Maintaining sustainability in interior design that increasingly appreciates nature

Written by Rahma Yulita | Read in Indonesian

"The lacklustre commitment of wood companies to finding wood from sustainably managed forests." That is the challenge for wood companies to be committed to being more environmentally friendly, according to Budi Hermawan of Kayu Lapis Indonesia.

Due to the increasing demand, which is in line with the continuous growth of the wood industry, wood products are getting more and more attractive to meet interior needs.

Forest Insights, citing data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) processed by the Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association (APHI), revealed that the export value of Indonesian wood products had until November 2022 reached $13.27 billion, close to the record high $13.57 billion posted in 2021.

Not only wood, other raw materials commonly found in nature are also valuable after being processed into a material that has a function. This can be seen in the collaboration between Kayu Lapis Indonesia and DDAP to build the Jia Pavilion at Jia Curated Kiosks (JCK) held by Jia by OCK, which carried "Material Alchemy" as its theme. This theme was chosen by emphasising the importance of material selection and combination for all products and designs; how to turn raw materials into processed materials.

The lack of commitment in finding wood from sustainably managed forests led to an also lacklustre application of “environmentally friendly”, even though this term has been campaigned time and again and is not something unfamiliar to us.

Over time, public awareness has become the key that can unlock the existence of the concept of sustainability as an absolute concept to make the best use of materials without reducing the value of the end product.

Talking about sustainability means that we are talking about efforts to optimise the benefits of natural resources as well as human resources. Implementing an effective and efficient process to get the maximum possible results so that an object can continue to "go on" and exist for a long time.

This is why it is important for wood companies to seek wood from sustainably managed forests, so that the harvest of wood remains environmentally friendly even with the high demand.

Sustainability with efficiency in minimising wood waste

The concept of sustainability is not only widely used for products of a brand, but also in various events. For the past two years, people around the world have experienced social limitations (including social events), and to refresh from these limitations, many events have begun to be held live.

One of them is the Jia Curated Kiosks (JCK) which built the Jia Pavilion during the "Material Alchemy" event. The event offered a homey experience as if one was visiting a friend's house, showcasing the works of more than 20 Indonesian designers and 30 home decor brands for three days.

What made it interesting is that DDAP's Principal Architect, Dirga, said there was an agreement with Jia that the pavilion could be reassembled. This has promoted the concept of sustainability, considering that the materials used to build the pavilion will be reused and not thrown away. “Usually, even if the materials are not disposed of, they are donated. However, after being donated, they are usually kept in a warehouse,” he said.

On the occasion, as the architect of the Jia Pavilion, Dirga and his team tried to think in a new system, where the items used to build the pavilion could be dismantled and reassembled. This made the structure of the pavilion very important, which led to the selection of joinery made without the use of metal fasteners or adhesives. DDAP answered the challenge of creating a sustainable pavilion by building a pavilion that can be dismantled and rebuilt.

In terms of material selection, it is equally important to apply the concept of sustainability to the Jia Pavilion. By using plywood as the main material, Dirga tried to minimise wood waste from the construction by following the plywood module. "That way, we have responded in minimising waste, which is very good to maintain sustainability," he added.

Budi Hermawan of Kayu Lapis Indonesia described plywood elements as the main material for the Jia Pavilion. These elements were procured from Kayu Lapis Indonesia's forest which is managed in a sustainable manner, so the wood products are environmentally friendly with very low–even zero–emissions.

"The wood products we displayed at the Jia Pavilion are reusable, where we can easily dismantle and rebuild them for future events," he explained.

In line with that, Budi emphasised work principles that focus on developing wooden buildings that are not only more energy-efficient, but also without wood cutting works on the field. This can maximise zero waste efforts because the wood only needs to be assembled with other wood components that are already available, thereby minimising the use of heavy equipment.

Post-pandemic design: People appreciate nature more now than before

Dirga explained the story behind the “Damuh” concept for the Jia Pavilion, which was not originally planned, but turned out to be suitable for today’s post-pandemic conditions. Damuh is a Balinese word for dew. This name was inspired by the arches of the pavilion’s roof, which made it look like leaves and water–hence dew.

Damuh was then associated with morning dew, so the Jia Pavilion seemed to serve as a point to refresh from the limitations of live social events, which are starting to come back. Open and transparent interior design was the focal point of the Jia Pavilion. This is inseparable from changes in post-pandemic interior design preferences.

Dirga gave an example of the shape of villas in Bali. Before the pandemic, the bathroom was usually larger than the other rooms. Nowadays, people spend more time at home, and DDAP noticed a change in the typology of villa design, especially in Bali.

Bali's comfortable climate with low pollution levels makes people prefer to spend time on the terrace, so demand for villas with large terraces is increasing.

Dirga added, “People don't make big bathrooms anymore. The size of the bedroom is the same as before, with a terrace that has the same size as the bedroom. It's like the bedroom is A, the terrace is A, the bathroom is now B."

This change in design typology led to the Jia Pavilion being built like a large terrace. Air circulation becomes more important than ever and people's appreciation of nature is also greater. In the past, people liked spacious bedrooms with air conditioning, but now they prefer open spaces; a lifestyle known as "living on terrace".

"That's the response to new design–post-pandemic design. People want to see the sun more, to sunbathe. They start to feel that the climate is important,” he concluded.