October 2008
guest feature
article
Relaxing Villa Santai, the
First Greenroof in Bali ~
the eco-friendly greenroof
project in Bali, Indonesia, incorporating water retention, recycling and
conservation methods
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Eco-friendly and gorgeous in Lovina, North Bali. |
By Victor Sinclair
October 3, 2008
Photos Courtesy
Victor Sinclair
Bali,
the famous tourist destination of southeastern Asia, is suffering from a
lack of sufficient electricity and water deficiency. Electricity cuts
for the local populace are the order of the day. The government of Bali,
together with PLN, the state electricity company, focus on supplying
electricity to areas frequented by tourists, or regions with an
increasing expatriate populace.
Villa Santai is situated in the hills behind Lovina, North Bali, in a
region that is notorious for the scarcity of its water in the dry
season, beginning in May/June until October/November. Lake Berantan, one
of three lakes in the mountains, is the source of the water for the
springs in this region. The lake’s water table is steadily sinking (3 m
in the past years) and already over 60% of the natural springs are now
dry. Along the coastal areas the water is pumped up from the ground
water table.
The concept for Villa Santai
Two factors are the driving force behind the design of Villa Santai: an
insufficient supply of electricity and dwindling water resources
compounded by the fact that the economy of Bali is geared to and
dependant upon the income from tourists and the growing population of
expatriates looking for a slice of ‘that tropical island’ where to
retire. Projects to introduce changes in the usage of energy, water
resources and waste management, etc. are dependent on private
initiatives.
The concept for Villa Santai (santai = relax in Indonesian) was
to build an environmentally friendly villa reducing the need for
electricity using green lawn roofs, as well as to conserve and retain
water. I am the self-taught architect and designer for the villa
complex, having worked in Indonesia since 1993 and lived in the north of
Bali since 2005. The villa is specifically designed for the generation
of expatriate ‘baby boomers’ that the economy is increasingly dependent
upon - those who are aware of the global climate crisis and are willing
to set examples for environmentally friendly building concepts.
The land
The land, approximately 3.600 m2, was chosen for two main reasons,
firstly it borders 70 meters on a river - although in the dry season it
carries no water, in the wet season it is a source of abundant water -
and secondly, is just far enough from the main road (120 meters) to
insure peace and quiet. In early 2007 before construction work could
begin, an application was made to the land department for permission to
build on the plot because of its 50° gradient. The plot was terraced
into 14 separate levels leading down to the banks of the river, with an
even steeper gradient of 80° with a depth of approximately 10 meters.
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Left: Fourteen separate
levels lead down to the banks of the river;
Right: Beginning construction. |
The application was granted and the earth
was “redistributed” into four main levels. The steep bank of the river
was “reshaped” to incorporate a Water Recycling Biotope of approximately
50 meters in length and between 2-5 meters wide to process 85 m3 of
water. The riverbed and the banks on either side were “sleeved” to a
depth of between 2.5 and 3.0 meters and a width of between 2.0 and 3.5
meters. Both ends of the river were then dammed, resulting in
approximately 420 m3 of retained water. Together with the Water
Recycling Biotope, we then had water catchments totaling 525 m3.
The actual villa buildings are designed with
pitched greenroofs totaling 615 m2 of grass at angles of 35° and these
are the green lungs of the villa complex. Designed around the theme of
water, the villa complex is divided into three separate buildings, and
four distinct levels; the parking area leads to an apparently flat
building (16 meters long x 8 meters wide – the main building on two
levels totaling 320 m2), which upon entering has as an open, raised
gallery to one side and a central stairway leading down to a terrace and
three guest rooms.
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The green
lungs of Villa Santai. |
The third level, accessed from the terrace
by a broad stairway leading down between two lotus ponds, is central to
the design of the villa complex. The third level encompasses the two
further buildings, the Master Bedroom and the Kitchen/Dining Room, a Lap
Pool measuring 18 x 4 meters with endless run off and a wide terrace
surround on three sides set between the two structures. Separated by the
Lap Pool, two stairways at the end of the terrace surround lead down to
the fourth level, the garden.
Construction of the greenroofs
Bali, or for that matter Indonesia, is to date devoid of building
materials concerning the construction and implementation of greenroofs.
Should these materials become available, there would still be the
question of affordability because they would necessarily be imported.
The idea of a wooden roof construction to support an organic greenroof
in the tropics is not a realistic option because of all the beetles and
bugs that just love to feast on wood. Wood, of course, can be treated to
avoid being eaten, but this then becomes a question of environmentally
friendly chemicals that are available and the duration of their
affectability. So for the construction of our greenroofs, the only real
option was to use poured re-enforced concrete (12 cm thick).
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Construction supports. |
Not only was the idea of pouring a pitched
concrete roof something unheard of by the local population and our
construction workers, but the thought of piling earth on top of it and
planting grass was enough to cause laughter and ridicule for this
British foreigner, at the mere mention of it! Unfortunately the reaction
of many expatriates living here on Bali or on Java, where I used to
live, was not that different when they heard of my project. And although
the Dutch and Germans seemed to hold back, they were skeptical to say
the least.
All this only re-enforced my determination
to continue and to prove that greenroofs were not only energy saving,
but at the same time would enhance the overall picture of a new villa in
the landscape and have positive effects for our environment.
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It almost
took a village to construct Villa Santai. |
Before the rainy season begins in Bali it is
very hot and dry, not ideal for pouring concrete, especially with
rationed water supplies. To make the calculations and pour a roof
in concrete was not so difficult after ordering the relevant books on
Amazon.com (see References below) and the process began to slowly take
shape. A fond memory was when we actually poured the roofs by May 2007
at the end of the rainy season - first of all the Kitchen/Dining Room
and then the Master Bedroom. All concrete pouring is done by ‘special’
teams on the construction site and these teams normally comprise 5 – 6
men on the cement mixer and the same number to do the pouring, but with
the roofs the equation was rather different as 30 men and women were
actually necessary on the roofs to do the pouring. With the pitch of the
roof and the human bucket chains crawling over them, the work was
tedious but successful, the resulting photos having historical as well
as sentimental value.
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Concrete
roofs a success! |
After 14 days the concrete had settled
enough and the bamboo supports and the hardboard moulds were removed and
my construction workers were eager to throw on the earth. The
disappointment was tangible when they were told that the roofs would
first have to really settle in order to look for any leaks or cracks
that might occur after the dry season.
The pitched greenroofs of the Master Bedroom
and the Kitchen/Dining Room are also an integral part of the rainwater
retention system. Not only is the rainwater that flows off the
greenroofs retained in three separate retaining tanks that are hidden
under the terrace surround of the Lap Pool - two of which retain 50 m3
of water each and one that retains 200 m3 of water - they also supply
the water the greenroofs needed to survive the dry season.
When the rainy season began again, extremely
late last season in January of 2008, the few leaks that appeared were
quickly taken care of and the roof was treated with water sealant cement
used for swimming pools. Finally the question that was on everybody’s
mind, "How to get the earth or substrate to ‘stick’ to the pitched
roof?", was answered.
Local lava as an aggregate
Indonesia does have one ideal material in abundance to offer for
greenroofs and that is lava stone, the ideal material to use as a mix
with the earth and to stop the substrate from slipping. Small blocks of
lava, each 5/7 – 8/10 cm in size were cemented to the roof at 25/30 cm
distances from each other. In addition, substrate retention walls of 10
cm height and 2 cm width were cut from lava stone and cemented 1.5
meters apart horizontally along the roof, also regulating the rainwater
drainage. The depth of the substrate that was put on the roof has an
average of 11/12 cm before the planting of the grass. Running
vertically, each roof has three ‘walkways’ placed a few meters apart (30
cm wide and 14 cm high), made of lava stone for the gardener to use when
trimming the grass and to funnel rainwater faster into the retaining
tanks.
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Small
blocks of lava, each 5/7 – 8/10 cm in size were cemented to
the roof at 25/30 cm distances from each other. |
Grass squares from Java
The decision of what sort of grass to use
was not easy; there are many sorts of grasses that can be used, short
rooted and not too thirsty etc., but in the end the classic slow growing
golf course lawn seemed the best bet. Considering the skepticism and the
jokes made about the roof, a neat and trim lawn seemed the best option,
rather than something wild and natural.
The day came when the grass lawn ordered
from Java finally arrived. For two days beforehand the ‘human chains’
had managed to put all the substrate on the two roofs and the grass lawn
squares were piled high ready to be placed - then the sky darkened and
the rains came pouring down. The roofs were covered with tarpaulin to
stop the earth from getting too soggy and running away while the grass
squares were put in place, but tropical rains are tropical rains.
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Slowly but
surely the roof is getting sodded. |
A quick look at the weather forecast told us
that the rains were to last for another three days, so the decision was
made to continue and spite the elements, but when sections occasionally
took off on their own and hit the deck, skepticism about the success of
project greenroof was rekindled. On the third day the grass lawn was up
at last and as a sign of welcome, the sun came out and the picture was
complete.
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A beautiful
day in Bali. |
Greenroofs give back to nature
The result? Astonished compliments and
amazement at the real cooling effect under the greenroofs, naturally
some still thought that with all the rains the greenroof would go
swimming. The greenroof ‘skin’ has held and with it we have given back,
as the leading architect for greenroofs in the 1960’s – 80’s,
Friedenreich Hundertwasser, so tellingly said and I quote,
“The nature that we have on the roof, is
that piece of nature that we murdered, when put the house there.”
This, I also believe to be true.
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Greenroofs
mingling in with nature and giving back a little, too. |
At present, two roofs are finished; the main
building with the largest roof remains to be poured which will begin as
soon as the rainy season begins again this season in October – November,
depending on climate change factors. We have a climate crisis, and it is
possible to discuss, debate and procrastinate and to look for solutions
far and wide. But if only every building built gave back to nature the
footprint it took on its roof, the crisis would be a problem that could
be managed, and not an impending disaster. For Bali and for Indonesia
this Villa Santai project is a beginning, and I believe that it would be
fantastic if greenroofs as future sustainable building elements become a
true trend.
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Computer
animated pic of the main building at Villa Santai. |
The project can be viewed at:
balivilladesigner.com.
References
The books I ordered from Amazon.com were:
1) GUIDE TO MASONRY & CONCRETE by Creative Homeowner Press. This is a
simple basic book.
2) Birkhäuser – Concrete Construction Manual. This book is for
professionals, originally from Germany authored by:
Friedbert Kind-Barkauskas Dr. Ing., Architect and Jörg Brandt, Dr. sc.
agr. Both from Bundesverband der Deutschen Zementindustrie e.V.; Bruno
Kauhsen Prof. Dr. –Ing., Architect of the Department of Architecture,
North-East Lower Saxony; Stefan Polónyi, Emer. Prof. Dr. –Ing. E.h. Dr.
h.c. Dr. Ing. E.h. and Claudia Austermann Dipl. –Ing. Both from Faculty
of Building, Dortmund University.
Publisher's Note: See
more details of the
Villa Santai in The Greenroof Projects Database.
Born in Singapore and educated in England,
Victor Sinclair traveled extensively throughout Europe and settled in
Germany in the ‘1980s. Through a personal acquaintance, he became
involved with the re-development plans of the old harbor area in
Düsseldorf and they successfully initiated the process to put under
heritage some of the old warehouses. It was during this period that
Victor taught himself the basics of architecture.
Traveling extensively throughout Asia and China in the ‘90s, Victor
began exporting furniture from Indonesia and Chinese antiques to Europe.
After the Asian monetary crisis resulted in an emerging democracy in
Indonesia, he decided to move to Indonesia permanently. The combination
of the love of architecture and the need to assist in finding methods to
conserve the dwindling water resources in the North of Bali lead to the
idea of developing environmentally friendly building concepts
incorporating greenroofs.
Contact Victor at:
sinclair_victor@yahoo.com
and + 62 811278110.
Also for October 2008 see
the Guest Feature
Article "Sustainable Head-Quarters: The
West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority"
by Frances Carroll.
Past Guest Feature Articles
The opinions expressed by our Guest Feature writers and editors may not necessarily reflect the beliefs of Greenroofs.com, and are offered to our readers to simply present individual views and experiences and
open a dialogue of further discussion, debate and research. Enjoy, and if you have a particular comment, please contact the author or send us an email to:
comments@greenroofs.com.
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