YOGYAKARTA - The architect team joining the Studio Design and Planning of Merapi Settlements, Department of Architecture and Planning, UGM Faculty of Engineering, has completed 671 of 1017 temporary shelters at Gondang sub-village, Kepuharjo, Cangkringan, Sleman. "It is planned to be entirely completed by mid-March," said Ir. Ismudiyanto, M.S., team leader, when met on the sidelines of the visit of UGM Rector and his entourage in Gondang I shelter at Kepuharjo, Cangkringan, Sleman, on Wednesday (23/2).
Ismudiyanto says that the establishment of temporary shelters adopts the concept of local architecture by accentuating the characteristics of the residents’ origin that previously lived around the slopes of Merapi. "The approaches of activity, behavior, environment, spatial, are implemented in the physical concept of the temporary shelters. The concept of planning and design that we created was finally approved by the Governor, Regent of Sleman, and public affairs office," said the man who was born in Yogyakarta, 1951.
The team of eight architects is fully engaged during the construction of the shelters. Although optimistic to be able to complete them by mid-March, Ismudiyanto recognized the constraint in the supply of raw material of bamboo which must be imported from outside of Yogyakarta. "The obstacles are the weather, labor and materials. The stock of local bamboo is limited and the quality is not good. Since all materials are entirely bamboo we have to bring it in from West Java and Purwodadi," said the lecturer of the UGM Department of Architecture and Planning.
The temporary shelters’ development is the result of collaboration between UGM, TV One, and the Provincial Government of Yogyakarta. "All the funds come from donations of TV One viewers," he said.
UGM Rector, Prof. Ir. Sudjarwadi, M. Eng, Ph.D., also said that the development of the temporary shelters is a form of UGM cooperation as a university with community, industry and media. "UGM have the same task with other universities, to serve the community, conduct education and research," he said.
UGM involvement is not only limited to development of temporary shelters, but also in economic empowerment for the residents living in them. "Not only the physical buildings (are significant), but also the human beings in them, so that the life of the Merapi community recovers and grows sooner than later," he explained.
Former Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama organisation, Hasyim Muzadi, who has a chance to review the shelters, said that the lesson to be learned from the catastrophic impact of the Merapi eruption is to be friendlier to the environment. For the survivors, he encourages them not to fall into despair.