UI Students as Indonesia Representatives at the International Architecture Student Contest – Saint Goban 2024 Competition
Two students of the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering (FT), Universitas Indonesia (UI), I Gusti Agung Sawitri Shintya Dewi and Dendang Belantara, have been crowned the first winner of the Architecture Student Contest – Saint Gobain 2024 at the national level. Bringing an energy-efficient residential idea entitled “CENTERED“, the FTUI team outperformed 5 other finalist teams announced by Saint-Gobain Indonesia on April 29, 2024. The FTUI team will represent Indonesia in the international round in Helsinki, Finland, in June. They will compete with representatives from 30 other countries for the title of international champion.
“CENTERED is a building that we designed by integrating mobility data, wind direction analysis, and solar lighting at the project site. By integrating the past, present, and future of the development, this project has the potential to introduce communal areas that can enhance social activities while accommodating the interests of researchers, students, and their families who live in the CENTERED building,” said Shintya.
Furthermore, Dendang highlighted that the CENTERED building was designed based on the green city area of Helsinki, Finland. “In this competition, we tried to challenge ourselves to see new potentials that produce renewable energy from the context in Helsinki, by adjusting the building envelope, materials, and orientation, so as to reduce the electrical energy load needed by the building,” he said.
The Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, expressed his appreciation for this achievement, “The FTUI team has again advanced to the international competition representing Indonesia. This success shows that FTUI students are able to have a superior impact at the global level. This achievement also reflects FTUI’s commitment to supporting and encouraging student participation in national and international competitions as part of a holistic learning experience on campus.”
The national selection process took place from September 2023 to April 2024, with the FTUI team under the guidance of four FTUI lecturers, namely Dr.-Ing. Ir. Ova Candra Dewi, S.T., M.Sc., GP, IPU. and Dr. Miktha Farid Alkadri, S.Ars., M.Ars., from the Department of Architecture; and Dr.-Eng. Arnas, S.T., M.T., and Ardiyansyah, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D. from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
“This competition is a great opportunity for FTUI students to gain experience while discovering the importance of sustainability in modern construction. Compared to other architectural design competitions, the specificity of this competition lies in its Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) emphasis. Students are required to include an LCA analysis, so they are challenged to design projects that improve the health and well-being of building occupants while reducing environmental impacts, carbon, energy, and resource use,” said Dr. Ova.
The Architecture Student Contest is an international competition organized by the Saint-Gobain Group, which is the world’s largest building materials company and one of the 100 largest industrial groups in the world. Since it was first held in 2004 by Saint-Gobain Isover in Serbia, the competition has been an international event since 2005. This year, the Architecture Student Contest was held for the 19th time, attended by 1,300 students from 167 universities in 30 countries.
The competition has two stages: the National stage and the International stage. The winning teams on the national stage will compete against each other on the international stage, where participants will represent their designs and get direct feedback from a jury consisting of renowned architects, local partner representatives, and Saint-Gobain experts. The competition’s assessment criteria include architectural design, construction sustainability, and a focus on renovation and new construction.
The goal of the competition is to develop projects based on sustainability, both for people and the planet. The projects should be energy-efficient, low-carbon, and provide a comfortable environment for its inhabitants in order to create better living, working, and recreational spaces. Architecture Student Contest 2024 awards will be given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, as well as Special Awards and Student Awards with a total prize pool of €11,500.
