Open to Nature

A development nestled in the greenery promotes living and working amidst nature.
by Lee Bee Luen

PROJECT DATA Project Name
LABO. the mori
Location
Bandung, Indonesia
Status
Construction
Expected Completion
2010
Site Area
1,070 m2
Gross Floor Area
300 m2
Number of Rooms
1 office unit, 6 apartment units, amphitheatre
Building Height
12 metres (maximum)
Client/Owner
Daniel A.M
Architecture Firm
LABO. Architecture+Design
Principal Architect
Nelly L. Daniel
Main Contractor
NA
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer
NA
Civil & Structural Engineer
NA
Images/Photos
Hamal O. Pangestu



The first thing that strikes you about the building is how airy and ‘light’ it is. Transparent glass ‘walls’ offer views to the surrounding greenery from the inside. Located in northern Bandung, LABO. the mori sits on a contoured land with a 16-metre gradient which faces a forest conservation valley. With the concept of living and working amidst nature, the mixed-use facility consists of six apartment units, an office and amphitheatre. Although it is a private development, it offers semi-public spaces for clients, students, creative workers, etc.



The idea was to avoid affecting the existing shape and vegetation of the site, especially the mahogany trees which are quite rare. As such, the different sections of the building were ‘spread out’ to follow the site contour, keeping both the outline of the land and trees intact.



The structure is built along a north-south axis, letting in all the light and air, minus the glare and heat. The green walls and roof gardens are not only visually appealing, but also help to lower ambient temperatures and improve the air quality. A large green area on the ground floor helps to prevent rainwater runoff. A reservoir collects rainwater for household needs as well as for watering the plants during dry spells. Natural materials such as wood, bamboo, bricks and other stones are used together with other materials such as glass and steel.



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PVC Pipe Shadow Play

PROJECT DATA Project Name
Modern Java House
Location
Jl. Mawar No. 35 Cipete Selatan, Jakarta, Indonesia
Completion
23 June 2008
Site Area
324 m²
Gross Floor Area
364 m²
Number of Rooms
5
Building Height
12 metres
Client/Owner
Ir. Donny Dwinanto
Architecture Firm
Hand Architect Associates (Pinot Architecture)
Principal Architect
Ir. Nehemia Budi Setyawan
Main Contractor
Yudi Hermawan
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer
Yudi Hermawan
Civil & Structural Engineer
Yudi Hermawan
Images/Photos
Hand Architect Associates (Pinot Architecture)



PVC pipes are used to mimic the traditional Indonesian batik motif in a modern Java house.

The house at number 35 Cipete Selatan, Jakarta, has a fascinating façade made up of cut PVC pipes of various diameters. This is the architect’s emblematic interpretation of the batik motif (the design achieved by the traditional Indonesian method of tie-dyeing); a representation of the modern Java house as requested by the owner.

The owner had wanted a modern dwelling that marries the ethnic primbon (Javanese astrology) and feng shui (the Chinese art of placing objects) practices, and the result is a home planned with consideration to the orientation and natural conditioning of the interior spaces. Punctuated throughout the living areas are ponds and a water pool in the centre of this abode.



Responding to the humid tropical climate, the architect employed mostly passive strategies of cooling, integrating water bodies and a double-volume open courtyard to encourage natural ventilation. This openness connects the family room and dining room. Inward looking, it offers a private sanctuary to the owner and his family. The PVC pipes that mimic the batik motifs act as a sustainable and affordable screen from the glaring afternoon sun at the entrance, creating shadow-patterns on the interior spaces. Local materials like stone, ceramic tiles and wood are extensively used on both interiors and exteriors.



This 364-square metre, five-room home gives priority to the common spaces like the central courtyard where the family meets to relax and rejuvenate. It even has a small pavilion-like structure at the courtyard. This feature has a characteristic Javanese tile roof with decorative upsweeping ridge ends. Four timber platforms seem to float over a large pond, crossing one another in the centre and connecting the four sides of the courtyard, linking the living areas of the lofty home. – Shahidah Bte Shahjihan/Candice Lim/Erwin Maulana

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Residing Under The Reigning Roof

PROJECT DATA
Project Name
Rumah Bangka No. 3
Location
Jl. Bangka Raya IX Kemang, Jakarta, Indonesia
Completion
August 2008
Site Area
250 m2
Gross Floor Area
250 m2
Number of Rooms
6
Building Height
2 storeys (1 mezzanine)
Client/Owner
Tantowi and Dewi Yahya
Architecture Firm
Desainrenanda
Principal Architect
Raul Renanda
Main Contractor
Basic structure by developers;
upgrading façade by Ismail;
interior by Nugroho Sani
Images/Photos
Raul Renanda



The architect draws inspiration from the roofs of vernacular Indonesian architecture for this townhouse development.

Rumah Bangka No. 3 is a townhouse in a housing development in Jakarta, and like many mass housing projects in the city, it was completed quickly within a tight timeline and a tighter budget. However, this particular house received a little more attention from the architect than the rest, thus making it just that bit more special.



This is because the owners of house No. 3 gave him the opportunity to further develop the design intent he originally had for the townhouses. Unlike the other houses in the scheme, which appear more plain due to cost constraint, house No. 3 has timber details added to the vertical fins, accompanied by an oddly angled aluminium sunscreen. These added features are intended to accentuate the dynamism of the design.




While modern vernacular was the reigning theme in the housing development, Raul Renanda acknowledges the passive strategies that vernacular Indonesian architecture provides, particularly the architecture of the roof. As seen in most Malay Archipelago countries, traditional houses and other buildings are dwarfed by their overwhelming roofs, whether they are the large boat-shaped roofs of the Toba Batak people or the tongkonan houses of the Torajans with their massively exaggerated pitched saddle roofs. The steep tile roofs of the townhouses, a generalised borrowing from the vernacular architecture, are a dependable solution, if not an immediate one, in the tropical climate. The open plan of the interiors allows for natural ventilation and, coupled with the high pitched roof, responds to the heat. The steep slopes deal with rain runoff during wet days, channelling the downpour to the sides of the homes, cooling the interiors with condensation. The glare of the morning sun is minimised with a large vertical fin that runs down the middle of the front façade. According to the architect, the main bedroom faces the morning sun and this feature allows the owners to view the open sky “without worrying about the heat from the afternoon sun”. – Shahidah Bte Shahjihan/Candice Lim/Erwin Maulana

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Now You See It, Now You Don’t

PROJECT DATA
Project Name
Niloufar
Location
Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia
Completion
31 July 2007
Site Area
5,170 m2
Gross Floor Area
833 m2
Number of Rooms
5
Building Height
Maximum 6.5 metres; overall 11.5 metres
Client/Owner
Christian Savet
Architecture Firm
GFAB
Principal Architect
Gary Fell
Project Team
Hetta Thynne; Tessaldi Ilmi; Zakky Khalid
Main Contractor
Yobel Construction & Building Supplies
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer
Hardian Solusi Engineering
Civil & Structural Engineer
Catur Mitra Utama
Images/Photos
GFAB



The architects designed this villa to blend in seamlessly with its surroundings, like a hidden gem amidst nature’s beauty.

The site is set in rice padi fields on the edge of a ravine banking down to a river. The client requested for a five-bedroom villa, with entertainment spaces and staff areas. The architects wanted the villa to be nestled into the landscape, like a hidden gem amidst the beautiful surrounds. Hence, the challenge was to enable the villa to blend in with its environment.

As the land was sloping above a river, the architects set the villa into the terrain as if emerging from the sloping land. The roofs are at the road and entrance level, and the building slowly unfolds from the entrance. There are water features throughout: roof ponds, reflecting ponds, cascades and a pool, echoing the river below. Because the site is located next to a ‘holy tree’, there was a great deal of negotiation, and allowances were made for Hindu processions to pass, and for the building to have minimal impact on the site. Major temples are located adjacent to the property and the villa is sited so that all these features form part of its aspect. Due to its ‘semi-buried’ nature, the house presents minimum impact to the surrounding landscape, appearing more like a traditional small temple or bale bengong (small shelter in the fields) than a large luxury villa.



All of the materials used were sourced from the villa’s direct environment—the walls were clad in stones from the river bed; the roofs are largely water roofs or planted roofs looking like an extension to the surrounding rice fields; other roofs were constructed from terracotta tiles made locally using deep red soil found in the area. Where possible, there are planted elements instead of walls. From the road access to the villa, the house could hardly be seen, maintaining the architects’ vision and enhancing the owner’s privacy. Instead, one would only see the unglazed terracotta rooftops, which are of the same colour as the soil floating amongst water roofs and planting above the padi fields.

All the private rooms in the villa such as the bedrooms and snug spaces are dug into the slope with the river stone walls retaining the earth roofs or water roofs above, making them almost cave-like, and naturally very cool in temperature. The public spaces are exposed to the elements, surrounded by landscape and water cascades.



The pitched roofs feature a double membrane to assist in cooling: the primary membrane is a steel sheet roof over where the secondary terracotta tile ‘rain screen’ or secondary membrane is laid. The terracotta absorbs the heat of the sun whilst throwing the zinc roof into deep shade—between them a small gap allows the breeze to exhaust any built-up heat. Elsewhere, the standard repertoire of pools and planters ensures the building is kept cool with limited demand on mechanical ventilation. – Candice Lim/Erwin Maulana

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Urban Oasis

PROJECT DATA
Project Name
Aqua
Location
Seminyak, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Completion
31 May 2007
Site Area
850 m2
Gross Floor Area
764 m2
Number of Rooms
4
Building Height
6 metres
Client/Owner
Andrew Britton
Architecture Firm
GFAB
Principal Architect
Gary Fell
Project Team
Hetta Thynne; Victor Fernandes; Zakky Khalid
Main Contractor
Yobel Construction & Building Supplies
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer
JdeR Building Service Consultant
Civil & Structural Engineer
Catur Mitra Utama
Images/Photos
GFAB



Water was used extensively to encourage air circulation throughout the villa.

This villa—meant to be like an oasis in the city—was designed as an urban rental property specifically tailored to the Bali party market. The site is located in a densely built-up area with direct neighbours all around, so sound insulation and privacy are very important. The façade is unprepossessing yet upon entering, the villa unfolds with a 25-metre swimming pool, roof terraces and gardens, spaces for groups and privacy for individuals. All the accommodation has been allocated along the perimeter walls to create a feeling of spaciousness.




As the name suggests, water was used extensively to encourage air circulation throughout the villa. The architects drew from local vernacular notions on ways to deal with weather extremes: deep roof overhangs to provide shade and rain protection; swimming pools, roof ponds and lily ponds to encourage air flow to aid in cooling the property naturally. A Ficus tree was also planted so that it would eventually shade the bedroom roofs completely. Nature is used to mask, camouflage and cool the building, giving this urban villa a sense of tranquillity. The scale of the street was taken into account when the architects determined the scale of the building, and they also treated the façade with planted areas, timber and local stones. The villa is largely open—the living and dining areas have no walls and most of the spaces are external. Rather than dense walls, planting and trellising have been incorporated to allow air flow yet also prevent prying eyes from outside.



In line with the architects’ philosophy of utilising local materials, they used sala gadang, a flint-like stone cut in a square format for wall cladding. On the external façade, paras bukit from the south of Bali was crushed and used as land fill. They are also used for sound and thermal insulation. – Candice Lim/Erwin Maulana

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Rasuna Epicentrum

PROJECT DATA
Project Name
Rasuna Epicentrum
Location
Rasuna Said, Kuningan,Jakarta
Status
Construction
Expected Completion
2010
Site Area
53 hectares
Client/Owner
Bakrie Swasakti Utama
Architecture Firm
Urbane Indonesia
Principal Architect
M. Ridwan Kamil
HOK Hong Kong (Bakrie Tower)
Main Contractor
Hutama Karya
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer
Elmes Epsilon
Civil & Structural Engineer
Wiratman & Associates PT.
Masterplan
Urbane Indonesia
Landscape
EDAW; Urbane Indonesia
Environmental Graphic Design
Urbane Indonesia
Traffic Management
Pamintori Cipta
Environmental Impact Assessment
Tumpal PT.
Infrastructure
Wiratman & Associates PT.
River Development
Gapura Nirwana
Images/Photos
Antonius Rudy; HOK; Urbane



The client has high hopes for Rasuna Epicentrum. Its urban concept and architecture have been designed with other world-renowned lifestyle developments in mind, such as Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills and Berlin’s Postdamer Platz. Indeed, Rasuna Epicentrum is already a landmark development—it is the first in Jakarta to introduce the “live, work and play” concept within a single project, integrating high-quality urban amenities with progressive architecture. Covering a site area of 53 hectares, it is the largest superblock in Indonesia, comprising office and residential buildings as well as a lifestyle and entertainment centre. Each building has been designed to showcase contemporary architecture, among which the egg-shaped Financial Tower and the 48-storey ‘twisted’ Bakrie Tower stand out as signature structures, redefining the cityscape.



At the heart of the Epicentrum is the Epicentrum Walk (E-walk), a semi-outdoor, partially airconditioned retail corridor, featuring cafés, restaurants and entertainment bars, complete with a water fountain, tropical trees and artistic street furniture for the public. Even the art gallery building has a creative secondary skin made out of neon lights and recycled glass bottles to jazz up the walk. The concept of civic space plays a big part in this development; all ground level areas of the buildings must be made available for public use. A riverfront promenade, set to become a centre for urban activity, has also been designed with generous civic space. Taking into account the tropical climate, the E-walk has a north-south orientation to reduce solar gain from the east-west side, and which also cools the place as it allows for natural cross-ventilation. The strategic placement of trees for shading and the water fountain help to reduce the ambient temperature.



To enhance interconnectivity among the different buildings, sheltered bridges and a skywalk enable pedestrians to proceed to the second level of the superblock, direct from Kasablanka Street. The carpark at basement level three links all the buildings together, enabling motorists to take a different route should there be heavy traffic at a particular exit, hence easing congestion. Trams circulating within the Epicentrum also help improve internal accessibility. Commuters can look forward to even greater convenience when the tram system is linked to the monorail at Rasuna Said Street in the near future.



Rasuna Epicentrum aims to set an example of how a modern region in Indonesia should be designed and organised—where people live, work, create and play all in one place—and in the long run, bring Jakarta closer towards becoming a global city. – Erwin Maulana/Lee Bee Luen

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