Earth Architecture

In his book “Earth Architecture: From Ancient to Modern,” William Morgan (2008) talks about architecture buildings and landscapes shaped by earth as the primary material. As a result of his extensive research on architecture and environmental adaptation, Morgan believes that architecture should be an integral part of its surrounding. Understanding earth architecture in practice can establish a sustainable relationship between communities and their environments. Without using many technical terms, this compilation of more than fifty examples with nearly two hundred images volume is an interesting book of architecture. The cases discussed can guide architects and other professionals in the field to create designs as a holistic part of the environment.

Morgan broke down his book into nine chapters, each containing five to six helpful examples. He organized the books’ chapters based on his classification of how the shape of the earth architecture system was created. The examples ranged from the simple earthwork with basic functions like defense, ceremony and memorial to more complex architecture which includes relatively dense population, urban planning, and some significant institutional structures. Although there are some similar characteristics among two or more structure systems, the author classified the shape systems as Mounds, Shaped Hills, Earth Retained, Terraces, Platforms, Excavations, Modified Earth, Water Retained, and The Cities. Each chapter starts with a short introduction followed by the case studies that pertain to topics covered. The numerous examples Morgan gave range from a 4200 BC settlement in Negev to a contemporary arts pavilion in California and from simple artificial hillto large scale engineering projects. From these examples we can understand what technique and technologies people used at each time and how they managed human energy to build them.

Since thousand years ago humans had tried to use earth as their primary material and thought how to reshape it in to new configurations. They built the architecture or earthworks with various motivation like identify territories, defense and protection, or because of transport efficiency in the making of the projects. In the further use, they found out that earth material can be utilized to get its potential effects such as insulation and thermal mass to respond to severe weather. Humans started to develop it and explore its possibility to use in dwellings. In such system like Excavation structure where removal material from the earth is needed, the underground settlers can have protection from the heat of the day, the chill at night, and even from the harsh of desert storm.

From the chapter of Modified Earth, we know how people in Djenne, Mali built their Great Mosque using mud-brick as its primary material or the successful story of sod block for early settlement in Great Plains of North America and the Altiplano of South America where they used this material in daily life. This material is well known for its benefit to provide heat during the winter and coolness in the summer, well protected against storm, relatively fireproof, resistant to insect, and very economical to build. I am very interested in conducting further research on Modified Earth sections, particularly in understanding and making comparisons amongst any modification of earth as material that the author has mentioned in his books. I feel this Modified Earth section is very important for us as architects to learn because it provides ideas in creating and transforming more new environmental friendly material. I believe that every project has its own problem but at the same time have the local creative solutions to answer that challenges. By using local materials that are easy to build and maintain, it will need less special skills for construction and in the long run it will reduce the projects’ budget significantly.

Despite of all the potential benefit that we can get from the earth as building material, this book also criticize examples of construction that which is not environmental friendly and destroying ecological stability. In Earth Retained chapter, Morgan criticizes the Expressway Project, one of major roadway constructions in United States that usually disregard the needs of communities and their surroundings. In this case, he suggests the authorities to give more consideration to alternate light rail or waterway system for mass transportation which he believes would give less negative impacts to environment.

According to Morgan, Earth Architecture is more relevant for recent situation when sustainability design and environmental friendly awareness become huge consideration principles regarding global warming phenomena as a major threat for the future of our planet. He mentions two examples in his last chapter where those principles are applied in urban level. Urban Nucleus project in California and Dam Town Proposal for Kentucky are two stories how architects in collaboration with urban planners propose a holistic approach to establish communities that rely on sustainable balance between human beings and their environment by creating a compact residential compounds complete with public services and facilities that are in walking distance for the residents. This simple idea is very effective to minimize roads and utilities, control air pollution, and conserve energy while still preserving the sites’ natural beauty as well.

I believe that Sustainability Design is our future. Conservation of natural resources, renewable energy alternatives, passive solar potential, or any related topics that similar to those will be a mandatory requirement in architecture. The answer for those situations may lay in our past local wisdom, technologies, and culture of Earth Architecture. By reading this book, our perspective on architecture and its relation to environment surrounding should gradually change from detachable piece of architecture to more blended creations to their surroundings. I would recommend this inspiring book to anyone interested in architecture and ecology and I also suggest this sustainable design principles should become the starting point for architect, planners, or other designers before they put their ideas on the paper.

Cahyo Wilis Candrawan
Reviewer

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Top 5 UI Resouce Center

1st Prize Winner : 02- Crystal of Knowledge (DCM)
Runner Up : 30- Temple of Knowledge (Yori Antar)
3rd Prize Winner : 18 - Green Carpet Interconnection (Deyna Irvan)
4th Place : 25- The Trace of Knowledge (Aboday)
5th Place : 31- Solid Void (Yose Ferdian)

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Studentpolis: UI's new Resource Center

"New libraries don't reinvent or even modernize the traditional institution, they merely package it in a new way..." (OMA, Rem Koolhaas)

The package may refer to the method of retrieving information that evolves along with the technology. The old concept of library has turned into a resource center where many new possible ways of retrieving/ gathering information occur, not just from conventional book readings but collective and interactive discussion as well.

The fact that whole library can be stored in a single microchip or a handheld device has put our new conception of a resource center, a new way of interpreting flexibility and expandability despite the need of real books. Thus, these collections may be contained in a more effective ways, while the need of public activity center is accommodated. This is in fact what the site needs, to become new lively student center that provides many possibilities of receiving information.

University of Indonesia (UI) as part of the academic and scientific community is moving towards World class University. It integrates its faculties into 3 major science namely Medical Science, Social and Humanity Science, and Engineering Science. It aims at academic excellence as an improvement of academic quality, research, and entrepreneurship as its vessel towards good management and university independent income as well.

Like a country, the University of Indonesia contains many islands, cities, and regions. They are represented by the faculties, councils, labs, student center, and their beautiful natural resources that offer conserved green area, lakes and valleys. As a developing City or Polis (as in ancient Greek terminology), UI central area has included several important facilities such as Administration Center (PAU), Research and Social Commitment Directorate (DRPM), Student Service Center (PPM), Multi Function Room (Balairung) and Information and Communication Technology Center (ICT). Yet a lively city would need its complete social experience, as Polis would need its assembly area or market (also known as Agora) where everyone meets and socialize. Such Polis stands on the live and pulsing network; a network of commercial lines, city government, religion, as well as academic network and natural resources.

Therefore, the need for social activity space in the campus, both academic (formal) and non-academic (informal) activities are considered essential. A Polis would depend on its stake holders along with their activities, and a Polis would depend on its Community and Society to live. The new central library as part of the this Student Polis would then functions as assembly area, where the interaction between multiple networks happen, as a place that holds both academic activity and social expression of its users. In order to do so, the central library is placed on the horizontal intersections between many possible courses of activities in the UI central, not vertically as it tends to have lesser chance of interacting. The linear pattern of the Polis will create nodes for people to meet, gather, and socialize, as information would spread easily on such events. Thus, the new assembly point becomes the Resource Center, where meeting, discussion, or simply having fun become the new way of retrieving information, despite the need of actual books that we still provide in a contained area.

One of the main issue regarding the location was how to promote the site into a destination point, where it has been a more passive or 'backstage' area from student activity. This is where we planned to put the axis together, from each activity point from each faculty and student center, thus creating net paths in which people may pass and meet along the way. The axis emerge not as its metaphorical simbolism, but rather function as actual paths and therefore, nodes.

The formal expression of mass placements, ring roads, and axis are combined with the dynamic expression of student activity, under one giant canopy that represents its tropical forest context. The green campus UI needs to contribute more to the global environmental issues, as the new resource center emerges with green design that put larger consideration to natural light and ventilation, the energy consumption, and choosing sustainable materials. The eco-friendly design issue is not a new concept to offer, but rather be an everyday simple action of respecting mother nature.

The designed siteplan is placed on almost similar level to the ground surface, as to provide more open plazas and possible events to occur. These large plazas are sheltered by one giant canopy, yet still maintain their large openings to allow natural sunlight and cross ventilation. Although look big, the enclosed structure actually only occupies merely 3500 m2 (resource center) and 1000 m2 (for each lecture hall and student business activity center), or less than 20% of total ground area. This enclosed structure only covers books collection and special function rooms, while other communal or public functions are planned to occur in the surrounding plaza or terraces.
The water catchment systems will be performed by direct vertical drainage from open/green roof via pipe steel structures downward to the absorption tank and water reservoir. The reservoir may provide local use, such as daily irrigation or plant/grass maintenance; while the absorption tank helps keeping the site to hold its water catchment capacity to a more effective way.

Part of the building facing north west with openings are designed to have louvers on the facades, and additional lines of trees to provide more shadow and shelter during the brightest daylight. Most of the building structures are located beneath a green span surface that helps shelter and filter the needed natural light inside.


The structure materials mainly use steel pipes and concrete to achieve tight construction schedule. The existing Fasilkom building (planned for future ICT) will only be refurbished on its facades, as to create more solid look as one of the tallest building inside the main ring of the StudentPolis. As for the landscape, where big old trees are kept existed on its original locations, while the smaller and newer plants are to be adjusted according to the landscape design (grid and random type of plant groups).

Eventhough we only got into the top 10 Finalist, we felt confident to the statement of resource center we had offered, since none of the top 5 have done so. The new resource center should integrate its collections to the use of technology (ICT) to promote friendlier interface to public/student, thus the new building architecture would prioritize on how the public should interact, meet, and socialize. Creating a resource center is not merely building an iconic structure or new look, but rather offering new ways of people interact and 'learn'. Imagine how would your 'new library' would be if we still perceive its functions as what Singaporeans does a decade earlier?

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Season's greetings

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Biomimicry

We must draw our standards from the natural world. We must honor with the humility of the wise the bounds of that natural world and the mystery which lies beyond them, admitting that there is something in the order of being which evidently exceeds all our competence.
--Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic--

Janine Benyus, the author of Biomimicry Innovation Inspired by Nature, introduced a new term that will change our perspective in how to see the nature. Biomimicry Revolution, a term what Ms. Benyus called, establish a new approach not on what we can extract from nature, but emphasize more on what we can learn from her.

Biomimicry takes its name from the greek words ‘bios’, meaning life and ‘mimesis’, meaning to imitate. So Biomimicry is all actions to learn and imitate nature’s designs to solve all challenges in human life. The genius solutions that we’ve been seeking are widespread in this planet, not only in indigenous people who live far away in remote area but also in the species that have lived on Earth far longer than us. They could teach us how to fly, circumnavigate the globe, live in the depth of the ocean and atop of the highest peaks, craft miracle materials, light up the night, catching the sun’s energy, and build a self-reflective brain. In short, living things have done everything we want to do and also can teach us how to survive on this planet without destroying its’ future. As a champion of Biomimicry, Janine Benyus become one of the most important voices in a new wave of designers and engineers inspired by nature (http://www.biomimicry.net/).

Biomimicry allows innovators and problem solvers of all kinds to create more intelligent and sustainable design through the emulation of nature. Designers and architects are poised to benefit greatly from the integration of biomimicry in their design process.

In architecture field, we could find many answers for our designs from nature. When we take a look seriously into nature and observe it very well, we’ll realize that all our inventions have already appeared in a more elegant form and at a lot less cost to the planet. We’ll found struts and beams construction are already featured in lily pads and bamboo stems. Our central heating and air conditioning are inspired by the termite tower’s steady at 86 degree F.
Arup Architecture firm designed an office complex named Eastgate Centre project in Harare, Zimbabwe imitating the structure of a termite mound. The main reason why they choose this model is because of their ability to self-cool. When most of the energy used in building is for heating and cooling, finding sustainable ways to regulate temperature is important. This particular building was able to minimize its heating and cooling energy by 90% when compared to building of its size.

On the other hand, a scientist named Wilhelm Barthlott was doing a biology research when he became interested in Lotus. He found out this certain leaf species has ability to remain free of contaminants without using detergent. In his further research, he discovered these leaves possess a field of small bumps and waxy crystals which force water to ball up. These bumps will raise up dirt molecules so the water drop could picked them up easily. Along with his colleagues, Wilhelm Barthlott began developing this to products such as exterior paint. They called this effect as The Lotus effect and could be applied in new materials such as textiles, wood, and glass.

The Biomimicry Revolution will be an answer for the recent and future condition when human have reached the limits of nature’s tolerance. We are hungry for seeking new solutions about how to live sanely and sustainably on this planet. But the most important is, after we learn and found out what nature already knows, try to be a part of, not apart from, the local wisdom that live surround us.

I quote these principles which Janine Benyus resonates in her book that divine a canon of nature’s laws:

Nature runs on sunlight.
Nature uses only the energy it needs.
Nature fits form to function.
Nature recycles anything.
Nature rewards cooperation.
Nature banks on diversity.
Nature demands local expertise.
Nature curbs excesses from within.
Nature taps the power of limits.

After I finished reading Ms. Benyus’ book, there’s a strange feeling inside that suddenly remind me on many Rabindranath Tagore’s beautiful aphorisms which articulate how living things around us are very meaningful and could teach about life wisely. For further information on how nature can inspired designers to solve human problems, click this link http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/biomimicry.html

Let the living lesson begin.

--Cahyo Candrawan--

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