Rida Sobana, director of DP Architects, an esteemed architectural and industrial design firm elaborates on the development of Indonesia Design District (IDD) within the vibrant PIK2 area. He shared his insights with Indonesia Design magazine on IDD’s unique design philosophy, special features, and collaborative strategies that are reshaping urban living, fostering creativity, sustainability, and resilience in the strategic area of Jakarta.
STORY BY Edith Emeralda | PHOTOS BY DP Architects
What’s the significance of IDD within the Urban Hub complex and PIK2?
IDD stands as a pioneering development within the PIK2 area of Jakarta, marking a unique and unprecedented compound. It emerged in response to the increasing demands of the home and living industry, a sector known underserved by comparable offerings of similar scale. Amidst the perpetual challenge of land scarcity in Jakarta, PIK2 distinguishes itself by providing a substantial 12-hectare land bank, dedicated to accommodating the inaugural and largest interior design showroom complex within a singular compound. Known as the latest and most expansive lifestyle destination and design nucleus in PIK2, IDD offers a diverse array of amenities already introduced within the township.
What’s the philosophy behind IDD’s design and its outdoor layout?
IDD prioritises a people-centric approach, fostering creative collaboration amongst buyers, designers, investors, and artists. Its semi-open-air design aims to blend retail and communal spaces, contributing to sustainability and community vibrancy.
Please tell us about the features that make IDD special, including sustainability.
Jakarta is renowned for its hot weather and heavy rains. For this reason, there are currently retail malls that have been designed as large, multi-storey, air-conditioned complexes. As the first and largest semi-outdoor interior design showroom in Jakarta, we prioritise creating a comfortable environment where visitors can explore IDD and maximize the delight of their experience regardless of the day’s weather conditions.
We achieve this through a multi-disciplinary approach that involves a careful study of the site, considering all climatic factors from the design concept stage. We plan for continuous deep, covered walkways and well-sheltered outdoor event spaces – a rare sight and feature in Jakarta. These are complemented by thoughtful landscaping design and details, including social spaces such as children’s playgrounds, alfresco dining spots, green lawn areas, and other landscape features.
What were the main challenges faced and how were they overcome?
Climate considerations and site planning posed challenges. IDD’s layout was carefully structured into two zones, with ample parking and central F&B clusters designed to mitigate weather impacts and enhance visitor experience. The main challenges
in retail planning with outdoor environment setup in Jakarta will be hot weather and heavy rain. We’ve seriously considered climate factor in all our Indonesia projects and always encourage sustainability approaches since early stage.
How has IDD’s appearance evolved from its initial plans through tenant collaboration, and how does it contribute to fostering creativity, sustainability, and resilience in urban development trends anticipated for 2025?
The final look of IDD deviated from its initial plans through collaborative efforts with tenants, enabling them to shape unique storefronts. This flexible approach ensures adaptation to changing tenant identities while preserving its character. Looking ahead to 2025, IDD aspires to bolster ongoing creative collaboration and sustainability. Its innovative design aligns with global demands for greener environments, leveraging local climate knowledge to reinforce sustainable and resilient urban development.
Going ahead into 2025, what trends in the design industry would you like to see continue and IDD’S role in this matter?
I hope that the sustainability momentum carries through because being sustainable is no longer enough. We believe that since every development inevitably consumes resources and generates a carbon footprint, our responsibility is to enhance both human and natural systems through a more purposeful and responsible design process.
We would love to see more and more development responding to global sustainability agenda and the opportunity to realise an urban design scheme that responds to the global call for greener built environments, giving the project added meaning and purpose. Thus, we consider IDD will be the pioneer and be among the first semi-outdoor, carbon-conscious development of its kind in the country.
DP Architects have articulated this through landscape design measures, passive design strategies to enhance natural ventilation and reduce reliance on electrical cooling systems and energy consumption, and wayfinding strategies to enhance connectivity on the site; all of which, the team has tapped into deep knowledge of local context and climate to work synergistically to contribute to creating more sustainable and resilient development.
Aside from the tangible aspects of sustainability, we also took a deep look at the purpose of the development in conjunction with the human-centric concept to be recognized as its potential and for that to happen, there is a need to encourage creative collaboration between buyers, designers, investors and artists. This is where IDD as a “designer playground” contributes the most.