Sustainable housing in Indonesia
Introduction:
This research aims to determine sustainable housing for Indonesian conditions, by analyzing the existing examples of sustainable housing practice in Indonesia. As the result, a set of requirements for Indonesian sustainable housing are proposed, along with recommendations for future investigation.
Depletion of environmental quality, especially in dense urban areas, has prompted people to find better ways to build their living space and minimize the damage to the natural environment. This effort has resulted in various forms of ecological houses and environmentally friendly buildings. The attempt to create sustainable domestic facilities has also lead to the production of tools that support the practice of sustainable building and has triggered further research and development of alternative energies and efficient use of water and other natural resources.
From Sustainable Development To Sustainable Housing:
There are various definitions of sustainable housing, but all basically carry out the idea of Principle 15 of the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment: “Planning must be applied to human settlements and urbanization with a view to avoiding adverse effects on the environment and obtaining maximum social, economic and environmental benefits for all” (UNEP, 1972). The definition of sustainable housing by the European Union includes three perspectives: construction (e.g. material durability), social and economic aspects (e.g. affordability and psychological impacts) and eco-efficiency (e.g. efficient use of non-renewable resources) (Mertens, 2005).
The IHBC (1998) defines sustainable housing as: “That which effectively integrates low energy design with materials which have minimal environmental or ecological impact (in manufacture, use and disposal) whilst maintaining social diversity”. These definitions present the general point of a “sustainable housing” practice that is applicable under various circumstances, depending on the conditions where it is implemented.
Housing Conditions In Indonesia:
In the fiscal year 1999/2000, the housing sector was allocated 3,8% of the national expenditure. In 2001, 5,983.5 billion Rupiah (equals about 895 million US dollar in March 2nd, 2003) was allocated for settlement and development of regional facilities. Yet, the demand for housing still far exceeds the supply. Only 15% of the need for housing are met by public and private sector construction (The Ministry of Environment, 2002).
Sustainable Housing Practice In Indonesia:
Efforts to improve domestic environments that are, in fact, sustainable housing practices, have been conducted in Indonesia. For the purpose of this research, examples are taken from programs with various initiators: the Kampung Improvement Program/KIP (by the Indonesian government), the ITS eco-house experiment (by an academic institution), the PPLH eco house resort (by a non government organization) and a village-scale environmental program (by a self-motivated community).
Kampung Improvement Program (KIP):
KIP is a government-initiated program that started in 1970 with support from The World Bank, and has gained overall positive results, although a number of aspects (e.g. maintenance and inhabitants’ participation) need revising. KIP, which aimed to upgrade domestic living quality in slum settlements in dense urban areas, was conducted in growing urban areas, among others Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Denpasar.
Indonesian Sustainable Housing:
Applying the passive design strategy:
Attempts to decrease energy use in a domestic
environment begin with the design of the building itself. A passive design strategy for warm humid climates attempts to reduce the use of electricity for lighting and to avoid the use of air conditioners. The design involves the interaction of daylight, radiation and ventilation: the design should allow sunlight and draft into the building while avoiding outdoor heat.
Increasing the use of alternative energy sources:
Another option is to promote the useof alternative energy sources (other than oil-based). One of the potential alternatives is solar cell technology (photo-voltaic/PV), especially for application in remote areas where electricity grids are not available. 60% of PV components are already made locally, thus the application of PV technology means a job opportunity for local PV components industries. PV is so far the most appropriate alternative since it has low maintenance costs, a durable lifetime and an unlimited source of energy.
Employing construction principles for wet-tropical areas:
According to Santosa, the main construction principles for wet-tropical areas are: construction materials that are able to hold heat and then release it and a construction design that can release the rest of the heat (i.e. by ventilation). People have preferences in choosing materials for their houses, which are different among low-income populations, higher-income populations and developers (REI, 1991).
Increasing the use of alternative (local) materials:
A recent research at the Housing Research and Development Center (Puslitbang Permukiman) and the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) on ecological building materials is proposing the use of bamboo as a building material, aimed at low-cost housing. BPPT and the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI) have been developing bamboo panels for building purposes.
Re-using water:
It is important to provide housing areas that can absorb and store water, so the water can be recycled and re-used naturally. But such areas are becoming more scarce, while water quality in some dense urban areas is deteriorating continuously. Water with drinking quality becomes very precious and thus costly. Unless precautions are taken, clean water will become impossible to acquire.
Conclusion:
In developed countries sustainable housing concepts have been explored in extent. Indonesia, however, has different conditions, which determine the characteristics of Indonesian sustainable housing.
1. The warm-humid climate that allows minimum energy use for housing, if the house employs passive-cooling design strategy. There is also no need for extra material for insulation, provided that the building materials are utilized according to construction principles for wet-tropical areas. Adequate preservation and treatment of building materials are important, in order to achieve optimum durabilty.
2. The great diversity and quantity of natural resources that gives opportunities for the development of alternative energy applications. The variation of alternative energy depends on the local capacities where it is applied.
3. The practice of an informal economy, whereby people in local communities work together voluntarily, actually reduces the cost of building operations. This is particularly evident when the traditional form of communal activity, called gotong royong, is applied. This social behaviour, added by the knowledge provided by the governmental Healthy Housing campaign, is a strong foundation for the establishment of communal facilities and active participation in improving the domestic environment.
Also Read: Affordable Housing: A Route to Climate Mitigation & Resilience