Jakarta struggles to make green buildings

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 09/16/2010 9:29 AM

A green Jakarta is still a distant dream — but builders and NGOs are promoting environmentally aware construction in the city.

Several ongoing green construction projects and the Green Building Council Indonesia (GBCI) recently launched the Greenship “green” rating system to assess new buildings.

One example, the Austrian Embassy’s construction project on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta, is a pilot project for state housing development company PT Pembangunan Perumahan’s (PP) Green Contractor program.

“We applied a ‘green way’ from the start of the project. It’s not only the building which will have green technology, but the construction process will also be green,” said Joko Nugroho, the project’s site engineering manager, recently.

“We want anyone on the site to obey certain rules to save energy,” Joko said.

The construction site is full of banners and signs promoting safety — as well as water and electricity conservation.

In front of the site’s temporary field office there are many potted plants.

“We bring them here to make the site cooler and greener,” an official said, adding that engineers had not cut down trees on the site.

Joko said workers were encouraged to bike to the site from the temporary office on Jl. Bonang. “It’s only two blocks away, so I advise them to use bicycles,” he said.

He added that workers had been issued aluminium flasks for personal water use instead of plastic cups to minimize trash.

“To prevent the waste of liquid concrete, we provide many molds which are used to create concrete in a small, regular block-shape,” he said, adding that the molds could be used for other purposes.

Joko said the office has a 1-squaremeter biopore that absorbs excess water to prevent street flooding, an adequate garbage management system and automatic light switches and faucets.

“We also have a green procedures checklist which adheres to GBCI’s standards for efficient electricity and water use and for monitoring green requirements for items such as water flasks, bicycles and potted plants, Joko said.

“We shipped most of the materials, such as windows, from Germany. We also cooperated with other green operators,” he said, adding that the building should be finished by February.

GBCI ratings and technology chief Rana Yusuf Nasir said that its Greenship certificate covered six areas: energy use, water use, site management — which included garbage and liquid waste — and material, indoor air quality and environmental management.

“Until now, no building in the city has obtained the certificate,” Rana said in an email.

Pelita Harapan University architecture lecturer Elisa Sutanudjaja said that buildings made from materials transported on fossil-fueled ships could not be considered environmentally friendly.

“We need to breakdown the materials and the methods used to obtain them,” she said, adding that Indonesia does not have high-tech technology needed to make green materials.

“There are many definitions of green and sustainable building concepts.

“Some use high-tech materials, but I prefer simple, tropical building concepts for Jakarta,” Elisa said.

Plants, ventilation and lighting systems that maximize the use of sunlight are suited to Jakarta, she said.

“Many buildings waste a lot of energy,” Elisa added. (ipa)