Performance Enquiries Regarding Traditional and Contemporary Indonesian Architecture: A Holistic Approach

Abstract

(no german abstract) This contribution sheds light on recent research efforts that pertain to the built environment in Indonesia. Within the rich diversity of cultures in the Nusantara archipelago interesting examples can be found that illustrate the adaptation to the challenging environmental conditions. Through this research the possibilities for sophisticated solutions for future are investigated, focusing on the building performance. Architecture and planning tasks in Indonesia have to consider the following preconditions: (i) The prevailing hot and humid climate, which will be strongly influenced by the climate change in the future; (ii) the country's geography, which consists of a number of wide-spread islands; (iii) the rich and diverse historical development, including a very diverse architectural heritage; (iv) the location within the "Pacific Ring of Fire", causing recurring natural disasters (e.g. volcano eruptions, earthquakes); (v) a currently ongoing rapid change in socioeconomic key data (economic growth rate, population growth, digitalization); (vi) a strong tendency to urbanization. Whereas these facts are known, as well as the need for energy efficient buildings, the level of knowledge about the performance of buildings in different regions of Indonesia is rather limited. Specifically, regional building traditions are often treated only in historical discourse. Thus, an interdisciplinary research effort that aims to examine Indonesian architecture in a comprehensive and holistic way has been undertaken in the past years, based on works dating back to 2005. In this paper we present parts of these efforts, namely (i) the assessment of a contemporary art museum in the city of Yogyakarta using monitored indoor conditions, and conception of potential future improvement; (ii) Further data collection efforts currently performed on a number of traditional residential buildings, (iii) a review of current, exemplary re-development efforts including the utilization and adaptation of traditional architectural concepts in Indonesia, and (iv) the details of the recently started incentive on interdisciplinary research on Indonesian architecture.

This contribution sheds light on recent research efforts that pertain to the built environment in Indonesia. Within the rich diversity of cultures in the Nusantara archipelago interesting examples can be found that illustrate the adaptation to the challenging environmental conditions. Through this research the possibilities for sophisticated solutions for future are investigated, focusing on the building performance. Architecture and planning tasks in Indonesia have to consider the following preconditions: (i) The prevailing hot and humid climate, which will be strongly influenced by the climate change in the future; (ii) the country's geography, which consists of a number of wide-spread islands; (iii) the rich and diverse historical development, including a very diverse architectural heritage; (iv) the location within the "Pacific Ring of Fire", causing recurring natural disasters (e.g. volcano eruptions, earthquakes); (v) a currently ongoing rapid change in socioeconomic key data (economic growth rate, population growth, digitalization); (vi) a strong tendency to urbanization. Whereas these facts are known, as well as the need for energy efficient buildings, the level of knowledge about the performance of buildings in different regions of Indonesia is rather limited. Specifically, regional building traditions are often treated only in historical discourse. Thus, an interdisciplinary research effort that aims to examine Indonesian architecture in a comprehensive and holistic way has been undertaken in the past years, based on works dating back to 2005. In this paper we present parts of these efforts, namely (i) the assessment of a contemporary art museum in the city of Yogyakarta using monitored indoor conditions, and conception of potential future improvement; (ii) Further data collection efforts currently performed on a number of traditional residential buildings, (iii) a review of current, exemplary re-development efforts including the utilization and adaptation of traditional architectural concepts in Indonesia, and (iv) the details of the recently started incentive on interdisciplinary research on Indonesian architecture.