J Jakarta's history cannot be separated from the influence of the Dutch and their three-and-halfcenturies of occupation and, as a consequence, they left their mark throughout architecture inIndonesia. This influence is most prevalent in the area of old town Jakarta where, in the fifteenth century,there was a bustling city of trade. Initially, however, the Dutch settlers were obstinate in building their European structures in an effort to impose their conquest on the local population. During the history of the Dutch, colonial architecture developed rapidly in the city of Batavia, which was to becomemodern Jakarta. Government buildings from the Dutch era were built as a foundation in the middle of Batavia city. At the time, the Dutch built their structures without regard for the local climate, therefore the buildings were not comfortable to live in during seasonal temperature fluctuations. In the following seventeenth century, colonial architecture incoporated elements of indigenous architecture, especially Javanese design conventions. During this period, Javanese dwellings were already well adapted to the equatorial weather. The arriving colonists began to include more windows, higher roofs, vents and lattice fins in their construction efforts after learning from the native populace.This study is an investigation on using these historic construction techniques to help minimize the expenditure of energy on artificial climate control in modern dwellings. To increase the energy efficiciency of homes today, we can use innovative ideas from colonial times.This will allow us to learn from times past from the Dutch colonials who, in turn, learned from the architecture developed by the indigenous population to suit the equatorial climate. Recovering these clever construction techniques from the pages of history will allow us to learn from the past and subsequently recall the pride of our country