In light of both density issues and a need for greater building efficiencies, the notion of the vertical village is taking off across the globe.
A new vertical village design by a collaborative group that includes architectural firm MVRDV, The Jerde Partnership and ARUP has made waves in Indonesia. The group entered the design into an Indonesian design competition to develop a prime site in the nation’s capital of Jakarta.
Designed as a 400-metre tower complex, Peruri 88, as the urban development is known, is slated to become a major hub for retail, office space and residential units.
According to MVRDV co-founder Winy Mas, if chosen, the development will stand as the benchmark for a new Jakarta, helping the city tackle issues of density in the modern world.
“Peruri 88 is vertical Jakarta,” Mas said. “It represents a new, denser, social, green mini-city; a monument to the development of Jakarta as a modern icon literally raised from its own city fabric.”
The eclectic mix of functional spaces is reflected in the structure’s angularity, with the various green-roofed blocks diversifying the space while promoting green spaces in the city. The site was also designed with context in mind, said the Jerde Partnership’s David Rogers.
“Our inspiration for the commercial podium and public spaces was Java’s natural setting – lush jungle and stone surrounded by expansive ocean,” he said.
Structurally, the development’s base will consist of four conventionally-developed tower forms with five internal cores that meet via a series of sky bridges and lush forested public spaces. Flora will dangle from one cantilevered rooftop to the next.
The concept’s mix of multi-developmental aspects and the high priority the designers have placed on natural spaces even as they attempt to tackle Jakarta’s density/urban sprawl issues have garnered it international acclaim. For the ambitious plan to come to fruition, however, it will have to be chosen by building owners Peruri in the competition to design the site.
