Designing of the Plantation Museum of PT Bakrie Sumatera Plantations Tbk. in Kisaran, Asahan with a Colonial Architecture Approach

Abstract

The declining interest of younger generations in learning history in Indonesia has become a critical issue, largely influenced by the dominance of conventional teaching methods that rely on rote memorization and one-way lectures, resulting in low student engagement and weak historical literacy outcomes. This condition is reflected in Indonesia’s below-average performance in international historical literacy assessments. In this context, museums emerge as strategic alternative educational media that offer inclusive, participatory, and multisensory learning experiences capable of fostering emotional and contextual connections with history. One historically rich yet underexplored narrative is the development of large-scale plantation systems during the colonial period, particularly in Asahan Regency, with Kisaran as its administrative center. This region represents a comprehensive microcosm of Indonesia’s plantation history, encompassing colonial transformation, post-independence industrial shifts, and contemporary agribusiness continuity, while simultaneously facing the rapid degradation of its physical heritage. This study aims to formulate the establishment of a Plantation Museum in Kisaran as a space for preserving collective memory and delivering contextual historical education. The design approach is grounded in the concepts of new museology, Pierre Nora’s lieu de mémoire, and the principles of critical conservation, employing a critical reinterpretation of colonial architecture to construct a dialogue between past and present. The museum is conceived as a Mult perspective, non-hierarchical narrative space integrating digital technologies, sustainable architectural principles, and universal design. Furthermore, it functions as a catalyst for local creative economic regeneration, particularly through the integration of heritage-based industries such as Bunut Shoes. Ultimately, the Plantation Museum in Kisaran is envisioned not only as a heritage preservation institution but also as a transformative educational platform and an innovative model for sustainable thematic museum development in Indonesia.