the birth of the new indies style was related with the introduction of new building material, the rise of modernism and the introduction of the agrarian law of 1870 in java. the new law opened java to foreigners, enabling them to establish private enterprises in the dutch east indies. a new type of buildings, developments and standards have to be implemented in the dutch east indies. the colonial government, under the "departement voor burgerlijke openbare werken" (public works department), developed new standards for the construction of buildings - such as hospitals, schools, town halls, post offices, and other public utilities - to consider local (tropical) climate as a mean to reduce the cost of building construction and maintenance cost. one of the earliest example is the harbour master's office in semarang from early 19th-century example.