Innovation

There are a lot of innovation that Urbane Indonesia has done outstandingly. Our favourite innovations are:

1. The renovation of Merapi Mosque in Kopeng, Sleman, used bricks that are made of the volcanic ashes left after the eruption of Mount Merapi.

2. Aceh Tsunami Museum is designed to be the first combination of tsunami museum, memorial, learning centre, and also shelter in case of future disaster.

Inspiration

Everything can be the source of inspiration for Urbane Indonesia. It might come from the consumer behaviour, the surrounding area of the project, the history of the client or the site, the limitation of resources, and the local wisdom. The combination of these inspirations then translated into unique and efficient spaces which are pleasing to the eyes, comfortable, and functional. For example,

1. An outdoor gear flagship store in Bandung uses different types of material and exposes different natural texture to accentuate the adventurous ambience inspired by various outdoor terrain. The roof of the building is inspired by the camping tent, allowing the natural light to peek in and brighten the whole store.

2. The idea of the architecture design of an integrated shopping centre, hotel, and office building in Makassar come from Nypa Fruticans (Attap fruit). Formerly, the site was a plantation area of the fruit. The front facade and the centre of the retail area follow the shape of the fruit. The shape fits the concept of the outdoor mall that enables the natural light and air to flow efficiently. The building also features water recycling system, energy saving mechanical engineering equipment, and strict overall thermal transfer value (OTTV) control. The project also sources its materials from the local supplier (radius 1000 km from the site) to minimize the carbon footprint.

3. Stones are stacked to create gorgeous Arabic calligraphy and work as natural ventilation in the façade of Al-Irsyad Mosque. The main building is surrounded by water to lower the heat on sunny days. This minimalist mosque is very low in energy consumption as the building allow both light and air to circulate efficiently. The inspiration comes from the surrounding area which consists of beautiful hills. Urbane Indonesia wanted the building to blend in with the external scenery. Therefore, the mosque visitor will not only enjoy the landscape but also truly live in the moment.

Overall impact

Cities are more than just the place to live. Rather, it is the main platform for people to grow. Well designed cities will establish a sustainable community. Urbane Indonesia has put their effort to create masterplan, urban design, architecture, and interior design that enable people to live in a harmony with other people and its environment. The balance of high functionality, eco-friendliness, and aesthetics support a better, healthier, and happier society. Correspondingly, these type of designs is highly efficient both in terms of increasing the productivity of the society and cutting the costs. That is why Urbane Indonesia describe themselves not only as an architecture, interior design, and planning consulting firm but also a community development consultant.

Business benefit

Urbane Indonesia has an excellent portfolio, highlighted with green design and distinctive material approach. Their eco-friendly design to maintain the sustainability of business and environment. Urbane Indonesia has served 66 top clients in Indonesia and overseas. They cooperate with the multinational company, non-profit organization and government as well. One of the most famous buildings from Urbane Indonesia is Aceh Tsunami Museum. The company also have a various project around Indonesia such as L’AVENUE building in East Jakarta, Tijil Hotel at Seminyak-Bali, Masjid Raya Sumatera Barat at Padang, West Sumatra and many more. For the multinational project they responsible for the architecture and urban design of Woman and Children Lifestyle Center at Al-Muzn – Al-Mawaleh, Oman; the urban design for Bidadari Estates in collaboration with SAA architects in Singapore; the master plan for Syria Al Noor Ecopolis in Syria; and Changchun Financial District in China. Other than that, Urbane Indonesia also achieves some prestigious architecture awards such as Top 10 BCI Asia Awards in 2016. BCI Asia is a member company of BCI Media Group, the leading provider of construction information in the Asia-pacific region. Urbane Indonesia also won various architecture competition in Indonesia.

Social and environmental benefit

Urbane Indonesia is beneficial in both social and environment. They make the public access is more effectively efficient and eco-friendly. At this point, it has been proved that a good environment will also increase the life quality both in biologically and psychologically. The company also have a program named Urbane Community. This community is aim to achieve the sustainable design and community development. Revitalization and "sheltering hope" are the main activities of Urbane Community. For example:

1. Babakan Asih village in Bandung was known as a community with a high number of recidivist and gangster leader. This neighbourhood is also located in low topography with passing through the river, which is the reason why they often experience floods. To enhance the lack of public space in Babakan Asih, Urbane Community upgrade the community by building a compact playground for the kids; developing urban farming; recycling waste and garbage bank; water drainage system using infiltration; as well as revitalization by creating a mural. By doing so, hopefully, Urbane Community can increase the percentage of public open spaces in Babakan Asih by 30%.

2. In 2010, a landslide disaster in Pangalengan, Bandung regency, destroyed many houses and public infrastructure in this area. Urbane Indonesia, in collaboration with MNC group and Sindo Newspaper, initiates to help by creating a building Madrasah Hidayatul Islam PAUD TK/TPA (playgroup and kindergarten). With limited space and budget, this school building is expected to be the pilot of the earthquake resistant school. This project used local resources as much as possible. The materials are chosen based on the earthquake friendly character such as local wood and waved-bamboo materials for walls and floor. The design approach was derived from the design of the structure that responds to the earthquake so that the building will be able to move along with the earthquake and minimize the damage.

Interview

Irvan P. Darwis, Principal Architect, director