In Jatiwangi, earth has been the essential element of the community's lives for over a century. Along with agriculture, the production of roof tiles and bricks has been the main economic activity in the region up until the early 2000's. As the industry continuously declined due to the development of modern industry, some cultural workers in the region imagined the other possibilities to sustain their land and cultural values. This project started as a collaboration with the experiment of making slow brick (compressed earth brick) by the clients, a couple of cultural workers from Jatiwangi art Factory. Situated around the Wates village in Jatiwangi, West Java, Rumah Tanah mainly was built using earth based materials. The walls are made from compressed earth-brick and rammed earth cast on the site. The roof uses roof tile and the floor is terracotta. The construction process is handled by local workers. Through the simultaneous making-thinking process, it turns out that architecture does not only mean a praxis of making containers for living. Instead, it shapes the relationship, in terms of social, material, and cultural.
In collaboration with Badan Kajian Pertanahan
(Ismal Muntaha & Bunga Siagian)
Single Storey House, 87.8 sqm
Jatiwangi, 2020