Located in the main district of Pantai Indah Kapok (PIK) 2, Indonesia Design District (IDD) is adopting a new urban concept as the largest and most comprehensive lifestyle hub in Indonesia. A first in the country, this latest revolutionary development by Agung Sedayu Group, a leading real estate developer in Indonesia, has joined forces with internationally acclaimed DP Architects (DPA) to bring their vision for a new retail experience to Indonesians and design enthusiasts alike. Director of world-renowned architecture firm Rida Subana shared the vision and design of DPA Indonesia for IDD Design.
ID: What summary did the Agung Sedayu group give?
DPA: The brief was to plan and design the “Raksasa Mebel Terlengkap dan Terbesar di Indonesia” or “Giant Furniture Center” on one floor on an eight-hectare site. The client was also specific in his request for a “modern furniture center” with artistry and design flair. It should differ from the traditional mall setting in Jakarta and be a place where customers are encouraged to stay outdoors and where tenants can host events.
ID: Share with us how good is the translation of the abstract in your design?
DPA: The brief presented some challenges, but these in themselves were exciting opportunities to create a truly refreshing retail experience. Responding to the brief’s call for a one-story “modern furniture hub” on an 8-hectare site, we have shifted from the standard interpretation of creating a furniture factory outlet to offering a unique central experience that dynamically blends retail and community within a single development via a semi-open mall concept. Therefore, our proposed design scheme prioritizes three things: connectivity, creativity, and comfort.
Communication generates interaction and thus a sense of belonging to the community. To achieve this, the 8-hectare site had to be designed to human size with easy-to-use pedestrian paths. So the site was carefully planned into two zones – North and South. Each area has a significant slope and equal exposure to the main roads; They are Jalan Sudirman in the south and Jalan Rasuna Saeed in the north. Surface parking is deliberately placed along all four sides of the rectangular site. This allows equal access from the car park to the shops.
The expression of creativity is replicated by the “blank canvas” feature we proposed for each storefront. Aiming to spark creativity among tenants, it offers each of them a unique opportunity to express and showcase their brand colors as an extension of their design aesthetic. Taken together, it is envisaged to create a dynamic place of interest, which in itself, will introduce a wow factor for development.
A multidisciplinary approach to consider all climatic factors of the site has been carefully studied to create a comfortable environment. By engaging in sun path analysis and wind rain in our design process, we were able to plan deep, covered walkways and well-protected outdoor spaces – a sight and a rare feature in Jakarta.
To further encourage interaction and community, a wide range of food and beverages were placed at the heart of the site and made available to secondary drop-offs to the east and west of the site. Its semi-outdoor concept has been designed to carefully fit and connect the northern and southern regions while serving as a ‘breathing space’ for patrons who need some refreshment while shopping. The design simultaneously integrates a spacious, covered event plaza within each area and F&B group; Offer opportunities for outdoor activities that allow mingling within the design community and planned events that bring beneficiaries and tenants together and/or celebrate design.
ID: The design concept is an open plan along all the lanes, how do you deal with wind and hot weather?
DPA: This is where our focus is on creating a comfortable environment. Jakarta is famous for its hot weather and torrential rains. For this reason, retail centers have so far been designed as large, multi-storey, air-conditioned complexes.
In the case of the Indonesia Design District project, we countered this with a multidisciplinary approach that includes a careful study of the site taking into account all climatic factors from the design concept stage. This should be complemented by thoughtful landscaping design and details, which include large canopy rain trees within social spaces such as children’s playground, outdoor dining areas, green lawn areas, and water bodies (such as ponds). In addition to aesthetics, it functions as a passive cooling system that provides shade and evaporative cooling for the microclimate, respectively; Thus, improving levels of thermal comfort, which is crucial to encourage visitors to explore the design area and increase the exhilaration of their experience regardless of the weather of the day.
Passive design strategies also serve to provide a more sustainable built environment. For example, aiming to achieve zero runoff, planters and strategically located absorption wells help capture excess runoff which is gradually directed downstream to prevent flooding during severe thunderstorms. The design also applies green pavement blocks in the parking lots to encourage rainwater penetration into the underlying soil and gravel. Even the outer surface is used for development. On it, we have made space for rainwater tanks so that the collected rain can be used for housekeeping activities such as floor washing and toilet cleaning within the project.
iD: Compared to other projects, what makes this furniture hub stand out?
DPA: Among all the projects she has led, Indonesia Design District is a special one. First, it is a creative community that is close to my personal craft of architecture design. As an architect who was born in Indonesia and had the opportunity to design, collaborate and showcase my work across the region, I understand what such a development would mean and could offer to citizens in the field of design. So, being able to envision and create such a space to serve and celebrate local industries, artists and crafts is a privilege in itself.
While envisioning the design, we really took a deep look at the purpose of the development in conjunction with the aspirations of the nation, and realized its potential to encourage creative collaborations between buyers, designers, investors and artists. This was how we designed a playground for the creative community. To achieve this, we leveraged our deep knowledge of the local context and climate as well as our rich experience in complex and mixed-use retail projects such as Central Park and Kemang Village. As the brief called for something out of the norm, we also leveraged DP Architects’ extensive knowledge database of building shapes and types, and an interdisciplinary design approach to present a locally relevant Indonesian design area.
Second, as proponents of positive climate action against its collapse and the collapse of biodiversity, the opportunity to realize an urban design scheme that responds to the global call for greener built environments gives the project additional meaning and purpose. This is especially true when we consider how Indonesia Design District will be among the first carbon-conscious semi-outdoor development of its kind in the country. We have demonstrated this through landscape design measures to reintroduce biodiversity into the site, passive design strategies to enhance natural ventilation and reduce reliance on electric cooling systems and energy consumption, and route-finding strategies to enhance on-site connectivity; They all work synergistically to contribute to creating more sustainable, resilient and happier cities and communities.
IDD is home to leading design and furniture brands with stunning architecture and store designs for an endless search for fun activities and welcoming experiences at every arrival. IDD is now open for booking limited to 200 tenants of various leading brands to be part of the new lifestyle concept in the country.
IDD is now open for reservations for potential tenants from today onwards, for more information visit the website or contact an IDD representative via WhatsApp at this link.