Silverstein Properties, so that we can build more and more cities in Indonesia that have international standards, that are inclusive, are safe for all people's needs, all ethnicities, religions, races, and varied mental and physical needs,” said Haikal at the launch of Urbahn International at the Indonesian Consulate General in New York in November of 2023, where he gave a speech as Urbahn’s new Director of Business Development for the ASEAN Region.
In addition to elevating Indonesian architectural practices to the highest international level, the efforts to support Nusantara also have a very immediate positive impact on his nation: the potential employment of 10,000 construction workers in Nusantara and the ripple effect it will have on the Kalimantan economy.
The mission of inclusivity and equality is nothing new for this alum of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, a prominent school of architecture known, just as Urbahn Architects is, for its commitment to serving the needs of the entire society. He has also been active in various social movements, one of which is Project Bhinneka created in 2018, through which he was committed to promoting cross-cultural collaboration and tolerance of differences before the 2019 presidential election.
Apart from that, Haikal will also continue to promote the Good Design Indonesia (GDI) program. GDI is a competition and award initiative for designers and business professionals, who improve the quality of life through design and art. The program is affiliated with Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade and is considered one of the largest design competitions in Asia. He hopes that support for GDI will encourage Indonesian architects to take advantage of the trade agreements that Indonesia has ratified to both open new markets to Indonesian professionals and to introduce new practices and ideas within the country.
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