Institutionalising concrete construction technology: A socio-technical formation of modern architecture in Indonesia
Abstract
The institutionalisation of construction technology in postcolonial architecture has seldom been studied through Science and Technology Studies, particularly in developing countries where political agendas often shaped modernisation more than industrial growth. This article addresses this gap by analysing the socio-technical process of institutionalising concrete construction technology in Indonesian architecture between 1959 and 1981. Drawing on Berger and Luckmann’s social construction theory, especially externalisation and objectivation, the study frames the Old Order and the New Order as successive regimes that produced and stabilised technological meanings within their respective national development narratives. The research investigates presidential speeches, governmental policies, and practitioners’ writings to trace historical discourses linking technology and national development. Findings indicate that these discourses were initially divergent: the Old Order focused on nation building through monumental projects, whereas the New Order emphasised social welfare through economic growth. Gradually, these contrasting discourses interacted and contributed to the objectivation of concrete as the dominant material and construction method in post-independence Indonesian architecture. Developmental discontinuity under the Old Order (1959-1966) generated modernity arising from economic constraints but marked by innovation through unprecedented concrete applications. In contrast, the New Order (1966-1981) produced modernity characterised by efficiency, utilisation of local materials, and social empathy amid economic surplus. Despite these differences, concrete construction technology persisted architecturally, bridging both regimes. The institutionalisation process thus represents a negotiated socio-technical transition rather than a linear diffusion of modern technology. This Indonesian case contributes to global Science and Technology Studies debates by offering a Southern perspective on how modern architecture materialises through historically and contextually contingent technological constructions.
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