FuturArc Exchange and Exhibitions (FEX) | 2Q 2024

Between the time spent working on projects, architects need to continuously update their knowledge about design strategies and building technologies. One such avenue to do so is by attending FEX events that are held in major cities across the Indonesian archipelago. FEX invites architects, designers and construction industry practitioners to showcase notable projects and exchange ideas for a Greener built environment—learning from the diversity of contexts and design solutions throughout the country.

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Date 19 January 2024
Audience Batam
Venue Swiss-Belhotel Harbour Bay
Technology reviews Vania; Super Teknik
Supported by Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia (IAI) Kepulauan Riau

Connecting the built environment’s historic ‘vessels’ with present-day needs is what Supriyanto of Almatra Buana attempted to achieve in the renewal of the Tanjungpinang old town in the Riau Islands Province. The area was once a busy maritime hub with shophouses and markets near the seashore. Following many decades of gradual decline, it faced urgent problems such as frequent coastal flooding, abandoned ‘rotting’ buildings plagued by mould, a lack of pedestrian connectivity and illegal parking—problems that caused it to become a dead town, especially at night.

In order to formulate solutions to these problems, Almatra Buana has thoroughly analysed the area’s issues and potentials. Working with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, they proposed and constructed drainages in strategic areas that managed to reduce flooding by approximately 80 per cent in the past year. After many consultations with stakeholders, the abandoned shophouses were rejuvenated and transformed into a culinary street with a night market, which has become a popular local destination.

Arief Isrefidianto of AI-CTLA Studio presented his work for the improvement of the Muhammadiyah vocational school building complex in Kotagede, Yogyakarta with a guiding concept of increasing connectivity between disparate buildings. The firm mapped, 3D-modelled and studied the existing buildings in the complex to identify priority areas of development. They then introduced several bridging corridors to allow for better connectivity between the school’s key functions, including the administration centre, the mechanical laboratories and workshops as well as the classrooms.

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Date 26 January 2024
Audience Yogyakarta
Venue Grand Tjokro Hotel
Technology reviews TACO; Wadja Inti Mulia
Supported by IAI Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta

Pandya Praditya of Studio PAPA often designs residences for young couples, which he enjoys as it brings “new experience and energy” to the practice. For example, A House is a residence that is dominated by the colour white for its exterior and interior, reflecting the client’s wish for a clean and uncluttered dwelling. The three-storey house is equipped with large openings towards its courtyard, a skylight to optimise natural lighting and voids that connect between different floors. This fluid spatial design helps keep the family close as they go about their daily activities.

Bondan Prihastomo of BPA Studio began his presentation with a retelling of an event that has shaped his philosophy and practice to this day: the 5.9-Richter scale earthquake in Yogyakarta in 2006. There were more than 5,000 lives claimed by the disaster, with over 170,000 houses completely or significantly destroyed, and another 250,000 houses experiencing minor to moderate damage. “The homes that were supposed to be our spaces of sanctuary turned into our most dangerous killers,” he said. One contributing factor to that scale of destruction was how homes in the country were often built without adequate architectural supervision.

This led Bondan to establish Belajar Arsitektur, a community to share insights on better building practices. By educating the general public along with professionals/students, he hopes to make architectural knowledge more accessible and drive home the importance of creating better, safer buildings for everyone.

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Date 16 February 2024
Audience Balikpapan
Venue Swiss-Belhotel Balcony City
Technology reviews Sun Power; Servvo; PT Erima Akses Mandiri
Exhibitor Kayu Asri
Supported by IAI Balikpapan

In his presentation, Benny Dhanio of Byma Arsihas seeks to define what tropical architecture means across various contexts, be it high-rise towers in the city centre or ‘boutique’ projects in the countryside. Throughout the project examples, he identified several characteristics of tropical buildings that can be adapted in various ways: balconies for self-shading, a porous envelope or ‘second skin’ and a roof that leaves room for air circulation with wide-hanging eaves. These strategies are applied in projects such as Katta Coffee and Clubhouse Fina in Balikpapan.

Agung Rudianto of deAMAYA Studio also adopts similar climate-appropriate strategies throughout their projects, including Insan Cendekia Madani school compex in South Tangerang. The architecture includes porous bricks for natural ventilation, deep balconies for circulation and a set-back mass on the ground floor that makes it well shaded and protected against rain.

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Date 23 February 2024
Audience Medan
Venue Grand Mercure Medan Angkasa
Technology reviews in-Lite; TACO
Supported by IAI Sumatera Utara

Practising architecture is an adventure, according to Isag Nabela Praditya of CASA Architect who dubs himself as an ‘archventurer’. Aside from handling projects for clients, Isag is also active at Studio Dokumentasi Arsitektur (SDa), documenting the historic traces of architecture in Indonesia. Some of the buildings in Riau Province that the studio has documented include Istana Kerajaan Gunung Salihan, once the seat of power for a 300-year-old kingdom with wooden structures that had been rebuilt in 2014, and Masjid Jami Air Tiris that has stood since 1901.

Showcasing in detail his firm’s residential projects in Medan, Romon Sianipar of Imaji Studio compared the initial designs with the as-built homes, which sometimes underwent adjustments according to the availability of materials or client’s preferences. For example, in Rumah Bapak Dian, a screen wall made out of porous bricks was changed into sunshading fins, which allowed for better views to the surrounding panorama.

[This is an excerpt. Subscribe to the digital edition or hardcopy to read the complete article.]

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Read more stories from FuturArc 2Q 2024: In-between Spaces!