How did Aboday get it's start?

There was time when we feel it was the right time to set up our own and contribute more to the architecture landscape of Indonesia. Architecture is a complex knowledge, that you need more than one brain when you decide to do it as a business. It is indeed very difficult to blend 3 different minds into one similar perspective, but we realise we need to do this in order to expedite the process of nurturing our firm philoshopically and financially. 

How do you feel your design process changes the way people interact with your projects?

We always understand the important of involving different parties during the design process; especially those who has interest in it: client, financier. So everyone has to chip in their contribution in the project, with us as a director. By doing that client will interact with the result the way they interact with their own baby. For public building, it will be slightly different story as we need to adjust our design intention and expectation to the target market of user. Interaction to a complete project happened when people are able to relate their need and their vision with the building; so adjusting to their level of understanding become a paramount of important to us.

What are some keywords you'd use to represent Aboday and why? 

Usually beauty comes when function and practicality meets. There are no designated or fixed style in projects as we want our work relevant to specific time and place, and last for longer period than just a temporary novelty.

Walk us through your day-to-day routine

On Monday, we start the day with coordination meeting with 8 of our senior architects to capture what has been done the week before and what to be done next. There are 30 architects working with 3 us, 8 of which are in senior position to help us with daily routine of design, site coordination or other task (competition, documentation etc). Our main role generally are directing all the show, with these 8 senior architects as leader of each projects. 

After the coordination meeting we will spend sometime to check project progress on design by attending each team one by one; this is when normally our design inputs are needed. We don't design everything by our own anymore, as I like to give my staff and team freedom. When someone is given freedom to bring forward new ideas without unnecessary intervention, that is usually when the best solution are made. 

After lunch, 3 of us will normally attend several meetings (if there are any), or stay in the office to hold meetings with other consultants involved in our project or meet up with new clients to discuss new project opportunities.

What does design mean to you?

Ability to manipulate pure function into beauty.

You have accomplished great designs and projects. Are there any big ones coming up in the near future? 

We are designing Museum Nasional Indonesia, our first government funded project and our biggest public building project to date. We hope this will become our new milestone in architectural scene in Indonesia.