Following Indonesia’s independence from the Dutch in 1945, the country underwent a nation-building process aimed at reshaping national identity, with architecture serving as a crucial medium for articulating postcolonial ambitions. This thesis examines the work of Han Awal, a pioneering architect whose career spanned Indonesia’s two major political regimes, the Old Order under President Sukarno and the New Order under President Suharto. Rather than aligning fully with either regime’s architectural ideologies, Han Awal emerges in this study as an individual agent navigating the nuanced and often contradictory landscape of postcolonial architectural production. His work challenged dominant narratives of modernisation by advocating for the conservation of colonial and vernacular architecture at a time when the state often prioritised development over preservation.

This thesis examines Han Awal’s introduction of a counter-hegemonic discourse that positioned conservation as a tool of cultural reclamation rather than nostalgic reverence, with a particular focus on his restoration of Gedung Arsip Nasional. In order to place Han Awal’s practice within larger conversations on architectural identity, memory, and state ideology, I conducted an in-depth interview with Yori Antar, Han Awal’s son and architect, as well as using architectural plans, archival materials, and other sources.

This thesis aims to demonstrate how conservation, when rooted in local context and historical awareness, can play a transformative role in shaping a pluralistic and inclusive national architectural identity in Indonesia.