Universitas Indonesia (UI) through the Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia (FTUI) in collaboration with the Baitulmaal Muamalat National Amil Zakat Institution (Laznas) (BMM), and Bank Muamalat Indonesia inaugurated the Balekini Building on Saturday (21/5). The Balekini Building Renovation Program was initiated by Ir. Evawani Ellisa, M.Eng., Ph.D., Lecturer at the Department of Architecture, FTUI. The renovation of this three-story building in the future is intended to be able to assist local residents to rise from the pandemic and improve the quality of community life as well as grow the independence of the residents.
The inauguration ceremony was held at Balekini Building, RW 1, Pegangsaan Village, Cikini District, Central Jakarta, DKI Jakarta, attended by the Mayor of Central Jakarta, Dhany Sukma, S.Sos, M.AP., Head of the Department of Architecture FTUI, Dr. Ir. Achmad Hery Fuad, M.Eng., Cooperation Manager, Ventures and FTUI Alumni, Dr.-Ing. Ir. Dalhar Susanto, Executive Director of BMM, Novi Wardi, District Head of Menteng, Head of Pegangsaan Village, local kelurahan administrators, and local communities as beneficiaries.
The construction of the Balekini Building was motivated by the problem that the building which had been standing since 1980 was damaged and almost collapsed, so it could no longer be used for various activities. In fact, the building is the main facility to support community activities of local residents. The economic conditions of the surrounding community who come from lower middle class backgrounds, plus the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, make it difficult to carry out renovations.
In his opening remarks, Dhany Sukma said, “There are many urgent things happening in the community, but the government is having a hard time getting in because of administrative problems. So we cooperate with collaborators such as BMM, Bank Muamalat and the UI Faculty of Engineering. Now people can smile watching this beautiful Balekini. The hope is that with this Balekini, social activities will be more developed in the community as well as more social interaction and prioritize deliberation when there are problems because now there is a place for it.”
“During the pandemic, Balai RW proved to have an important role in maintaining village resilience. However, similar to the houses in this crowded village, the old Balai RW was too narrow and the structural condition was too worrying. We offer the idea of empowering Balai RW as a component of the “mitigation system” in densely populated residential areas. The way, Balai RW is designed not only to fulfill its role as a center for socio-political activities for the community, but also in line with the provisions of the world organization Icomos, which is that it is possible to turn it into an “emergency cabin” in the event of a disaster,” said Evawani.
Met on a separate occasion, the Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, ST., M.Eng., IPU said, “Ir. Evawani Ellisa, M.Eng., Ph.D. is one of the outstanding researchers from FTUI. He has more than 10 years routinely carried out research and community service activities in Cikini Village. His various works and contributions can be found here. Hopefully the Balekini Building can be put to good use by the people of Kampung Cikini.”
In the Balekini Building design, Balai RW is also integrated with self-isolation booths on the 3rd floor so that it can accommodate residents who do not allow isomanism during the pandemic due to housing conditions that do not comply with health protocols. In the new normal, it is time for Balai RW to renew itself and transform into a modern RW hall, local residents then agreed to change the name of Balai RW Cikini to BALEKINI.
The construction of the Balekini Building is also in line with the 11th point Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely Sustainable Cities and Communities. As stated by Novi Wardi, “Alhamdulillah, the Balekini Building has finally been renovated. It is hoped that with the establishment of this building, the unity and harmony between residents will be more intertwined. Besides being used for various community events, this building is also a place for youth empowerment, fostering MSMEs for residents and managing waste banks, so that there is a great opportunity for economic independence and waste control to be built from the Balekini Building and can support the achievement of sustainable development goals for the City and Community. Sustainable.”
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Public Communication Bureau
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia