ARSNET

Architecture in flux

Kristanti Dewi Paramita — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Architecture exists in flux, shaped by the rapid social, cultural, and environmental transformation in current society. The articles in this edition of ARSNET explore various contexts and design methodologies that emerge amidst such rapid and often disruptive changes. The study discusses different conditions produced by such changes, from the inevitability of time that leads to deterioration, environmental pressures that create separation from nature, to high rates of urbanisation that led to limitation of living space and changes to users' livelihood. Discussions elaborated in this edition outline how architecture in flux may lead to alternative design approaches. These approaches range from construction practices that celebrate impermanence; design operations that value neglected, incomplete, and hidden areas; architecture that calls for reconnection with nature; to exploration of adaptive and inclusive objects and spatialities for multiplicities of users. In doing so, this edition highlights the changing processes and relationships of the built environment in the state of flux, towards architecture that continuously evolves and celebrates change.

Architectural impermanence: Tectonic ecology of the Sumbanese traditional house

Yenny Gunawan, Justin Coupertino Umbu, Marianne Trautten — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research proposes tectonic ecology as the framework for understanding the impermanence of architecture, challenging the views of permanence in architecture and positioning impermanence as an ecological building practice. This study explores the idea of impermanence in vernacular architecture as a living spatial practice, acknowledging the growth, decay, and regeneration taking place in such a context. The research focuses on the Sumbanese traditional house in Weelewo Village, Southwest Sumba, as a case study. The Sumbanese house is constructed with natural materials and utilises joinery without using nails. The study collected data on the local construction practice through fieldwork, which included open-ended interviews, model-making demonstrations, observations, and documentations. The study reveals how local building practice understood the concept of impermanence through three interrelated principles that define the traditional house’s tectonic ecology: layered, disassembly, and regeneration. The findings demonstrate that disassembly is the mechanism of tectonic ecology, enabling the temporal transformation of materials and sustaining buildings' capacity for regeneration. The exploration of tectonic ecology contributes by offering a framework of materiality and building practices that value impermanence. In doing so, such architectural practices emphasise the rhythm of the environment, as rooted within the wider ecosystem.

Speculating the architecture of nothingness through void operations

Fatiharla Imanisahda, Yandi Andri Yatmo — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This speculative design study aims to construct the idea of nothingness as an active and generative element of architecture. Nothingness, understood as voids, empty, and negative spaces, can be reinterpreted as a productive condition that opens up new spatial possibilities. Such a productive condition demonstrates the interdependence between nothingness and the spatial existence of something. The project explores how nothingness constructs the perceptibility of particular spatial terrain through void as architectural design operations. Through creating dystopian contextual scenarios where all spaces have been used up, the study identifies various void forms present in existing structures, classifying these voids based on spatial categories and formulating the potential these voids have in shaping perception. As a result, it captures spaces that project nothingness and are lacking definition, to be transformed for spaces usable for any purpose, following the user's perception. This study suggests that architecture can originate from nothingness—to create infinite potential of new architectural proposition in the speculative contextual zones of the Neglected, the Ruin, and the Underground. Through exploring void as architectural operations, this study hopes to reflect on the expanded role of nothingness beyond simply being an overlooked, undefined aspects of space. The study concludes that the idea of nothingness may unlock various potentials in the context where space is limited but full of latent potential, such as in post-disaster or in adaptive reuse situations.

Reconnecting the wetlands through non-discrete architecture

Aulia Rahman — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This design study explores non-discrete architecture as a form of architecture that connects nature and the built environment. Architecture often separates itself and its users from the natural setting, leading to environmental neglect and the gradual loss of
the natural environment. The idea of non-discrete architecture focuses on how the relationship between humans and nature can be reconstructed by creating spatial layers that can actively participate in living processes. This study focuses on the neglected wetland environment in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. The inquiry begins by documenting the various experiences of nature in the area, from the abundance presence of wilderness and the dynamic water reflections of the wetlands. The study explores how such experience is captured through spatial boundaries such as roof structures and floor gaps. This study develops a form of low-tech pavilion that reconsiders the boundaries and how it is situated amidst the wetland landscapes. The project aims to bring a connection between the inside and the outside and captures the landscape dynamics, creating an animated interior of the space. In doing so, it fosters awareness of environmental beauty and renews appreciation for the wetland architecture that has been neglected.

Adaptive and inclusive seating design for transit-oriented interior

Muhammad Daffa Brisbhanuharto, Novrizal Primayudha — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As transit-oriented interiors increasingly evolve into complex commercial and social micro-environments and serve diverse user groups, seating design must respond beyond basic functionality to address the need for adaptation and inclusivity. This study explores adaptive and inclusive design strategies through the development of seating design in such a context. This research follows Liedtka's human-centred, iterative design process comprising stages such as empathy, definition, ideation, and prototyping in developing seating design for a transit-oriented interior at Canabeans Coffee, located within KCIC Halim High-Speed Rail Station, Jakarta.

The design integrates ergonomic, aesthetic, and accessibility considerations while responding to contextual challenges of a high-density transit environment. The design study proposes a circular bench as a form of seating that promotes adaptation and inclusivity for such a context. The bench is conceived as a seating solution that gives a moment of pause for its users in navigating the interior. The circular arrangements are adaptable for various user needs, fostering social interaction. The proportion, details, and materials of the bench support various mobility needs and enhance their spatial experience. This study contributes to the discourse on adaptive and inclusive strategies in public furniture design, emphasising the importance of harmonising function, comfort, and social meaning in transit-oriented interiors.

Behavioural approach as the basis of traditional market redevelopment strategies

Ajeng Regita Assyifa, Imaniar Sofia Asharhani, Adriyan Kusuma — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This design study focuses on the redevelopment of the Kebayoran Lama traditional market using a behavioural approach. Traditional markets hold an important role in the social, economic, and cultural life of urban communities, functioning not only as centres of trade but also as spaces for interaction that shape the city's character. However, rapid urban development often creates challenges for traditional markets, reducing their competitiveness against modern shopping centres.

The study began with direct observation and behavioural mapping activities at the Kebayoran Lama traditional market to understand how traders and visitors interact with the space. Findings show the current layout does not support user needs due to irregular commodity placement, limited circulation, inactive stalls, and trading activities spilling outside the building. This research proposes strategies to restructure the market into a more adaptive, inclusive, and sustainable space. The design sought to reprogram the spatial boundaries to identify a setting for particular behaviour, improve wayfinding to create clearer spatial cognition, and develop sensorial experience to enhance environmental perception. These redevelopment strategies demonstrate an integrated framework of behaviour approach to functionally efficient, cognitively legible, and socially engaging spaces, strengthening the market's role as a vital centre of economic and social activities for the community.