Jakarta, Indonesia

American Prize for Architecture laureates Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, together with PT. Paramita Abirama Istasadhya, have designed Jakarta’s new landmark Autograph Tower, which takes its place alongside another KPF high-rise, Luminary Tower marking the latest milestone in the construction of the Thamrin Nine mixed-use development.

The new 383-meter tall, mixed-use Autograph Tower commissioned by Thamrin 9, PT Putragaya Wahana establishes an iconic presence on the city skyline while advancing the new district’s position as a dynamic center of commerce and cultural activity.

The most visible elements of Thamrin Nine, the two towers occupy a prominent site in the city, located between the Old City to the north – including one of Jakarta’s most significant historic venues, the iconic Bundaran Hi Monument – and the city’s Central Business District to the south.

Standing above neighboring high-rise buildings, Autograph and Luminary Towers are significant additions to the Jakarta skyline, with Autograph Tower ranking as the city’s first supertall at 383 meters – taller than New York City’s Empire State Building – making it the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. The three buildings step up in height from the low-level retail podium, to the 300-meter Luminary Tower, and culminate at Autograph Tower.

Layered like vertical cities, both towers integrate a range of public and private functions including office, hotel, retail, cultural, hospitality, academic, athletic, and public space. Four illuminated observation decks cantilever off the glass structures, addressing key landmarks and establishing a significant presence in the city.

The tower crowns also feature dramatic public observation decks with restaurants, as well as semiprivate spaces serving the luxury hotel and residential spaces on their upper floors.

“Our towers at Thamrin 9 amalgamate the concept of live/work/play as an urban model of living,” said Daniel Dadoyan, KPF Director.

“A densely-stacked podium comprises a variety of leisure spaces and connects Autograph and Luminary Towers. Both buildings contain Class A office space, serviced apartments, luxury hotels, and public space.”

“An occupiable spire in Autograph Tower offers a unique, intimately scaled observation space that commands stunning views of the city from the tallest tower in Jakarta.”

KPF’s towers integrate the large-scale, mixed-use development with the surrounding city fabric in a way that enhances the urban environment by addressing multiple urban scales, from the skyline, to the adjacent buildings, to the pedestrian streetscape.

Unlike other developments of this scale in Jakarta, the Autograph and Luminary Towers engage in a clear dialogue with the existing context on site – specifically the adjacent UOB Building – to form a unified complex that creates new public space in what otherwise would be considered urban voids. The “back” of the UOB Building’s podium becomes a “front” for a dynamic plaza, centrally located in the development.

The Autograph and Luminary Towers, and their mixed-use base, further enhance the integrated nature of the Thamrin Nine development, one of only a few mixed-use projects to encompass such a wide range of commercial and residential activities and spaces. In addition to KPF’s work, Thamrin Nine includes Le Parc, The Mansion, The Townhouse, and The Terraces all contributing different typologies.

Additionally, The Mews is an intimate and lively space for F&B and socializing defined by the varied edges of Autograph Tower and The Mansion.

The architecture of KPF’s Autograph and Luminary Towers is a direct response to the development’s position in the local context. Despite being sited behind a row of high-rise buildings along one of Jakarta’s main roads, the two towers present an identifiable skyline presence and a unity with the adjacent city fabric.

The towers’ signature architectural features are the expressed, illuminated volumes of the public observation decks and exhibition spaces, which gesture toward key landmarks in the city. The observation box at Autograph Tower looks toward Jakarta’s Central Business District and provides a skyline marker at the gateway to the city’s central Thamrin district, while the volume atop Luminary Tower points to the nearby Bundaran Hi, Jakarta’s primary public space.

The stepped massing of the towers and the heights of the observation boxes address the scale of the adjacent buildings.

At the streel level, the podium of Autograph Tower is expressed define a pedestrian scale as the tower meets the ground.

The voids also offer shaded semi-outdoor spaces which extend public uses such as restaurants, animating the streetscape. The expression of the tower as pin-wheeling glass planes breaks down its solidity and differentiates the facade through carefully positioned reveals.

The notion of connectivity for the public extends vertically to the iconic observation boxes, which offer expansive views of the city. In Autograph Tower, outdoor decks are situated at level 58 on top of the box, and on the terraces two floors below.

A “skywalk” projects beneath the box, setting up a dramatic open-air promenade for thrill-seekers, who will be tethered to the building as they view the city from a platform cantilevering 250 meters above the ground. Similarly, in Luminary Tower, levels 56 and 57 offer observation platforms situated within the clear glass box of the crown.

“Our design for the project as an integrated live, work, stay, play destination at the fundamental heart of Jakarta builds upon KPF’s experience creating place-centric mixed-use destinations around the world,” said Robert Whitlock, KPF Design Principal.

“With the unique mix of program types, the connections to public transportation and the provision of public open space, we think this project will advance the goal of furthering Jakarta’s place as one of the world’s great cities.”

Project: Autograph Tower
Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF)
Architects of Record: PT. Paramita Abirama Istasadhya
Client: Thamrin 9, PT Putragaya Wahana