(from left) Rahma Luthfiyya Fahmi, Ara Awanda, Jeremy Lovedianto, and Aldimas Kurniawan Putra from the ITS Narantaka team

ITS Campus, ITS News – Not only about technology, but the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November (ITS) is also able to prove its existence in design competitions. This time, four students of the ITS Architecture Department won first place in the prestigious international event, the 2022 Bamboo Competition, which was held at Warmadewa University, Bali, last Saturday (20/8).

Ara Awanda, Rahma Luthfiyya Fahmi, Jeremy Lovedianto, and Aldimas Kurniawan Putra are members of a team called Narantaka. Nurfahmi Muchlis ST MT as the team supervisor, said that this competition is a series of agendas from the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area and ASEAN International Colleges and Universities Construction Competition.

In this competition, said the lecturer, who is familiarly called Fahmi, participants must display functional and aesthetic works that can display open structures, such as a half pavilion building. “The Narantaka team won the championship thanks to its work entitled Susuh Angin: The Nest of Aerial Life,” said Fahmi proudly.

The ITS Narantaka team exhibited their work entitled Susuh Angin: The Nest of Aerial Life at the 2022 Bamboo Competition

This Architecture Department lecturer admitted that the Guangzhou Nansha Bird Park inspired Susuh Angin in China. This work is designed to provide a quiet, hidden space for bird watchers. This work is built with a layer of bamboo that blends with its surroundings as camouflage so as not to disturb the bird’s environment.

Susuh Angin explores the irregularities of bamboo structures that represent nature. Its free and curved shape can provide a comfortable space for various bird-watching positions. Visitors can stand, sit, lie, and relax while interacting with the birds. “This construction is also safe from exposure to the sun, rain, and wind,” he explained.

Each bamboo slat joint is traditionally fixed with a liana, a rope of natural fiber or leather that is moistened and then tightened as it dries. In addition, a metal cover is installed to prevent the blade from splitting and protect the base from moisture. “This metal cover is also anchored to the ground to maintain the bamboo arch,” explained Fahmi.

Susuh Angin: The Nest of Aerial Life mockup by the ITS Narantaka team

The ITS Narantaka team had to prepare three presentation materials, mockups, posters, and object samples for 1:1 scale construction details in this competition. Fahmi added there are two types of judging in this Bamboo Competition. The first is the internal judging by Warmadewa University lecturers, while the second is carried out by 11 well-known figures from Indonesia and China.

Indonesia and the Bamboo Competition was held in five other countries, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and China (Guangzhou). Later, said Fahmi, the winners of the Bamboo Competition in each country will present their work in an international exhibition at Guangzhou Nansha Bird Park, China, from September 15 to December 10.

Fahmi said that the competition, which took place on May 23, gave the Narantaka team many challenges—from patience in trial and error to the skills to do manual work. How not making construction details using organic materials is not an easy matter. “They have to think about how to make the bamboo curved and calculate the right dimensions,” he explained.

Poster for the detailed construction of Susuh Angin designed by the ITS Narantaka Team

Even though there were difficulties in thinking about the duration, scenario, three-dimensional modeling, and construction details, the ITS Narantaka team completed the first competition with a great finish. In the coming year, Fahmi targets to be able to participate in this competition again. “Through this competition, we hope to encourage other students to participate in achievements,” he said. (ITS Public Relation)

Reporter: Erchi Ad’ha Loyensya21