Re-published 30 March 2020
Architect, Passionate leader and humane friend to many around the world, Architect Ahmad Djuhara left this world on 27 March 2020 amid the global COVID-19 outbreak.
Ahmad Djuhara was born the elder of two brothers in November 1966 in Jakarta, Indonesia. His education led him to Bandung to Parahyangan Catholic University Bandung (1985-1991). Djuhara honed his leadership qualities here on student committees as the President of the student body at that time. In 1988-89 he met his future wife Wendy Djuhara who was also studying architecture. This union was to last a lifetime, from their student days to working partnership, to travelling around the world to see the best architecture and befriending great architects. Djuhara possessed such charismatic enigma that made each one of his friends around the world feel like his best friend.
Djuhara and his wife raised two kids together who followed both parents into the architectural profession. Their elder daughter Najda Djuhara graduated from his alma mater, Parahyangan Catholic University. Their younger son Fikra Djuhara is studying architecture at Pelita Harapan University, in Jakarta.
Djuhara started his career in Jakarta working for a foreign firm based in Jakarta, where he developed his keen attention to architectural details. He decided to leave the firm some years later due to the financial crisis in Indonesia. He applied what he developed during his early career to great effect in some residential projects commissioned by his uncle.
These commissions led to his fame as the architect of the Sugiharto Steel House which was extensively published and gave him recognition. He did a series of steel construction houses that led to his fame as a “low-cost steel houses warrior”, a specialist in affordable residential buildings.
His passionate pursuit of architecture as a profession with his friends who formed Indonesia Young Architects (AMI) later led to his election as the President of IAI 2015-2018. It was during this time through his interaction with ARCASIA and with architectural organisations around Southeast Asia that the world started to take notice. He was re-elected as the President of IAI for a second term in 2018.
Sadly, we lost this self-professed “Jakarta boy” at the peak of his life. He has left his friends and loved ones in shock at his sudden departure from this world. In his passing Indonesia lost an excellent and passionate Architect and ARCASIA lost a wonderful leader and dear friend.
- by Imm. Past President Jahangir Khan
Errata: The previous version of the obituary stated that Ar. Djuhara was lost to coronavirus. This was not accurate since the cause of his death has not been announced at the time of writing. The last paragraph has been corrected accordingly.