Firm Foundation

decreasing Vulnerability with selF-reliant urban design For riVerFront housing in Banjarmasin, indonesia

addina amalia bima Pritama stephen Kennedy alice shay

Universitas sebelas maret, bs arch Universitas sebelas maret, bs arch massachusetts institute of Technology, mcp massachusetts institute of Technology, mcp

FoRTIFICATIoN oF RIVER ECoLoGY

INFRASTRUCTURE FoR PUBLIC HEALTH

PHYSICAL STABILITY FoR WATERFRoNT PRoGRAMMING

the city of 1000 rivers: banjarmasin is undergoing turbulent changes, the city needs a firm foundation.
Banjarmasin sits at the southern tip of Borneo, where the Barito river empties into the java sea. it is the self-proclaimed City of 1000 rivers. although the actual number of rivers falls short of the thousand declared, it quickly becomes clear just how integral the river system is to the daily life of its citizens. more than 150 km of rivers, canals, and tributaries course through the city. The water is used daily for transport, cleaning, bathing, trade, recreation, production, and fishing.
O utdoor W/C Raised Pat h

Banjarmasin is currently undergoing many largescale physical, economic and environmental transformations. declining industrial production has left behind a legacy of contamination and ecological damage on the rivers edge. Banjarmasin is growing but the city cannot keep up with this urbanization. many communities live without utilities and basic infrastructure. The citys tidal levels are rapidly rising due to climate change. residents battle with the waters everyday to maintain their wood-built homes and livelihoods.
B ridge - O nly Access Porch to B oardwalk

Firm Foundation reduces physical vulnerability and enables endogenous development of the urban riverfront communities with a flexible kit of parts of gabion foundations. The project engages communities towards stewardship of their neighborhoods and waterways with a participatory design process. Firm Foundation provides a stable ground for the urban poor in banjarmasin, reinforcing the livelihoods and cultural identity of the riverfront communities.

Kalimantan rainforest lumber is an almost extinguished resource. stone (granite and andesit) is plentiful.

resources of Kalimantan
rainForest (1950) rainForest (Today) andesit

TRIBUTARY

CANAL

MARTAPUR A

granite THE CITYS

BANJARMASIN

A B

slum HousinG PubliC HousinG

C D E F G

dutCH arCHiteCture transit & trade boats lumber industry new riverfront walk rubber faCtory

H I J K

birds nest HarvestinG waterfront restaurant mosque waterfront market

TURNING TIDES

B G

C H

E A

unstable building construction

The urban poor are skillful at building homes over the water. However, homes are vulnerable due to a lack of high-quality materials or infrastructure and the constant need to raise homes because of flooding. during the dry season, fires ravage the wooden structures.

water quality: trash & Pollution

The rivers have been contaminated by industrial pollution, build-up of urban waste and the elimination of a healthy river ecology.
indUsTry & HoUseHolds prodUCe WasTe aT a raTe oF

sanitation & Public health

The urban poor are surrounded by rivers but lack access to potable water. recent public health outbreaks are caused by waterborne bacteria. The city has no comprehensive utility system to reach the riverfront urban poor.
reCenT oUTBreaKs

erosion & sedimentation

The river embankments have eroded, increasing the number of homes over water. at the same time, the number of rivers has decreased from 72 to 61 in the last 5 years due to sedimentation and build-up of urban wastes. Channelization disrupts rivers natural self-regulation. rivers lost in tHe last five years

Flooding & rising tides

Climate change and sedimentation have caused rising water levels across the city. during the rainy season, the citys estuaries, canals and municipal drainage are overloaded, flooding whole neighborhoods. The lack of adequate drainage infrastructure exacerbates public health issues and degrades built structures..

damaged riVer ecology

Water hyacinth has taken over the waterways. The plant, which thrives in polluted water bodies because it has a high capacity for uptake of heavy metals, will starve the water of oxygen and kill fish populations. However, hyacinth can be used to remediate contaminated water and harvested as a valuable ingredient for fertilizer.

300 180

tons / day

BUT THe CiTy only Has THe garBage managemenT CapaCiTy To Bring To THe landFill

tons / day

e.coli & cholera

WHere does THe resT go? the water.

Troubled Waters

the citys solutions to these systemic Problems are only quicK wins. banjarmasin needs solid, longer-term strategies.

sMall tribUtary kaMpUNg

1 2 3 4

Small-scale industry mixed amongst housing along river. Residential structures built far over the water. dUtch caNal kaMpUNg Waterway lined with wooden bridges and small boat docks. Entirely disconnected from services by canal. traditiONal kaMpUNg Well preserved tradtional housing style on Martapura. Strong sense of community, but low quality of public realm. MartapUra kaMpUNg Boardwalk functions as the main thoroughfare. Businesses draw customers from downriver. Utilities hang from boardwalks or float in the water. Need for formally organized utility system. boats are used as transportation while connections to land are haphazard and jerry-rigged. Need for intermodal connections. Waste collects between houses under boardwalks. Opportunity to develop aquatic courtyards to strengthen quality of public realm.

urban analysis: neighborhood typologies

waterfront housing

2 1

3 4

Must raise / reconstruct their boardwalks regularly. Floods every couple weeks. Need for improved boardwalks and structures to support informal businesses.

city land uses

slum housing residential residential Within 200 M of WatERWay waterway commercial green open space industrial agriculture

of residential areas are within a 2.5 minute walk of waterways.

52%

200 m

Over 52% of Banjaris live within a 2.5 minute walk of a river or canal, but every neighborhood has a different relationship with the water.

comPetition as camPaign: Firm Foundation will be implemented by the riverfront residents themselves. urban design can be a learning tool for neighborhood planning and urban water issues.
campaign
public campaign to increase awareness of urban design opportunities and competition. partnership between sKK, local government and neighborhood associations to disseminate information about urban water issues and the competition.

a Pedagogical aPProach with solo Kota Kita

solo Kota Kita (sKK) is an nGo tHat foCuses on PartiCiPatory urban PlanninG, desiGn, and develoPment ProjeCts. skks aPProaCH is HiGHly inClusive of Communities wHere tHey work. tHey believe in HelPinG Citizens and offiCials alike understand tHe ComPlexities of tHe built environment so tHey Can better take on tHe Problems and oPPortunities tHat Come witH ramPant urbanization.

workshop
Workshops organized by sKK to explain urban water issues, urban design methodologies and competition process. These facilitated sessions will engage neighborhoods with the strategic vision of the project and identity opportunities for project sites.

Fieldwork
Community members will be trained by sKK and student designers to complete on-site fieldwork and stakeholder interviews. This research will refine identified needs and opportunities for the participatory design process.

2 1
charrette
sKK and the student designers will lead participatory design session, working with residents to develop site plans for their neighborhoods. The Firm Foundation kit of parts will be applied to the neighborhood sites according to findings from the fieldwork and stakeholder interviews.

competition
The site plans created from the community design sessions will be shared during a public campaign and meetings organized by sKK in collaboration with local government. Winning neighborhood plans will determine the first phase of implementation.

city challenge
imPlementation through the comPetition method
vulnerability is decreased when people can improve their own built environment. daily battles can be transformed into everyday advantages.
Phases poliCy WriTTen FUnding apparaTUs engineering ConsUlTaTion CiTy-Wide Campaign neigHBorHood WorKsHops FieldWorK & inTervieWs CollaBoraTive design CHarreTTe CiTy-Wide CompeTiTion ConsTrUCTion doCUmenTs maTerials soUrCed CollaBoraTive ConsTrUCTion inFrasTrUCTUre sysTem inTermodal ConneCTions pUBliC programming WeTlands ConsTrUCTed managemenT & sTeWardsHip evalUaTion oF FirsT pHase FUnding For FUTUre pHases YEAR 1 YEAR 2

Firm Foundation gabions Can Be easily ConsTrUCTed WiTHoUT THe Use oF Heavy maCHinery By CommUniTy memBers THemselves.

YEAR 3

city adoPtion oF Project Pedagogical imPlementation: comPetition as camPaign construction oF base structure

gaBions arrive on siTe parTially assemBled in FlaT paCK FormaT WiTH laCing Wire and loCKing pins For permanenT ConneCTions.

Programming imPlementation management oF Future Phases