Three students from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (DA FTUI) designed a memorial hall as a learning medium for social injustice. The design, named DIALOGUE, brings visitors to experience being victims of social injustice and is expected to increase empathy for the victims. Thanks to this design, they won 3rd place and a special Buildner Student Award and eliminated 100 other participants at The Memorial for Witches International Competition, organized by Buildner.
Annasya Koesty Fadhillah, Gina Khairunnisa, and Muhammad Rafli from the Class of 2019 DA FTUI competed in this international event under the guidance of the FTUI Professor of Architecture, Prof. Ir. Evawani Ellisa, M.Eng., Ph.D., Professional Architect, Baiq Lisa Wahyulina, S.T., M. Ars., IAI., and Assistant Lecturer, Aulia Urrorhmah, S. Ars. DIALOGUE was inspired by the shape of the Scale of Justice which was then applied to the design of the memorial space by utilizing the concept of kinetic architecture which allows the building structure to move without affecting the integrity of the building as a whole.
“The DIALOGUE design concept is through a kinetic architectural structure approach and in the form of a continuous module. This module can then be placed on incidents of social injustice cases that can appear anywhere. With this design, we hope to educate the surrounding community as a social space for exchanging ideas. We hope that with the presence of the DIALOGUE memorial hall, awareness of social injustice in society can continue to increase,” said Annasya.
The DIALOGUE design concept was created as a memorial space and an educational medium. Using human detection sensors to turn solid walls into translucent ones that form an anonymous atmosphere, visitors are invited to dialogue with each other and share their experiences as victims of social injustice without worry.
“The scale of justice represents fairness and objectivity without being biased to one side. This inspired the building’s rectangular shape with an axis in the middle. If two people enter the structure simultaneously from two different sides, there will be an imbalance in the structure. This symbolizes inequality in cases of social injustice. The structure will be balanced when visitors sit together in the middle area. This symbolizes a meeting where both parties share stories to understand each other’s feelings by using the principle approach of the confessional,” said Prof. Evavani Elisa.
The DIALOGUE design is also equipped with a contemplation room that uses a reflective LED screen. Here visitors will be presented with videos and documentation of various events of social injustice both in the past and recent cases. Thus, the visitors can imagine if they were at the scene of the incident, and it is hoped that this will generate empathy for the visitors towards the victims.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU., expressed his appreciation for the achievements of DA FTUI students. “FTUI students are expected not only to be sensitive to engineering problems in the world but also to be empathetic to social problems including issues of social injustice that often occur in society. It is hoped that the designs designed by the students can be a reminder and media for public education regarding social injustice. Congratulations on the achievement achievements that have made FTUI and UI proud.”
The Memorial for Witches International Competition is the first competition in Buildner’s annual series, where participants are expected to provide designs related to social injustice. Participants can vote for any past or present injustice. In organizing this competition, Buildner cooperates with an international jury who are experienced architects and academics.
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Bureau of Public Communications
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia