M Modern office buildings today serve not only as containers for humanactivities but also as mediums for architectural communication through symbolsembedded in their form. this study explores how islamic symbols and values areinterpreted within the architectural context of menara 165, a prominent modern officebuilding located in the business district of tb simatupang, south jakarta. thebuilding is known not only for its iconic tower silhouette but also for its “1–6–5”philosophy, which refers to the concepts of tawhid, the six pillars of faith, and thefive pillars of islam. this research aims to understand how these symbols areperceived by three groups of spatial users: tenants/workers (t1–t2), buildingmanagers (p1–p2), and general users or visitors (u1–u2). a descriptive qualitativeapproach was used, with in-depth interviews serving as the primary method of datacollection. preliminary findings showed that each informant group had a differentway of interpreting the islamic symbols embedded in menara 165. building managersviewed the structure as a representation of spiritual vision and an attempt to embed anarrative of da’wah within a modern business environment. for tenants and dailyworkers, symbolic meaning emerged from their everyday experiences—such as thecalm atmosphere, the polite behavior of building users and staff, and the ease ofaccessing prayer facilities. meanwhile, users who do not work regularly in thebuilding perceived the symbolism mainly through visual elements such as the lafadzallah at the top of the tower and the tower form itself. they also acknowledged aspatial atmosphere that feels more peaceful and orderly compared to other officebuildings. when linked to relph and lynch’s concept of place identity, menara 165demonstrates its ability to strengthen the area’s identity through a landmark that isboth visually recognizable and emotionally meaningful. from charles jencks’perspective on symbolic architecture, the building presents a form of double coding:it appears as a modern office building while subtly conveying religious values.overall, this study highlights that islamic symbols do not need to appear explicitly inorder to convey meaning. through its architectural form, spatial atmosphere, and thesocial behavior of its users, menara 165 embodies islamic values in an elegant,contextual, and relevant manner aligned with contemporary urban businessenvironments.