Keputih Boarding House
Bioclimatic and Biophilic Boarding House
This boarding house, located in Surabaya, Indonesia, is designed by Andyrahman Architect based on contemporary issues that have been thriving in the architecture community, specifically on bioclimatic and biophilic issue in a broader context. Bioclimatic architecture, with tropical climate as design’s challenge and potential, while biophilic, not only related to nature but sees man as a living object that should be treated humanely and proportionally.
Bioclimatic issue (responding to the tropical climate) can be seen on the usage of perforated panel/wall materials on most part of the house. With these customized panels, the building seems to breathe like a living creature, with light and air flows in and out freely.
There are also additional spatial openings which aims to optimize light and air on the side and the back of the house. Eventhough they are small openings but very useful for natural light and air circulation.
Still in the same theme, this boarding house is using low cost of maintenance on the finishes. It can be seen on the wall finishes by using cement paint (semen aci), plaster, and cement roll that doesn't need a complicated maintenance and repaint. Thus, it will save more in the expenses of the maintenance.
Aside from that, a lot of materials are chosen by using recycle items, i.e. the choice of used wooden crates for doors and furnitures. With this recycle principle, it is clear that the building saves cost and resources.
Whereas in biophilic, this boarding house is not looking for profit only by maximizing the renting rooms, but it provides communal rooms for its tenants, to interact, communicate, and socializing with each other. The communal spaces are on the first floor with open roof and another one on the top floor.
With biophilic, the boarding house wants to cheer its tenants which most of them are college students by putting typographic prints on the tables and walls. As reminders to be consistent with their goals in their college education. With these prints, the ambiance of the rooms are warmer and more pleasant to the eye.
In biophilic context, the house wants to give appreciation to its tenants who are using bicycles by providing special parking area with its graphical sign. Bicycle is an inexpensive and energy efficient transportation and it is good for health, it is the reason to provide a decent parking spot.
By combining bioclimatic and biophilic ideas, and with additional principle on low budget and maintenance, the house becomes a climate conscious and humane architecture, which is based on the existence and survival of human life on increasingly crowded and congested earth without abandoning the side of humanity, which becomes a big architecture agenda in the second decade of 21st century.
