Tan Tjiang Ay attended architecture study in ITB, then UNPAR, but dropped out at 1960. The reason was not economical issue nor architectural prowess. While he was a student, Pak Tan and Mr. Sandy Siregar used to visit architects works such as Sujudi’s. Together they crawl on building’s attic with curiosity to study its construction. Apart from Sujudi’s, their findings on several buildings usually contentious, such as revealed unsafe construction and illogical structure. This controversial observation oftentimes gotten him into trouble and bad scores. He finally leave campus on accord of these persistent disagreement with his teacher. He simply, If one could made assumption, having disbelief towards academia at the time.
Pak Tan decided to take on his own carrer without degree, but fully understood his handicapping condition at the time. He eventually join a firm formed by his friend for 12 years. It was too long, as he said, to made something for someone. With only one employee, he established his own firm; The Office of Tan Tjiang Ay Architects in 1982 and still working under this name till now.
OMAH Akademi 