As the first energy-saving and environmental-friendly educational building in Indonesia, the Ignatius Loyola Ecotech Campus at the Polytechnic Academy Cikarang (ATMI) has an inspiring vision for its students and also delivers environmental performance. A focus on sustainable development is central to the new building’s design, construction and operations.

Experts on behalf of the Holcim Foundation

To meet growing demand for training at the academy, a new building to house offices, laboratories, classrooms and student areas was commissioned, with the architectural design selected from a competition. The Holcim Foundation was then asked to review the design by the Foundation’s “Sustainable Expert Team”. Two internationally-renowned experts were chosen for this task: a European authority in the field of sustainable building systems, and a leading architect.

Prof Hansjürg Leibundgut, Professor of Building Systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) as member of the Academic Committee of the Holcim Foundation and Prof Dirk Hebel, Professor of Architecture & Construction at the Future Cities Laboratory (FCL) which was established by the ETH Zurich and Singapore’s National Research Foundation, recognized that the project’s potential with regard to sustainability had not yet been fully exploited.

To create better knowledge leverage, the Holcim Foundation enabled the two experts to conduct a multi-day workshop with the local project team which has been continuously working on the design plans for over two years* - to create not just a good building, but an exceptional one. Using the five “target issues” for sustainable construction developed by the Holcim Foundation, a sustainable construction concept was established which aimed to create the first energy-saving and environmental-friendly educational building in Indonesia, featuring a radiant cooling system.

No simple technology transfer

The declared intent of the two experts was to ensure that the design responds to the technical, social, economic and ecological conditions of Indonesia as fully as possible. Their task therefore was expressly not a matter of simply transferring Western technologies. The new four-story building has a minimal environmental footprint where a geothermal system, the concrete structure of the building, controlled ventilation, and a sophisticated shading system together provide cooling. The butterfly roof harvests rainwater and accommodates photovoltaic panels to generate the power required by the building. Furthermore, sustainable materials such as pressed bamboo and recycled concrete were utilized in the construction of the building.

Vocational training with Swiss connections

The new building was constructed in 2012 with the support of Holcim Indonesia, the Swiss Bachmann Foundation, SITECO Switzerland, Phillips Indonesia, Sika Indonesia and other partners. The building was responsively designed to the climate around Cikarang – including sunlight, air flow, and rain – and also integrated with the latest supporting technology so not only does that provides comfort to the user but can also reduce its operational cost.

ATMI is a polytechnic-level university that provides vocational training for more than 600 students per year in the field of practical and theoretical techniques of manufacturing in mechanical engineering and mechatronics. Formed 30 years ago by the Swiss Jesuit P Johann Casutt, ATMI has become an important manufacturing technology development center, and is supported by Swiss development aid.

* The Ignatius Loyola Ecotech Campus project team included: 

Consultants
Client Representative: Holcim; Architect Consultant: Urbane Indonesia; Structure Consultant: Rekacipta Kinematika; MEP Consultant: Metakom Pranata; QS Consultant: Danata Estima Sarana 

Contractor
Construction Management: Holcim; Main Contractor: Multipro; MEP Contractor: Sumber Daya Agung