6 December 2023
The Kerja Tahun Festival in the Tourism Village of Buluh Awar
The "Kerja Tahun" celebration is an annual ritual representing the local wisdom of the Karo ethnic community. Known as "Merdang Merdem," this celebration typically takes place after the completion of rice planting in the fields. The event expresses gratitude to the Creator for health and favorable weather during the planting season, accompanied by prayers for abundant harvests. The participation of the entire community and the return of relatives from afar reinforce the value of togetherness. The primary objective of the celebration is to preserve familial bonds and serve as a means of fostering unity.
Over time, the celebration has evolved into a moment of gratitude and historical reflection for the Protestant Batak Karo Church (GBKP), marking its 134th anniversary. Additionally, community members celebrate by sharing meals with family and relatives, fostering social connections, and avoiding conflicts. The Kerja Tahun celebration showcases Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and the unique cuisine of Buluh Awar Village. Other activities, such as Pekolong-Kolong, touring Buluh Awar, and featuring renowned guest artists like Lyodra Ginting, the winner of Indonesia Idol 2020, contribute to the vibrancy of the celebration.
With the inclusion of KAKR Buluh Awar as one of the venues for the Kerja Tahun celebration, this grand design is expected to significantly contribute to diversifying activities during future Kerja Tahun celebrations in Buluh Awar.
6 December 2023
Plan for Homestay Quality Improvement
On November 9, 2023, a Zoom meeting was conducted involving the Tourism Office, Medan Tourism Polytechnic (Poltekpar Medan), and stakeholders from Buluh Awar Village. This meeting aimed to discuss and formulate strategies for enhancing the quality of Homestay facilities in Buluh Awar Village. Participants addressed various aspects of Homestay services' development, improvement, and enhancement. Additionally, there was a focus on coordinating efforts among village institutions to support the development of the tourism sector in the region. During the meeting, researchers from Poltekpar Medan recommended adopting the "ASEAN Homestay Standard" to improve the quality of Homestay services in Buluh Awar Village.
6 December 2023
UMA Architecture Student Interviews
Architecture students from Universitas Medan Area (UMA) and accompanying faculty conducted interviews regarding the KAKR Buluh Awar building and the construction processes of the cafe and villa.
6 December 2023
Field Trip of UMA Architecture Students
On October 31, 2023, students from the Architecture Program at Universitas Medan Area (UMA) conducted a field trip to Buluh Awar Village. The event involved approximately 80 students and was accompanied by four faculty members. Upon arrival, the group was warmly welcomed with a traditional Karo dance performance as an expression of greeting. Subsequently, the field trip commenced at the KAKR Buluh Awar Hall, led by the KAKR architect team.
During this field trip, students received comprehensive explanations of various aspects of design, construction, and community empowerment in Buluh Awar Village. The discussions also encompassed the bamboo preservation process at the Buluh Awar Preservation Shelter. Throughout the activity, Architecture students symbolically participated in bamboo cultivation by engaging in bamboo planting. Additionally, they organized sketching exercises as an integral part of the field trip events, involving active participation from UMA Architecture Program students.
Furthermore, the Architecture students had the opportunity to observe the construction process of villas and cafes in Buluh Awar. They conducted interview sessions regarding the KAKR Buluh Awar building and the development of villas and cafes.
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29 November 2023
The Construction Process of the Toilet at KAKR Buluh Awar
Following the contribution of €5,000 from The Hilti Foundation and €2,500 from The World Bamboo Foundation, the toilet construction project at KAKR Buluh Awar has entered the implementation phase, marked by the commencement of physical work, particularly in the foundation excavation stage. The execution of the toilet involves the active participation of the local community, especially individuals who have undergone construction training provided by KAKR Buluh Awar. The construction process also embraces local materials, incorporating an innovative approach by experimenting with creating wattle and daub walls using clay, lime, and sand.
With this support, it is anticipated that the new toilet at KAKR Buluh Awar will soon become a reality, providing significant benefits to the local community and enhancing facilities in the church and its surroundings.
29 November 2023
Summer Workshop 2024 Srilanka
On November 21, a Zoom meeting was conducted with Mr. Dhanesh Cathuranga from BERI - Consultant Architect, to discuss the plans for the webinar and workshop of the Summer Workshop 2024 in Sri Lanka with the theme "Designing with Nature's Palette." Mr. Dhanesh Cathuranga specifically invited Ar. Franky Simanjuntak, an architect involved in planning the KAKR Buluh Awar project, was one of the speakers for the scheduled webinar in July 2024—additionally, Ar. Franky Simanjuntak is expected to contribute to the workshop activities that will take place in person in Sri Lanka in August 2024. The presentation material is related to "Community Empowerment in the Activities of KAKR Buluh Awar."
Ar. Franky Simanjuntak's participation in this event is anticipated to share inspiration and enthusiasm for sustainable architecture development and community empowerment through the KAKR Buluh Awar project with workshop participants, who are students and academics from various countries such as Asia, Europe, and America.
29 November 2023
The Do-It-Together Annual Symposium
On November 14, 2023, Ar. Franky Simanjuntak was invited as one of the speakers at The Do-It-Together Annual Symposium held at the University of Sheffield. This symposium, a collaboration between Architecture in Development and the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Sheffield, marked its inaugural edition with a focus on practices extending beyond transactional relationships with clients to deeper, trust-based collaborations, described as "Do-It-Together" (Sennett, 2013). The event showcased projects exploring the essence of the Do-It-Together (DiT) movement and critically engaging with the concept. It brought together innovative practices imbued with local wisdom, creating genuinely sustainable solutions. The symposium served not only as a platform for exchanging ideas and expertise but also opened space for communities to play an active role in their development journeys according to their desires.
The event unfolded successfully, with KAKR Buluh Awar being one of the projects presented in the symposium, receiving positive responses from the audience. The symposium featured six speakers representing the finalists of the Global Challenge in 2021 and 2022:
[Oasis Urbano, DE+CO] Albert Kreisel & Maximilian Becker
[Terre à terre, IT+MA] Martina Petrosino
[Lab Kondisi, HK+CN+KE] Peter Winston Ferretto & Man-yan Milly Lam
[KAKR BULUH AWAR, ID] Franky Simanjuntak
[Cocina Colaboratorio, MX] Mariana Martínez Balvanera
[Espacio Común, PE] Reverend Paula Villar & Daniel Canchán
The event also attracted participants from various countries, including Dhanesh Cathuranga, an architect from Sri Lanka working in Stuttgart, Germany.
10 October 2023
Guest Lecture on the Occation of World Bamboo Day 2023
In support of World Bamboo Day 2023, on September 21, 2023, the Integrated Research Laboratory at USU invited the architects from KAKR Buluh Awar as Guest Lecturers to address newly enrolled Civil Engineering students at USU. The aim was to educate them on sustainable construction practices utilising renewable materials such as bamboo and rammed earth as part of environmental preservation efforts and community empowerment initiatives to enhance the local economy.
These new Civil Engineering students are expected to develop an understanding of construction methods employing local materials like bamboo. It's worth noting that, after testing at the USU laboratory and subsequent publication, bamboo has been found to possess compressive strength equivalent to K-400 concrete and three times the tensile strength. This development represents promising news and can potentially elevate bamboo as a viable material for building construction and comprehensive research in the future.
10 October 2023
APTARI Exhibition
On August 15-16, 2023, the Architect team of KAKR Buluh Awar participated in an exhibition organised by the Indonesian Association of Architectural Engineering Professionals (APTARI). This event took place in the courtyard of the Auditorium at the University of North Sumatra (USU) with the primary objective of introducing and promoting projects using bamboo as a sustainable building material to the academic community.
One of the showcased projects was KAKR Buluh Awar. Additionally, various other projects, such as the Net Zero Carbon Building, resulting from collaboration between the Architect team of KAKR Buluh Awar and the Academics in the Department of Architecture at USU, as well as the Pancur Sabah Buluh Awar project, were featured in the exhibition. Live demonstrations of bamboo model-making were also conducted, during which students exhibited great enthusiasm in observing and understanding the design processes.
As a continuation of these efforts, the Architect team of KAKR Buluh Awar has been invited to speak in the upcoming Bamboo Summer Course scheduled for October-November.
10 October 2023
Design/Process of Armadillo NZCB USU
The Architecture Campus of the University of North Sumatra (USU) is planning the construction of a new building with a focus on the net zero carbon concept. To consider sustainable materials that can support this objective, bamboo has been identified as one of the potential options to reduce carbon emissions. As a concrete step in implementing this plan, the academic faculty of the USU Architecture department has collaborated with local architects in Medan, including the KAKR Buluh Awar architects, to work together on the construction project with the net zero carbon concept.
During the construction process, skilled artisans trained in KAKR Buluh Awar construction techniques will be involved, and sustainable bamboo materials will be sourced from the Buluh Awar village.
5 October 2023
ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS FIELD TRIP 3.0
On September 28, 2023, Architecture students from the University of North Sumatera (USU) once again conducted a field trip to Buluh Awar Village. This educational excursion involved approximately 100 new students and was accompanied by five faculty members. The group was warmly welcomed with a traditional Karo dance, followed by a field lecture led by the KAKR architect team, which took place in the Hall KAKR Buluh Awar.
During the field lecture, the students received comprehensive explanations about the design process, construction, and community empowerment within KAKR Buluh Awar. This experience gave them valuable insights and a foundational understanding for their future architectural journey at the University. As part of this occasion, the Architecture students also participated symbolically in bamboo cultivation by engaging in bamboo planting activities.
2 October 2023
Call for Papers - 12th WBC Taiwan
The Architect Team of KAKR Buluh Awar collaborated with Academics from the Architecture Department of the University of North Sumatra to create a journal for the WBC Call for Papers event, which took place in Taiwan. The event revolved around "Architecture and Interior Design," specifically focusing on "Architecture Design and Construction Using Bamboo: A Case Study of Buluh Awar Village, Indonesia." After successfully passing the abstract selection phase, the full paper has been submitted and accepted by the organizing committee and is currently undergoing a rigorous review process. The paper review results are expected to be announced in the second week of December 2023.
The event itself was scheduled to be held from April 18th to 22nd, 2024, in Taiwan. The Taiwan Bamboo Society was the host, sponsored by the Taiwan Forestry Bureau and the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute. The venues will be in Hsinchu, Caotun, and Zhushan. (Link: https://worldbamboo.net/news-and-events/world-bamboo-congress)
27 September 2023
Bamboo Craftsmanship Training
Bamboo craftsmanship training for the younger generation is being conducted by artisans who have received construction training at the Buluh Awar KAKR Building. Twelve young individuals are undergoing training to prepare products for exhibition at the SME Exhibition in Jakarta on October 28, 2023. The exhibition's expected outcomes include market expansion and support for a circular economy, which in turn will elevate the living standards of the local community through the utilization of bamboo materials. Furthermore, there is an anticipation that the village of Buluh Awar will receive financial assistance to procure machinery that will enhance the quality of crafted products.
25 September 2023
Another € 7,500 raised
21 September 2023
Reviewing the Toilet Location at KAKR Buluh Awar
We are determining the toilet location for KAKR as a follow-up to the donation from The World Bamboo Foundation and The Hilti Foundation. This decision is crucial to optimize the use of donated funds and resources, including accessibility, visitor convenience, and environmental impact.
20 September 2023
UPCOMING ARCHITECTURE STUDENT EXCURSION
On September 28 2023, architecture students University of North Sumatera will conduct a field study at KAKR Buluh Awar. This educational venture exemplified their dedication to gaining hands-on insights into the architectural and environmental aspects of the site.
20 September 2023
INITIAL STAGE OF VILLA AND CAFÉ CONSTRUCTION
The construction of the villa and café has progressed to the foundation casting phase. In September 2023, the church representatives and the construction team gathered for a communal prayer session to seek blessings and a smooth construction process for the villa and café. This phase marks the commencement of the main column erection.
20 September 2023
Tourism Awareness
The local villagers build their awareness to support the Tourism in Buluh Awar village as well as the awareness to preserve the environment. There are approximately 10-20% increasing numbers of visitors coming to Buluh Awar Village after the completion of KAKR Hall. In 2022, the village welcomed a total of 6,368 visitors. Remarkably, until August 2023, this number has reached 6,000 people, and will reach 10,000 total of visitors by the end of the year.
20 September 2023
Exhibit Bamboo Prouduct in Jakarta
The villagers were invited to exhibit bamboo products in Jakarta in October 2023 to attract future markets. This strategic move aimed to tap into the potential of future markets, showcasing the unique and sustainable bamboo products crafted by the village residents. This not only promised economic opportunities for the villagers but also highlighted the importance of sustainable materials like bamboo in contemporary design and construction.
20 September 2023
The Architect Team Made Presentations in Jakarta & Bali to The Private Sectors
The Architect Team conducted presentations in Jakarta and Bali, inviting villagers to showcase bamboo products in Jakarta in October 2023 as part of an exciting opportunity for future markets. The presentations catalyzed forging connections between the private sector and the village, promoting sustainable economic growth while celebrating the residents' rich cultural heritage and craftsmanship.
20 September 2023
German Media Coverage
German Media Covers the Arrival of Delegation from GBKP, Indonesia. This article highlights the experiences and activities undertaken by the GBKP team on the island of Sumatera, Indonesia.
20 September 2023
The village Priest in Buluh Awar was Invited to Present the KAKR in Germany
After dedicating four years of service to Buluh Awar, the priest was reassigned to a different village. This prompted the Buluh Awar community to organize an elaborate farewell celebration and a heartfelt send-off prayer ceremony. This event was orchestrated to bid a fond farewell to the pastor and a send-off prayer ceremony for the priest's departure to Germany from August 10th to September 10th. This elaborate send-off was due to the priest's invitation to deliver a presentation on KAKR Buluh Awar and its ambitious future programs. This brings potential donations of machinery for bamboo craftsmanship and handicrafts.
20 September 2023
WAF Shortlist Nomination
In July 2023, KAKR Buluh Awar nomination for the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2023 in Completed Buildings: Civic & Community category. The activity will be held on November 29 - December 1 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
20 September 2023
Foundation Excavation
In July 2023, the construction of the villa and café in Buluh Awar began with the construction phase, which involved the excavation of the foundation and the subsequent assembly of reinforcement steel to reinforce and prepare the foundation for further development.
20 September 2023
Community Outreach
In May 2023, a community outreach program was conducted to inform the local residents about the planning of the villa and café construction in Buluh Awar. During this event, the architect team presented the building designs for the café and villa, using maquette studies to help the community visualize the architectural structures that will be constructed. Additionally, representatives from the Deli Serdang Regency Government were also in attendance during this outreach.
20 September 2023
Land Boundary Marking
In April 2023, following the land survey and the identification of the location for the villa and café construction, the land boundary marking process was initiated. This marking was carried out to facilitate the division of plots and align them with the site plan design.
20 September 2023
Land Survey for Villa and Café Planning
In April 2023, the Architect team and representatives from The Deli Serdang Regency Government held a meeting to determine the land allocation for the planning of a villa and café in Buluh Awar. During this meeting, they also actively engaged in surveying the designated land.
20 September 2023
Bamboo Shelter in Architecture USU
After Architecture students conducted a field trip in Buluh Awar, the academic institution invited them to collaborate on building bamboo shelters. This initiative involved members of the Buluh Awar community who had previously contributed to the construction of KAKR, providing guidance and instruction to the students from the Architecture program at USU. These individuals from Buluh Awar, once perceived as bamboo burners, transformed into bamboo preservers.
20 September 2023
Grand Design Villa and Cafe in Buluh Awar Village
Observing the potential in the village of Buluh Awar, the grant provided by the Deli Serdang district government is being allocated for the construction of a villa and café. This planning is aimed at enhancing the tourism infrastructure to boost tourism visits to Deli Serdang and tap into the village's potential. It serves as a continuation of the grand design for the Buluh Awar tourism village, ensuring its alignment with the KAKR building.
19 September 2023
ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS FIELD TRIP 2.0
In November 2022, the Architecture students from USU once again conducted a field trip in Buluh Awar village. During this opportunity, they focused on studying bamboo and were invited to participate in Karo traditional dance and engage in a Q&A session regarding KAKR structures. Additionally, they actively took part in bamboo cultivation.
19 September 2023
ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS FIELD TRIP
In September 2022, architecture students visited Buluh Awar village to learn how bamboo can be used as a building material. These visits are carried out regularly. This is a collaboration between academics and KAKR Buluh Awar.
19 September 2023
New Supporter: The Deli Serdang Regency Goverment
The Deli Serdang Regency Government awarded €91,230 to continue our project.
This contribution will provide a villa and cafe in Buluh Awar Village.
Thank you so much for your support to our project.
5 June 2023
133rd Anniversary of Buluh Awar
The 133rd anniversary of Buluh Awar is a joint celebration of Protestantse Kerk In Netherlands PGI & 37 Synod of Dutch Missionary Churches with the theme "past history and culture." Walking from the landslide point to the GBKP Zero point, all congregations wear traditional clothes to carry out cultural carnivals and bring natural products. After gathering at the GBKP Zero point, the community will walk to the KAKR Buluh Awar Building to carry out the Karo Inculturation Service. Not only worship; this activity also has several artistic and cultural performances, such as short dramas and traditional Karo dances. On this occasion, the Governor of North Sumatra was present, the Chairperson of the North Sumatra DPRD, the North Sumatra Regional Police Chief, the Deputy DPRD Karo Regency, the Deputy Regent of Deli Serdang Regency, the Deputy Regent of Karo Regency, and representatives from Protestantse Kerk In the Netherlands. With the existence of the KAKR Building, it has had several impacts on the residents of Buluh Awar village, such as the presence of the Governor of North Sumatra Province in Buluh Awar Village, the government will carry out road repairs, and not only, the Deli Serdang PEMKAB will also fund the building of villas and cafes in Buluh Awar.
20 March 2023
New supporter: Hilti Foundation
New Supporters: The Hilti Foundation
The Hilti Foundation is a philanthropic non-profit organization based in Liechtenstein.
We are thrilled to have been awarded by The Hilti Foundation €5.000 for our project. Thank you Hilti fo r supporting and believing in our process.
This contribution will help us provide toilets for KAKR Building.
Thankyou again!
20 March 2023
New supporter: World Bamboo
New Supporter: The World Bamboo Foundation
The purpose of the WBF is to support and advance the use of sustainably grown and harvested timber bamboo as a major contributor for both global climate change and poverty mitigation.
Prize Awarded by The World Bamboo Foundation!
We are delighted to have been awarded by The World Bamboo Foundation an amount of €2.500 for continuing with our project.
Thank you for your support of our project!
Once again, thank you very much!