Entering the epicenter

The Jakarta Post

At this moment, Rasuna Epicentrum is probably one of the most ambitious superblock developments in Jakarta, on a parallel with other mixed-use areas like the Sudirman Central Business District and Mega Kuningan. I consider the mixed-use development concept to be the most appropriate for living in the city center.

The concept abandons the ancient zoning separations of commercial and residential, which play a major role in generating vehicle traffic. Some urban planners believe that the mixed-use concept can help reduce our carbon footprint.

In order to succeed, the complex should generate more pedestrian traffic because of the close proximity between living spaces and workplaces, rather than motorized vehicle traffic to avoid congestion. A mass transportation hub should be connected with the pedestrian network of the complex.

Designed by Urbane, a Bandung-based architectural design office, the entrance gate of the Rasuna Epicentrum complex takes a whole different approach to traditional gate design, emphasizing accessibility and the resurfacing of the landscape.

The resurfacing strategy, which involves applying different paving materials for various purposes, has two important tasks: to slow down motorized traffic and to create a more pleasant sidewalk. Rough paving stones are used to reduce the speed of the motorists. The sidewalk is paved with a similar but finer texture to the road and leveled with the road rather than being raised, so it appears there is only slight difference between the road and the sidewalk. In my opinion, this gesture is a part of the effort of converting the gate area to a square-like place that is more pedestrian friendly.

However, some minor details have to come to my attention. The area is also paved with crisscrossing lines which have no meaning when viewed from the street level. We can only see and understand how those lines are interconnected with one another when we view them from above.

Those lines are set in a highly complex and illogical pattern, and consequently it is obvious that some of the construction workers are still struggling to finish laying it out.

I wish that the pattern was not excessively decorative and that it did not discard its functional values. The pattern could have been used to define pathways for pedestrians and motorists.

In most cities in Japan, pedestrian markings with extruded surface textures are used to increase accessibility by creating paths for the blind. At Rasuna Epicentrum, if a blind person tried to follow the interweaving path, he or she would bump into a light pole or end up in the middle of the street.

I must commend Rasuna Epicentrum's efforts in their approach for improving pedestrian environment in the area. I have been enjoying that short stretch of the road, and hopefully the effort will continue into the whole new complex and become a prototype for similar development in other areas. The entrance gate also represents how improving public amenities can be accomplished through collaboration with the private sector.

Zenin Adrian can be reached at zenin.adrian@zadl.net

LNCSA, Qeystone team up in property business

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

France-based property developer Les Nouveaux Constructure (LNCSA) announced Thursday the signing of an agreement with Qeystone Investments Pte. Ltd. of the United States to establish a new joint venture property company, PT Premier Qualitas Indonesia.

President director of Premier Qualitas, Sami Miettinen, said that with an initial investment of about Rp 100 billion (about US$10.5 million), the new company would focus on the development of exclusive residences in Jakarta and its surrounding areas.

We are confident that this new real-estate development company will be able to provide exclusive residences for the mid to upper sectors of the market," he told reporters at the launching of the joint venture firm.

During the initial stage, the new company would help PT Premier Indonesia, Les Nouveaux's first subsidiary in Indonesia, to manage its new projects, such as the Premier Pavilion development, with 190 units in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, and Premier Mansion development, with 115 units in Pluit, North Jakarta, Miettinen said.

Les Nouveaux entered the Indonesian residential property market in 1998 through PT Premier Indonesia.

Among Premier Indonesia's housing developments are Taman Provence and Fontainebleu Golf Residences in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang; Kayuputih Residence in Pulomas, East Jakarta; Central Park in Kota Wisata, Cibubur; Pinang Ranti Mansion in East Jakarta, and Les Belles Maisons in Serpong, Banten.

Miettinen said that Premier Indonesia would launch its latest housing project, Premier Estate, located in Bambu Apus, East Jakarta, later in December.

"The prices of all of our homes range between Rp 700 million and Rp 1 billion," he added.

Meanwhile, Les Nouveaux president director Guy Welsch said that the establishment of the new joint venture firm reflected the French company's strong commitment to the development of exclusive residences in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta.

"The Indonesian property business is getting more interesting, supported by the more stable political and economic conditions, and also the more affordable lending rates offered by Indonesian banks," he explained. (nkn)

S. Jakarta 'hot spot' for developers

Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Property developers still regard South Jakarta as the "hot spot" for developing mixed-use superblocks despite water shortages and pollution in the area, a property analyst says.

"Most developers eye South Jakarta for mixed-use development because large plots of land are still available there," Coldwell Banker Commercial Indonesia's research and analyst manager, Dwi Novita Yeni, told reporters Tuesday on the sidelines of a third-quarter report seminar on the Greater Jakarta property market.

Mixed-use development refers to the multipurpose use of a building or set of buildings as residential, commercial, industrial, office and institutional premises.

Dwi said mixed-use apartment complexes needed to be built on at least a five-hectare plot of land, which South Jakarta still had plenty of.

Gandaria City, Kemang Village and Nifarro in Jl. Kalibata, are examples of the latest mixed-use developments in South Jakarta.

Dwi said apartments and office buildings were still the largest contributors to the property businesses in Greater Jakarta.

Besides land availability, South Jakarta also offers cheaper land prices than that in the central business district.

In April, land prices along Sudirman and in Kuningan had reportedly reached between Rp 12 million to Rp 20 million per square meter, while those in areas like TB Simatupang, in South Jakarta, sold for a mere Rp 3 million.

Meanwhile, head of the environmental damage control unit at the Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD), Daniel Abas, told The Jakarta Post the environmental condition of South Jakarta is currently at "a very concerning level".

More than 80 percent of the groundwater and surface water in South Jakarta is polluted, 40 percent of which is highly contaminated, he said.

According to BPLHD, during the dry season residents in South Jakarta need to dig deeper wells, some as deep as 16 meters, just to find groundwater, while in the wet season they need to dig about 8 meters.

"The normal depth of a well is between 8 and 10 meters," Daniel said.

He also commented on the overwhelming traffic conditions in South Jakarta. "Almost every street in South Jakarta suffers traffic congestion."

These factors, he said, are indicators that South Jakarta's environment is at an alarming state.

"Property development is only good if it does not harm the environment."

Dwi said developers should have a good understanding of the city's spatial planning regulations, which stipulate that 40 percent of a municipality's area should be designated as water absorption areas, while the remaining 60 percent can be developed.

South Jakarta's 145.73-square-kilometer area includes three districts designated for water conservation; parts of Cilandak, Pasar Minggu and Jagakarsa.

Eight other districts, which include parts of Kebayoran Baru, Pancoran, Mampang Prapatan, Kebayoran Lama and Pesanggrahan, function as "backup" areas for the main conservation areas.