Currently, the issue of limited land due to population growth is a serious challenge that must be overcome. To address this issue, three students of the Department of Architecture (DA), Faculty of Engineering (FT), Universitas Indonesia (UI), Alya Widha Aurellia, Bimantyo Ganggas Ihsani, and Risma Fitriyanti created a new concept house called “Separo”. This house concept, which applies a phased construction system, is a creative solution to the problem of limited land.
Separo, which means “half”, is a vertical growth house concept that applies a phased construction system. They try to overcome the issue of overcrowding with the concept of a house that can be changed according to the needs of the residents. The house is designed to be flexible with the help of customisable steel columns and structural modules divided into two floors. This allows Separo to change according to the function required, such as a business space or family privacy area.
“Separo tries to explore how architecture can help in accommodating the cyclical needs of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), possible economic changes, and also the growing number of family members. The spatial pattern of Separo allows the main floor to be used as a business space, while the upper floor is used as a family privacy area. This layout is intended to facilitate residents in maximising the potential flexibility of the space by applying the open-plan concept and also the structural module which is divided into two parts,” said Alya.
Furthermore, the Separo concept also includes various strategies to overcome the problem of limited land, such as split levelling, dividing the two masses as a module base, and utilising the facade for vertical oxygenation. In addition, it can also optimise verandas for MSME businesses and socialising spaces, separation of public and private spaces, use of stone wall materials, module systems and adjustable partition walls, and flexible use of veranda space for businesses and socialising.
As Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, appreciated the concept proposed by FTUI students. “The problem of limited land for the availability of decent housing is indeed an issue that must be solved immediately. Based on this urgency, the idea designed by FTUI students can be an adaptive and flexible design for decent housing on limited land,” said Prof Heri.
Through this Separo house concept, the three FTUI students won 2nd place in the ETALASE Architecture Competition 2023 with the theme “Compact House” This competition asks participants to find the right solution related to population density and limited land.
ETALASE 2023 is a series of events organised by the Architecture Student Family of UNNES (Semarang State University) which aims to bring together architecture students, aspiring architects, and the general public in Indonesia.
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Public Communication Bureau
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia