Located in West Jakarta, Guha Boboto is a residential renovation project that turns a 1990s workshop made of simple plywood structures into a hybrid space integrating a family home, boarding house, food stall, and a public library. Set within a dense neighborhood, with a site of 26 x 14 m, the design posed two critical questions: Can a renovated house blend family, work, and community using recycled materials? And how can a bioclimatic design adapt to Jakarta’s climate with simplicity?
Our strategy was a “Vernacular Hybrid” approach, blending recycled materials with local craftsmanship. We reimagined the 1990s plywood structure, transforming it with glulam and lightweight steel to create a resilient, affordable framework. We use materials such as traditional wood joineries, plywood, and bricks. The interventions are designed and composed in such ways to preserve the old structure. This project highlights the spirit of locality, affordability, and sustainability.
The facade mixes repurposed plywood and steel slats, opens north-south for airflow, shading the west for thermal comfort. Craftsmen crafted plywood from 1997 into intricate wall and ceiling patterns, adding warmth. A central hallway, linking the family home, boarding house, and OMAH Library, acts as a courtyard like space, buzzing with community life. The library, a bookstore and activity hub, joins family-run stalls from the 1990s, supporting local micro-businesses. The landscape, with small garden patches shaded by the structure, weaves into the kampoong fabric.
The innovation lies in craft and sustainability. Repurposed bricks and plywood form intricate patterns, reducing heat while guarding privacy, also extending the lives of the waste materials, turning them into valuables by the touch of local craftsmen. It is a living experiment of how homes in urban Jakarta can be adaptable and generous, proving that less can be more.
Design: RAW Architecture – @realricharchitectureworkshop
Photography:
1-3, 6-10 by @aryophramudhito
3-4 by @luil_mn
#realricharchitectureworkshop #RAWarchitecture #adaptivereuse #recycledmaterial #mixedusearchitecture #circulardesign #architecturaldesign
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