Application Study of Art Deco Style to Buildings at Teluk Betung, Bandar Lampung

Abstract

One of the key draws of a city's tourism is its unique identity, with history being a significant factor in shaping that identity. The history of a city was implied by the presence of buildings with historical value. Teluk Betung was one of the old town areas rich in historical value. Teluk Betung functioned as the capital of the Lampung residency during the Dutch colonial period. Thus, there were colonial-style buildings, including the art deco style. Based on that, it is necessary to conduct a study on “The Application of Art Deco Style in Teluk Betung, Bandar Lampung”. This research was qualitative, using historical methodology with heuristic, critique, and interpretation steps. The study began by determining the research area boundaries based on previous studies, then defining the art deco-style buildings in Teluk Betung. The results, identified 11 art deco-style buildings. Precedents were taken from art deco-style buildings on Braga Street, Bandung. The findings of this study were: (a) The use of art deco decorations in Teluk Betung was minimal, unlike in Braga, which was rich, detailed and heavy art deco ornamentation; (b) there were ornaments that differed from those in Braga, such as the use of flat, 2-dimensional geometric square elements, while in Braga, the decorative elements were 3-dimensional and protruding; (c) On corner buildings, most had segmented and rigid turns, with only a few having streamlined, curved corners. Meanwhile, in Braga, most corner buildings had streamlined turns; (d) Horizontal line elements stood out in the art deco-style buildings in Teluk Betung, whereas in Braga, horizontal lines were not as prominent as they were. Overall, the art deco characteristics that were strongly attached to the buildings in the Teluk Betung Area were geometric deco, horizontal straight-line deco, streamlined deco, and a few ornamental deco elements.