Gubeng bridge in Surabaya, a dutch architect c. citroen’s work in the 1925 Paris exhibition

Abstract

A Dutch architect Cosman Citroen (1881–1935) is recognized as one of the well-known architects in the Netherlands Indies or Indonesia nowadays. After leaving his job as an architect assistant in the architectural firm of B.J. Ouendag in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Citroen moved to Surabaya, Indonesia where he became a municipal architect. Here, he turned out to be a versatile architect whose projects range from furniture to town planning and from architectural designs to civil constructions. Discussion on Dutch colonial architecture in this city cannot be separated from his works. One of them was Gubeng Bridge that won an award at the 1925 Paris Exhibition. By using a combination of historical, descriptive, and archival methods, this paper reveals how initially Citroen involved in this civil project, how it was designed and built, which award is obtained, and why it could win the award. The result shows that design of the bridge is in accordance with the exhibition theme, namely Art Deco, and reflects the high aesthetic value of a civil construction.