ALTA Integra Wins the Mandiri University Design Competition for Acoustics, Lighting and AV
Three disciplines awarded to one consultant on a single campus — against bidders from Singapore and Indonesia's larger firms.
In late 2017 ALTA Integra won a design competition to serve as acoustic, audiovisual and lighting consultant for Mandiri University, a new corporate campus Bank Mandiri was building on a 4-hectare site in the Wijaya Kusuma Complex, West Jakarta. Competing against consultants from Singapore and other established Indonesian firms, ALTA Integra took all three disciplines on the project rather than one — which is the part that mattered, because acoustics, lighting and AV interact on exactly the surfaces and control systems where a split appointment produces conflict.
Project at a Glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Client | Bank Mandiri |
| Site | 4 hectares, Wijaya Kusuma Complex, West Jakarta |
| Architect | Duta Cermat Mandiri (DCM), local partner of Denton Corker Marshall (Australia) |
| Design theme | Green building, with tight design constraints on energy and water use |
| ALTA Integra scope | Acoustics, audiovisual and lighting consulting |
| Competition | Won in late 2017 against Singaporean and Indonesian consultants |
Why Bank Mandiri Built a Corporate University
The ASEAN Economic Community opened a market of more than 600 million people to local companies, supported by free movement of goods, services and investment. That opportunity is only capturable by organisations with the human capital to serve it — which makes it a competitive threat as much as an opening for any bank without that capability.
With an ambition to become a prominent bank across ASEAN, Bank Mandiri treated professional development as strategic rather than administrative, on the view that lifelong learning is what prepares capable bankers and future leaders for a changing business environment. Mandiri University was built to serve that, designed by Duta Cermat Mandiri — local partner of the Australian architecture firm Denton Corker Marshall — around a green building theme with tight constraints on energy and water consumption.
Facade Lighting: Brand Expression as an Urban Landmark
For Mandiri University, ALTA Integra's team proposed a communicative facade lighting solution to express Bank Mandiri's brand identity. Driven by a dynamic linear control system, the scheme resembles a golden liquid flowing continuously inward — a visual metaphor for continuous learning as part of the bank's corporate culture, rather than decorative lighting applied to a finished elevation.
The scheme was also designed to present the architecture as an identifiable landmark in West Jakarta's night-time cityscape, which is a different design problem from illuminating a building: it requires deciding what the building should read as from a distance, at night, in motion.
Lecture Hall AV: Smart Glass and Integrated Lighting Control
The audiovisual proposal for Mandiri University's lecture hall centres on smart glass with electrically switchable opacity, giving each panel dual function as either a window or a projection surface. Switched to screen mode, the glass shifts from transparent to opaque within seconds.
The AV system was specified to integrate with lighting control so that luminous intensity in the room drops automatically whenever the projector is in use. This is the practical argument for a single consultant holding all three disciplines: an automatic light-level response to a projector state requires the AV designer and the lighting designer to agree on a control protocol, a trigger and a target illuminance. Split across two appointments, that coordination is a change order; held by one, it is a design decision.
Why the Combined Award Mattered
The win remains a reference project for competitive, integrated acoustic, lighting and AV design on a large institutional campus — the combination ALTA Integra continues to apply on education, corporate and green building projects through its acoustic engineering and design practice. ALTA Integra also worked with Bank Mandiri on the Mandiri Club function hall at Plaza Mandiri. See the Mandiri University project case study for the completed campus.
FAQ
Who designed Mandiri University?
Mandiri University was designed by Duta Cermat Mandiri (DCM), the local partner of Australian architecture firm Denton Corker Marshall, with ALTA Integra appointed as acoustic, audiovisual and lighting consultant following a design competition in late 2017.
What did ALTA Integra's competition win cover?
All three of acoustic, audiovisual and lighting consulting for Mandiri University, including the facade lighting concept and lecture hall AV integration. Holding all three in one appointment is what allowed the AV and lighting control systems to be designed to interact.
What made the facade lighting design distinctive?
A dynamic linear lighting control system designed to resemble golden liquid flowing continuously inward, expressing continuous learning as part of Bank Mandiri's corporate culture while presenting the building as an identifiable landmark in West Jakarta's night-time cityscape.
How does the lecture hall smart glass work?
The glass has electrically switchable opacity, functioning as an ordinary window or shifting to an opaque projection surface within seconds. It is integrated with lighting control, so room illuminance drops automatically whenever the projector is in use.
Why did Bank Mandiri build its own corporate university?
To prepare capable bankers and leaders able to compete across the ASEAN Economic Community, a market of more than 600 million people, in line with the bank's ambition to become a prominent regional bank. Lifelong learning was treated as a strategic rather than administrative priority.
Does ALTA Integra work on institutional campus projects?
Yes. ALTA Integra provides integrated acoustic, lighting and audiovisual design for education, corporate and green building projects across Indonesia and Southeast Asia, including large institutional campuses such as Mandiri University.
This design approach is the same one ALTA Integra brings to education complex projects generally, not only competition entries.
