MOON ORCHID
Year
Location
Jakarta
The city of Jakarta is facing issues with flooding and overcrowding. Indonesia has made the decision to relocate the capital city from Jakarta to the rainforests of Borneo. The relocation is set to launch at the end of President Widodo's term in 2024. One and a half million public officials will be relocated to the new capital and existing government buildings will be derelict.
Jakarta, one of the world’s largest megacities and home to 30 million, will remain a relevant economic hub due to the industry embedded in the city. However, Jakarta faces climate pressures from rising sea levels as 40 percent of the city is situated below sea level and some districts are sinking at an increased rate every year into the Java sea. Many existing residential areas have been abandoned due to the disastrous annual floods.
Jakarta’s urban form is a sprawling network which, combined with the considerable traffic, causes very long commuting times for workers in central Jakarta. Many office towers are isolated with bad connectivity to services such as healthcare, gyms, markets, places of worship and parks. The proposal increases connectivity for workers to services such as these and brings high-rise accommodation to the centre of the city. The proposal consists of a residential and mixed-use tower and a connecting hydroponics tower with allotments for residents.
The site was chosen through analysis using ‘Space Syntax’ to find the most integrated streets of Jakarta. Space Syntax is a method for analysing spatial layouts and human activity patterns in cities. The results showed us that there was a highly integrated street running through the central banking district. The towers are located on the site of the existing German Embassy. The embassy will be relocated to the new capital in 2024.
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2023
Acknowledging the flooding of the city of Jakarta, the ground level is treated as planted water meadows with canals and lakes. The increased green space aims to heal the city by absorbing floods driven by torrential rains and funnels these into recharging the city’s depleted groundwater.
In the multi-level street, the road and tram networks are elevated to Level 1 and 2. A pedestrian high-line forms Level 3 and includes retail kiosks and planters. The high-line threads and connects the key buildings of central Jakarta and forms a connecting artery for daily activity.
Level 2 -10 of the tower are mixed-use. The health clinic and gym have skybridge connections to the urban farm. Level 11- 38 are residential floors. There are 2 types of residential floor plate which form the undulating rhythm of the façade.
The sky bar and restaurant form Level 39 and 40 of the tower. Sweeping timber louvres match the language of the podium and the floors are rich with greenery. The design incorporates a double height piano bar to enjoy views over the city.
The skeletal structure of the Urban Farm uses an exoskeleton to keep the floor plan free for hydroponic racks. Cross bracing is implemented to counteract the force that the structure loads on itself.
The tower concept is inspired by one of the national flowers of Jakarta, the moon orchid. The organic balconies bring to mind the ethereal petals of this rare flower.
The timber balustrades sweep around the balconies and bronze louvres protect the interiors from solar glare and overheating. Sculptural white concrete forms the structure of the tower and shapes the elegant flutes in the skygarden.
