Located in Pantai Indah Kapuk 2, The Tabernacle Tent Church stands as a remarkable fusion of divine inspiration and human craftsmanship. Designed in the form of a rectangular core wrapped in a curvilinear skin to evoke the biblical tent, the building exudes both theological depth and architectural elegance. Indonesia Design was honoured to witness this extraordinary house of worship firsthand.
The Tabernacle Tent Church stands as a testament to both intricate architectural design and profound theological meaning. With its divinely inspired layout and rich symbolism, the structure holds a special place in the architectural and spiritual landscape—echoing the historical Tabernacle, which symbolised God’s desire to dwell amongst His people and establish a covenant. Designed by Ar. Julio Julianto, Joddy Jeremy, and Ir. Farina Taslim, the church adopts a modern minimalist approach, characterized by dominant curved lines enclosing the rectangular core. The arch, chosen as a symbol of eternity, warmth, and openness, creates an atmosphere that is inviting, peaceful, and sacred. The tent-shaped exterior is simple yet futuristic. It is elegant in its proportions and clean in its detailing. Through this design approach, the Tabernacle Tent Church becomes more than a place of worship. It is a contemplative sanctuary, blending architectural simplicity with an enduring sense of peace.
The Exterior Expression
The basic concept is inspired by the illustration of a “tent,” whose curving shape conveys lightness, energy, softness, and elegance. The tent-shaped building, with its white exterior, also serves as a prominent landmark, embodying the idea of a ‘shelter’ visible from afar. Openings on the east and west façades signify openness, welcoming the congregation into the worship space. These open entrances also create a secondary skin that closes downward, producing flowing, wave-like effects. Ultimately, this curved-line concept was applied to both the exterior and interior façades of the auditorium and chapels.
The primary worship space is on the seventh floor: a 5,000-seat hall with a twelve-metre ceiling. The design of this church auditorium, named The Altar of Incense Hall draws its name and inspiration from the church itself, Gereja Kemah Tabernakel, reinterpreting the Tabernacle in the Wilderness through contemporary architecture. The Bible records this sacred structure with extraordinary precision. Its Dimensions, materials, and fittings are treated here not as vague references but as patterns to study, extract, and translate into spatial form with care and reverence.
The First Layer: The Tabernacle Courtyard
The design unfolds in three conceptual layers. The first layer translates the courtyard of the biblical Tabernacle, the place where the congregation gathered. Its eastern gate, originally described with four pillars and three openings, is reinterpreted here as six ornamented pivot doors. The ornament follows the biblical description of finely woven linen and embroidery, highlighting the richness of the entrance in contrast to the surrounding plain walls. Inside, the hall is wrapped with earth-toned acoustic fabric and lined with wooden columns detailed with silver bands and bronze sockets, a modern interpretation of the courtyard hangings and fittings carefully recorded in Exodus. These details are reimagined as subtle lighting accents and softly illuminate the circulation.
Functional elements are likewise tied back to biblical references. The FOH booth adapts the form of the Brazen Altar, once described with horns and bronze mesh. The stage front is composed of horizontal lines whose detailing suggests the basin of the Laver, while discreetly incorporating an accessibility ramp. At the rear, the backdrop recalls the biblical Tabernacle itself, where the congregation once turned in worship. Its five pillars and four curtains are reinterpreted as four openings with pivot doors, which, when opened, frame the sea and sky as a living curtain, allowing shifting light and color to become part of the worship setting.
The Second Layer: The Cloud and the Covering
The second layer rises overhead in the ceiling, drawing from the biblical account of the cloud and fire that sheltered the people in Exodus. It is envisioned as a flowing canopy, fluid and luminous like clouds at sunset or the slow movement of flame.
While it is dramatic in expression, its structure is grounded in the precise proportions of the biblical Tabernacle interior. Twenty-two vertical layers on each side reinterpret the side and corner boards, six layers the rear boards, and ten layered ceilings the inner linen covering. Additional bands follow the biblical description of wooden bars that bound the boards together, here unifying the geometry and guiding the gaze toward the stage. The wooden lines, shaped and angled with widths narrowing towards the ends, create a gradation that evokes rolling fire and layered sunset clouds. At the same time, their geometry diffuses and absorbs sound, helping the hall achieve its target reverberation time while reinforcing the rhythm of the canopy. As light moves across the surface, the layered ceiling shifts in tone and shadow. At its ends, the form dissolves into a darkened void that conceals modern systems while suggesting a spatial depth beyond the visible.
The Third Layer: Earthly Shadow, Heavenly Reality
The third conceptual layer draws from both the Tabernacle in Exodus and the heavenly vision of Revelation. Exodus records God’s command to Moses to build according to the pattern shown on the mountain, later described in Hebrews as a shadow of heavenly reality, while Revelation expands this into a throne surrounded by living creatures, elders, light, and colour.
The stage backdrop reinterprets the Tabernacle’s pillars and curtains while suggesting the four living creatures of Revelation. When opened, the doors reveal the subtle silhouette of three crosses, echoing the Holy Trinity. Twenty-four spotlights symbolize the elders, seven front lights represent the spirits before the throne, and diffusers recall the eyes around the throne. Horizontal ceiling slits, originally conceived as visual connectors, create lightning silhouettes, referencing Revelation’s imagery. At the center, the cross stands directly before the podium. Materials and colors evoke biblical motifs: wilderness ground, sea of glass, and jeweled tones surrounding the throne. The custom carpet translates these themes into texture and color underfoot. Together, these elements move the design from the literal courtyard of Exodus to the layered symbolism of Revelation, forming a continuum from earth to heaven. “For this reason, we did not treat the Tabernacle as a vague reference or poetic metaphor. We went to enormous lengths to study and incorporate the details recorded in Scripture, because they are not just architectural curiosities; they are patterns. They were given with such precision and detail that if God Himself recorded them with care in the Bible, then it becomes our duty—my duty as the designer—to study them to my utmost capacity and interpret them with grace and reverence.” Explains Joddy. One of the designers of the church is Jeremy Widjaja.
Constructed with a steel frame and clad in parametric steel plates forming an arch, the chapel’s interior features hardwood ceiling fins that curve gently, resembling a door in motion, before unfolding to reveal a panoramic sea view.
The curved lines serve not only as an aesthetic element but also as a spiritual metaphor for the dynamic human journey. It is protected by the wooden fins, like a fence, under God’s presence. The architecture encourages natural, flowing movement, while symbolic elements such as the altar, pulpit, and cross are imbued with deep spiritual meaning.
The design of both the chapel and baptistry is intentionally simple and uncluttered, embodying sacredness, meditation, contemplation, and a serene modern minimalism.
A Respectable Collaboration in Designing and Executing an Outstanding Auditorium
The GKT PIK2 Auditorium was designed with a biblical philosophy expressed in a monumental scale and ideal proportions, artistic curved formations, and detailed arches at each connection, right down to the choice of colours and materials. The design of the auditorium and chapel needs to be done by a professional contractor who understands the technical aspects of the work to realise the designer’s concept, reasonable budgeting, and implementation time according to the project schedule. The contractor needs to understand and answer the designer’s vision in the reality of the construction work right down to the finishing details.
This collaboration begins at the planning stage, where designers and contractors sit together to align the design with field conditions and technical needs. With excellent synergy between designers and contractors, the GKT PIK2 Auditorium is not only a prayer and meeting space but also a spiritual architectural icon that presents a place of worship that is sacred, comfortable, and peaceful. The interior aesthetics and overall precision of the work provide a calm and solemn atmosphere that supports activities during worship.