Revisiting local architecture after disasters

Was published in Jakarta Post on Sunday November 25, 2007

It has been a more than year since the earth shook for 58 seconds in Central Java, shattering thousands of lives in the province and Yogyakarta.

Many people were killed or seriously injured by falling brick walls in their own homes, which had been built with traditional techniques and did not have the engineering necessary to withstand an earthquake.

After more than a year of reconstruction, residents are slowly getting back on their feet. Most of the new houses were constructed collectively by local communities, under the supervision of students, foreign consultants, architects and engineers.

A lot of the built houses used a design provided by local government through their free building permit program, while other housing types were a result of new construction techniques.

Eko Prawoto was one of the many architects that were involved in the reconstruction effort. His design was driven merely to save costs and try to salvage as many building materials as possible from the former houses.

Distributed funds from the government were barely enough to build the core houses, so Eko designed the basic structure and roofing system, derived from traditional pitch roof form, while the rest of the houses were enclosed by salvaged materials. Consequently, each of his houses is personalized and has its own distinct characteristics generated by variations in door and window components.

The reconstruction effort can also be seen as an opportunity to introduce a new construction system that is more robust and resistant to earthquakes. Holcim Indonesia, through its Solusi Rumah program, introduced their new interlocking concrete brick system, which radically reduces wood usage for concrete formworks and speeds up the construction process. The system was widely used to build public facilities such as schools, community centers, public bathrooms and even small housing projects.

While the system simplifies the construction technique, Holcim Indonesia provided an extensive training program for construction workers in order to be assured of its correct application. The modular concrete brick system requires the building to be designed in specific 15 x 15 centimeter modules to maintain its effectiveness and is easily adapted to local house design.

However, not all the houses built within the relief effort were designed to blend with vernacular architectural values. The new housing complex built by the Domes for the World group went in a completely different direction. The houses are constructed in a dome form, similar to the igloos of the Inuit, and are equipped with conventional door and window systems and also skylight to allow natural interior illumination.

Although the geometry of the dome is structurally robust for earthquake resistance, these domes do not accommodate the key parameters for tropical housing design, where the openings need to be fully shaded, and a ventilated roof. Complaints from the present tenants about higher indoor temperature are predictable. On top of that, the whole dome complex appears peculiar and unrelated to the adjacent traditional house design.

On the whole, providing new homes in a recovery effort is always a complex issue. There is no such thing as a single solution. Houses have to be designed with local considerations and adaptable for customization or personalization. Community-based participation in most reconstruction effort plays a key role so that the new houses can be accepted and satisfy the beneficiaries.

Captions:

Image 01 & 02: Eko Prawoto designed a basic structural frame and traditional roofing. His design solution allowed communities to reuse salvaged windows and doors from their former houses.

Image 03 & 04: A school constructed in the modular interlocking concrete brick system

Image 05: A bright white dome complex.

All images are by Zenin Adrian