Stupa House

A stupa describes a hemispherical and often truncated mound-like shape in traditional architecture, with one of the most popular examples in Indonesia being Borobudur Temple and its array of ‘perforated’ masonry.¹ Similar ideas of a grand yet ‘airy’ structure informed this residential architecture in Tangerang’s sweltering climate, where the average maximum temperature is around 35 degrees Celsius² with a humidity averaging 70 per cent.³

The design was initially conceived in an understated industrial style. However, the client wanted a shift to a more ‘familial’ home that could foster emotional comfort and cohesion among the users. Hence, with the aim of creating bright but adequately cool spaces for daily activity, the architects devised pyramidal ‘stupas’ as a distinctive roof feature, which serve to modulate the dwelling’s microclimate.

STUPAS FOR NATURAL THERMAL COMFORT AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The architectural features and the layout of Stupa House have been designed to significantly improve thermal comfort and energy efficiency, adapting to the local climate. During the design process, extensive environmental modelling analyses were carried out—these focused on both thermal comfort and energy efficiency of the house to optimise its performance. Such studies resulted in the team strategically adjusting the operational and spatial parameters of the house, including carefully sizing the rooms so that they can be efficiently cooled to minimise energy consumption.

There are six stupa-shaped skylights placed throughout the home, allowing for all bedrooms, bathrooms and even service areas to receive ample daylighting and cross ventilation—which are essential to decrease humidity, especially during the rainy months. The construction detail of these skylights was created through a series of experiments by lead craftsman Edy Bahtiar, who has tested its functionality in previous projects, including RAW Architecture’s own studio.

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) thermal analysis indicates that the inner temperatures of Stupa House was effectively reduced to around 26–28 degrees Celsius—without the use of air-conditioning or fans—at a modelled outdoor ambient temperature of 33–35 degrees. Based on predictive models, the household will be able to reduce approximately 20 per cent in energy consumption by making use of natural light and passive cooling.

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PROJECT DATA

Read more stories from FuturArc 4Q 2024: Tempering Temperatures!

¹ UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Borobudur Temple Compounds. “Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. The monument was restored with UNESCO’s help in the 1970s.” https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/592/
² Suhu Udara Menurut Bulan di Kota Tangerang (Celsius), 2022-2023 https://tangerangkota.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/2/MTgyIzI=/suhu-udara-menurut-bulan-di-kota-tangerang.html
³ Kelembaban Menurut Bulan di Kota Tangerang (Persen), 2022-2023 https://tangerangkota.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/2/MTgzIzI=/kelembaban-menurut-bulan-di-kota-tangerang.html