How nature inspires the design of Indonesias New Capital City

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what do you think cities look like in 50

100 years

do you think of advanced technology

autonomous cars and modern

infrastructures

but

will we live to see our cities

reach this level of modernization

and more importantly

will our cities survive to see it

for instance

part of my capital city of jakarta with

a population of 11 million

are predicted to sink by 2030.

rising temperatures and water levels are

only going to make it worse for my home

city

could it be

because we didn’t build it the right way

we have been creating

cities with more or less a common

approach

copying the most popular practices

around the world and bringing them to

our cities without paying heeds to our

specific cultures and needs

so

when the government of indonesia

decided to relocate the capital city

from jakarta to east borneo

it posed a unique opportunity

to create a better model for a future

city

and unlike jakarta

borneo is famous

for its dense tropical forests

rolling hills

and as a habitat for sensitive

environments and ecosystem

so

we thought

what if

we search

listen

and learn

and find clues from this beautiful

landscape

what if we emulate the elements of the

rainforest

into our urban context

but

how do we do that

well here are some clues

for example the rainforest emerging

canopies

teach us how to reach out to the sun and

harness energy

while the understory give us clues to

establish interconnection between

different elements in our case

structures and buildings

while the rainforest floor

teaches how to have a permeable surfaces

harnessing rain water and nutrients from

the soil

the buttress roots

give us a clue on how to build an

efficient conduit with a strong

foundation but how do we translate these

ideas into our cityscape

first

we elevate parts of the ground floor of

our city

to be built on stilts

allowing water and wind movement

ventilation and sunlight to penetrate

creating minimal impact on the soil

so we work with the natural contour

instead of against it

second

we built a system of skywalks that

interconnect buildings

above the ground and link them with the

public transport nodes

creating an almost branch-like system

to facilitate easier and more direct

access

this will allow us to achieve

15-minute cities

where the residents can reach their

basic needs and amenities

within short walking distance

this skywalk system

can

in the future

be used to facilitate integrated

infrastructure corridors and smarter

deliveries

using modern technology

these are just a few examples

interestingly

this is not the first time

that someone is looking to replicate the

elements of nature

our vernacular architecture has always

drawn inspiration

from the natural surroundings

and been respectful towards it

traditionally

homes in indonesia were built on stilts

allowing water vegetation and wildlife

to flourish

and with minimum footprints on the

environment

not just that it is also proven to be

more resilient

during disasters

for example in the 6.5 richter

earthquake of padang in 2009

most of the structures that survived

were the old steeled

we envision our new capital city of

borneo

returning to these ancient principles

we call it nagara rimba nusa

a city that’s built on wisdom of the

forest and culture of indonesia

a city that will soon become our new

home

now

there’s another thought

what if

all of us try to find clues

from our nature and culture to transform

our new cities

imagine

renewed cities

in central africa

inspired by safana woodlands

or cities in south america

inspired by river ecosystem

or cities in sri lanka

inspired by highland rainforest

wouldn’t that be something

future cities don’t always need to look

too far ahead

try to look around

and listen carefully to your unique

nature and culture

the clues are there

we found inspiration from our indonesian

tropical forest and vernacular

architecture

and we hope you can find yours too

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