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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