Niuweu Bowen Architecture Style toward City Visual Quality

Abstract

This study conducts to explore and identify the development journey of Niuweu Bowen architecture in Medan. This architecture developed in the Netherlands is in line with the development of Modern Architecture in Europe. Its evolution is inseparable from the Industrial Revolution that hit European countries at that time. With patterns and forms that are no longer the same as the architecture of the previous period (Renaissance Architecture), this architecture has spread to various corners of the world. Indonesia, which became a Dutch colony, also felt this influence entering the architectural formations in Indonesia. The most prominent derivative is a part of the building that elevate likes a tower but is not too high from the main building. This study aims to identify the forms and characteristics of this architecture in Medan city which can add to the visual quality of the city. The study location is in Medan city, especially where there are relics of the Dutch colonial buildings. The method used is descriptive qualitative and quantitative to describe and examine the facts contained in the field and analyze them with the theories used. The results obtained are that the architecture has the same essence as Modern Architecture but is different from the play of forms and building facades. Windows, ornament, decoration, and towers have a correlation with visual quality. The presence of buildings in the Niuweu Bouwen style can add to the visual quality of the city through the facade of the building appears.