Reimagining Indonesia’s Humble Gedek

The inaugural edition of ARCH:ID Indonesia Architecture Conference & Exhibition saw Indonesian architect Yanto Effendi reimagine a humble Javanese vernacular design element into a sophisticated prefab structure made entirely with plywood and rattan

We’ve come to expect much from product and interior design trade fairs in terms of taste, innovation and visual spectacle, but architecture and construction? Not so much. Especially in my home country of Indonesia, where architecture and construction fairs have long been associated with homogeneous, standard-issue exhibition booths plastered full of logos and presentation panels. Held at the end of February 2020, the inaugural edition of ARCH:ID Indonesia Architecture Conference & Exhibition changed this perception. 

ARCH:ID organisers IAI (Indonesian Institute of Architects) and Citra Inovasi Strategi Exhibition (CIS), ARCH:ID invited luminary architect Andra Matin and young architect-curators Danny Wicaksono and Wiyoga Nurdiansyah to curate the conference and exhibition. The trio is also the curatorial dream team behind Jakarta’s hippest architecture and design festival Bintaro Design District and Matin’s solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Indonesia in late 2019, and their approach was more than evident in ARCH:ID. 

At this event, which brought together thousands of industry players for what could well be the country’s last architecture event of this scale for a while, design took the driver’s seat. Wondering through the exhibition grounds, one saw architectural gems designed by notable architects and smaller exhibitions ranging from students’ conceptual works to Aga Khan Award winners.

Among all of this stood a breathtaking installation by architect Yanto Effendi of MODERNSPACE. Titled Reliving Gedek, the eight-metre-tall, two-storey structure was a collaboration between MODERNSPACE, sustainable timber company Kayu Lapis Indonesia and woven surface specialist BYO Living, and was intended to bring awareness about sustainable materials, wellness and vernacular architecture.  Towering over the exhibition space, it acted as a viewing platform and was a popular selfie spot.

Effendi drew inspiration from gedek, a vernacular Javanese construction element comprising a woven bamboo surface over a coconut timber or teak frame. Gedek can serve as walls, floors or ceilings, and they can be crafted onsite — provided the site is located near a bamboo forest — or prefabricated and transported. A house made with gedek is considered the humblest of traditional Javanese houses, but while it may be rustic, it’s also light weight and porous, making it perfectly suited to the tropical climate.

Effendi reinterpreted notions of prefabrications, breathability and visual porosity by building the structure entirely out of plywood and woven rattan panels, the materials courtesy of Kayu Lapis Indonesia and BYO Living respectively. ‘I didn’t know that plywood can serve as a structural element at this scale,’ says Effendi. ‘Many people don’t know this either, and they’re also unaware of the virtually limitless customisations that you can do with woven rattan. Reliving Gedek is as much as a material exploration as it is a reimagining of a humble vernacular element.’

Most of the time, setting up an exhibition is a rushed affair peppered with last-minute onsite adjustments. Reliving Gedek was no exception; the team installed in less than 24 hours, but its quality suggested permanence — a testament to today’s fast-paced building industry. The structure comprised of prefabricated triangular frames made from sustainably cultivated meranti wood, while the gaps between the structure were fitted with operable woven rattan panels. ‘We took inspiration from the woven pattern of traditional gedek and elevated it by adding gaps between the horizontal weaves, each incrementally wider than the next to create gradual visibility from the outside,’ Effendi explains. 

Lighting came courtesy of lighting designer Ratna Darmawan of SSA Lighting, Effendi’s long-time collaborator. LED strips, which Darmawan calibrated to be comfortable for the eye, illuminated the interior. The wood and rattan structure glowed softly in the exhibition hall, inviting visitors to look closer and touch. According to Effendi, ‘Natural material has this uplifting energy that does wonder for your wellness.’  

‘I see this kind of prefab structure hosting events and pop-up shops or cafes,’ said Effendi about the future of Reliving Gedek. There have been enquiries about expanding on its design, but for now Effendi takes comfort in the fact that he has successfully showcased how best to use two of Indonesia’s most sustainable materials. 

Text / Asih Jenie
Images / Mario Wibowo, courtesy of BYO Living