School of Alfa Omega explores how an educational building can fully embody the spirit of locality and craftsmanship through its design approach. With a budget, time, and contextual constraint, it challenges the mutual teamwork of varying parties and local craftsmen on how to create a vernacular-inspired school typology on the chosen site that is a part of the design decision, and will become the main strategy to achieve the operational and aesthetical goal by itself.
The site chosen is an unstable, swampy ground in Tangerang. The project faced challenges of limited time and budget, all while committing to a collaborative process with local craftsmen. By combining steel with lightweight bamboo, the design balances efficient construction, completed within just four months, with an emphasis on local building techniques. To address the unstable site conditions and reduce its carbon footprint, the structure was first elevated 2.1 meters above ground and built.
To ensure that the spirit of craftsmanship is holistic, materials used are sourced from the surrounding area, contributing to efficient logistics and reducing the carbon footprint of the construction. Alongside that, a collaborative bond between various craftsmen is established, including local stone masons, steel welders from the Salembaran area, and bamboo craftsmen from the Sumedang area. With each bringing their own originality, the bond accelerates the construction process without losing its ubiquitous understanding of school typology.
The building is composed of four modular masses, utilizing a blend of brick and lightweight materials to form a flexible yet grounded composition. Its parabolic, curve-shaped roof, that draws inspiration from the characteristic form of nipah, was designed to align with tight budget constraints without sacrificing architectural identity. Stacked brickwork in a solid-void pattern facilitates natural cross-ventilation, eliminating the need for air conditioning, while 100% daylight is being used in the morning and afternoon time. Polished bare concrete flooring finish is used to ensure long-term durability in the high-traffic learning environment.
At its core, the project reflects the relationship between materiality and craftsmanship, where the spirit of collaboration becomes fundamental both for the construction and shown by the soul of the building. It stands as an attempt on how a learning space can be both modest and meaningful, rooted in local wisdom and vernacularity while responding to the particular site and climate.
#realricharchitectureworkshop #RAWarchitecture
Client: PKBM Alfa Omega
Architect: RAW Architecture – Realrich Architecture Workshop
Structure Engineer: John Djuhaedi and Associates
Photography by @bacteria.archphotography
My Mayonnaise Jar 