Ko Plan Consulting, Bali, Indonesia
Interview with Diego Klat,
Founder of the Architectural Office KoPlan Consulting in Bali, Indonesia
“I am a Lebanese guy. I was born in Lebanon, but grew up in France since the age of five. So I got two kinds of brains: My oriental brain, that is adjustable with cows and maybe not too respectful with regulations - better to ask for forgiveness than for permission [laughs]. And I got the other one that is set for the western world: kind, scheduled, organised, …”
Diego Klat, an expat living in Bali, was fed up with French administration after ten years of working as an independent architect in Paris. Therefore he moved to Indonesia with his family and founded the architectural office KoPlan Consulting in 2009. Started with two Indonesian architects, the office counts five permanent employees today. Together with a team of professional consultants, particularly recruited for each new project, the company plans and builds about eight projects per year.
In the following interview, you can read Diego’s very honest and personal answers to my questions about his work in Bali and furthermore the career and life as an architect.
Why did you move to Bali?
I was 45, working in Paris and I was reaching a point that I could not get through. Public orders were really hard to catch, even open competitions. When I was a younger architect, it was not easy to take part in those “open” contests as there were so many requirements: you had to have an office with about five graduated architects, an annual volume of sales of about one million euros and references to similar projects. So how do you get that, when you never get that? It was the lack of opportunities and the strict regulation system in France that made me move to Bali.
Besides the difficulties with regulations in France, what is different to the work as an architect in Paris?
Mostly I was doing private projects like residential buildings, offices or restaurants in Paris. Also I worked together with many different architects and often worked on the technical parts of the projects. We did a lot of renovation and restoration jobs so that is how I built up strong knowledge in maintenance of buildings, insulation efficiency and to change, optimise or upgrade a building to the clients needs. Basically I erased all the mistakes that my fellow students back from university might have done as architects. In Bali I can work more freely. We do all kind of projects as there is way less administration. Also I can try out and do some other projects like designing furniture - getting a prototype done is extremely cheap here.
The Office in Kerobokan, Bali - designed by KoPlan Consulting.
The Office KoPlan Consulting The Architect's Desk One of Diego's Furniture Prototypes Pinboard Where the plans are finished...
On your website you say you are providing a combination of Balinese and Western architecture, how can I picture that?
Tropical areas like Bali are what they are: tropical. When it rains, it rains heavily. When it is hot, it is very hot. So my idea is to capture some solutions that the Balinese came up with, for example how to cool down the building the most efficient way without electricity, and try to mix them with a very strict and optimised layout, adding a “French” aesthetic.
Villa Bengawan: a classic balinese style villa, situated on a terraced site. Very open public area joglos next to the pool and two secluded private houses with two bedrooms and bathrooms each.
Villa Bengawan Outdoor Living Room Outdoor Dining Area Master Bedroom Bathroom Entrance Gate
Does your office have a leading concept?
My style, if I can say so, is classic modern architecture. The idea is to give two directions to my work: the meaning and the context. A project needs to be meaningful. Context friendly, inexpensive and efficient of course. But beauty lies within efficiency. Bali is one of the biggest villa-style markets so the competition is very strong. You need to come up with something people expect but at the same time create something a little bit new and different from other projects. As an extra, like the cherry on the cake, I like to give the building flexibility within its age.
Talking about context, do you have a favourite material?
The fantastic thing in Indonesia is that there are plenty of materials, especially when it comes to different types of wood and stone. And because I am concerned about ecology, I like to use material that is related to the area as much as I can. Harming the environment and costs coming with transportation is just one part but you are also going to be out of context when using non-native materials. But we have so much diversity here so it is really easy to find the right one.
Villa Bajawan: A two-storey villa, where you can see the mixture of open balinese style with european, classic modernism.
Villa Bajawan Open Living Room Pool Terrace Kitchen Master Bedroom Children's Bedroom
About the career and life as an architect
What was your motivation for your career choice? Were there alternatives or other career aspirations?
In France you need to get the Baccalauréat to be able to go to university. I got that by surprise, as I was not supposed to get it in the first place. So I kind of panicked because I needed to do something. I started with two years of dentistry - and failed brilliantly. Then one year of economics, but I was not feeling settled. I am really curious and when I tried architecture it was the first time that my thirst got filled. I like every part of the profession as an architect: the master planning, the philosophy, the arguing, … - I learned fast, was trained at two different offices, but soon set up my own office. I did not want to work for somebody else the whole time. I had to work hard and got my hands dirty but I was completely independent.
Do you get rich as an architect, especially being independent and leading your own office?
No, I do not think so. You can live a good life but unless you move to development projects you will not earn extraordinary much.
Examples of Furniture Design by Diego Klat.
Couch Table designed by Diego "The cheapest shelf I've ever done" New materials - old, classy looks
Do you, as an architect, plan your own house? If yes, are you ever satisfied?
Yes. I have planned one for my wife and one for me. Am I satisfied? I have faced that question before. There are two kinds of architects: The one who builds and the one who draws. You have to decide who you are. Every house is a prototype and if you make it flexible enough you can always adapt and update it to your needs. Otherwise you have to sell the old house and build a new one. But anyway you have to decide what kind of architect you want to be. The drawing will never be finished and there is always something that could be changed or improved. But if you are not able to close a drawing in a specific timeframe then do not build, work for others.
Villa Padawan: Right next to the office, originally built for Diego and his family, also he designed most of the furniture; nowadays you can rent the four bedroom villa for holidays.
Villa Padawan - Balinese Joglo Style Master Bedroom Master Bathroom Children's Bedroom Guestroom Open Living and Dining Joglo
Why do so many architects wear black? Does that apply to you? [wearing white]
In my opinion it was a certain part of society in western countries that used to wear black. Priests, lawyers, judges, … - architects wanted to get into that prestigious group. Another point, that we all know, is that it makes people look slimmer than they actually are. Still, me personally I wear white everyday because it is just less hot in the Balinese sun. But during the weekend I dress different and more casual.
Why do we need architects?
The answer is very easy: Beauty and harmony are qualities that we need all the time.
Kommentare