This Bandung building has stood the test of time

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JAKARTA (ANTARA) – Not only love, a nearly century-old building can also be eternal. Take the Bio Farma Heritage Building, one of the cultural heritage sites in Bandung, West Java, for example.

The building is located in the Colonial Heritage Area, 28 Pasteur Street, Bandung, approximately 1.9 km from Bandung Railway Station and a 30-minute drive.

The Bio Farma building was originally named “Landskoepok Inricting en Instituut Pasteur” and was built in 1926. During the smallpox outbreak, it was used as a smallpox vaccine production facility and was therefore known as the “Cacar” (smallpox) building.

Dutch architect Charles Prosper Wolff Schoemaker played an important role in the building’s construction.

He also designed several other historic buildings in Bandung such as the Afro-Asian Building, the PLN Building, the Preang Hotel and the Bethel Church on Vastu Kencana Street.

The architects have integrated elements of Eastern and Western cultures in their design. The Eastern elements can be seen from the steep slope shape of the roof.

This mixture of elements is also evident in the Bio Farma heritage building, which reached 100 years old just two years after its construction.

State-owned pharmaceutical group Bio Farma renovated the building in 2015 without changing its original shape, appearance or details. The building’s conservation and use also focused on ensuring its cultural significance is retained.

The renovated building area is approximately 2,659 square meters, of which the first floor is 2,030 square meters and the second floor is 629 square meters.

The renovation work took nine months to complete starting in March 2015, and the temple was officially opened as a cultural heritage on December 17, 2015.

Prior to the restoration, the Bandung Cultural Preservation Association or Bandung Heritage Organization listed the oldest building in the area as a cultural heritage building in 1997.

It was subsequently declared a cultural heritage by Bandung City Regional Regulation No. 19 of 2009.

Through this building, Bio Farma hopes to share the idea of loving and preserving buildings with cultural heritage value.

According to the Indonesian Archaeologists Association (IAAI), cultural heritage buildings are tangible cultural heritage other than cultural heritage objects, buildings, sites and areas.

To be nominated as cultural heritage, buildings, objects or structures must be at least 50 years old and have special historical, scientific, educational, religious or cultural significance. They must also contribute to the strengthening of the nation.

Bio Farma company secretary Bambang Heriyanto said that in accordance with Bandung City Regional Regulation No. 7 of 2018 on Cultural Heritage Management, the company preserved the original shape and structure of the building, including the wall paint, roof color and aesthetics.

The building as a whole is still almost white, retaining the characteristics of the Dutch colonial period, with teak windows and iron frames remaining the same as before.

As part of the building’s maintenance, Bio Farma paints the building twice a year and works to maintain its cleanliness and integrity, as well as ensuring there are no damages or leaks, while still prioritizing the building’s authenticity.

Heryanto said his company has not faced major obstacles in preserving the historic building, and it regularly allocates a budget for its upkeep.

Corporate Museum
Although Bio Farma made several modifications to the building, these modifications did not cause the building to lose its authenticity or alter its form, style or beauty.

The company also uses the building as an administrative center, where the offices of the directors of PT Bio Farma are located.

Additionally, the company has converted the right wing of the building into a museum showcasing health discoveries and disease outbreaks before the invention of vaccines, as well as equipment used when Bio Farma operations began.

The museum covers an area of nine hectares and is open to visits by academic guests and external institutions.

Visitors can learn about the company’s history through pictures in the museum, which show Bio Farma’s past leaders and videos of the company’s past researchers.

The museum is expected to become a place for the public to learn about or spread knowledge of the company’s history.

Bio Farma held an open day at the museum in 2018, attended by representatives from various departments including the Bandung City Tourism and Culture Office, the Indonesian Medical Literacy Center (IMEL), and the West Java Regional Museum Association.

Bio Farma said it adds a digital interface but keeps the educational element of the museum.

Visitors can trace the historical documents of Bio Farma and learn about health tourism through virtual reality (VR).

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