A Tropical House in Manokwari

A few days ago, I went to Kampung Ambon atas. I went there to shoot some pictures of an old concrete house which was constructed by the Dutch for their civil servant who worked for the Netherlands Nieuw Guinea. It is clear that it is not a typical wooden house of Arfak Mountains. This is a typical tropical house that shows how the ventilation system is installed to keep the indoor temperature as cool or fresh as possible. If we see from its windows, large openings were made above them. The openings can also be seen above the doors. These openings are covered with mosquito nets to prevent the insects from entering the house and spreading the malaria to the occupants of the house. In addition, the wooden windows of the bedroom have been designed to allow air flowing in and out through the harmonica holes of the windows. The design of this house is not complicated. It can be drawn easily if someone who has been commissioned for it does his architectural works using Archicad, a BIM software that is widely used in home and building design. Read my article How to draw floor plan with archicad to learn the basics of this excellent CAD software.

This passive cooling system is effective in cooling the indoor the temperature and is also efficient. This efficient ventilation prevents the home owner of spending a lot of money on buying fans and air conditioning machines. Manokwari was a small town in West Papua. It is located closer to the equator where the day temperature is high but also with high humidity. Well designed ventilation system is vital in ensuring that the tropical house is comfortable. The Netherlands left West Papua in 1962. The houses which they built in Manokwari and other towns in West Papua are used as reference by the current Indonesian architects when they want to design and build new houses.

If we look carefully at the photograph, the roof that was installed is not made of metal sheets. It is difficult to find such roof now. Today, most of the houses in Manokwari use corrugated metal roof that is cheaper but with several disadvantageous. The corrugated metal sheet roofs can easily become very hut during the sunny weather and will be noisy during heavy rain. Although they are not comfortable during the extreme weather condition, city dwellers in Manokwari prefer to use them because they are cheaper and more durable. Of course new houses that are now being built in this city have begun to use ceramic roof tiles that are more expensive than the ordinary asbestos and corrugated metal sheets. 

Only a few wealthy families who can afford to buy them because such construction materials are still imported from big cities in Java, especially Jakarta and Surabaya. When they have been locally manufactured, they will be cheaper. A little addition has been added by the occupants of this house. They added a small shade in front of the front door to protect the living room from receiving too much glaring sunlight in the afternoon. by Charles Roring

Also read: Wooden House from Tropical Village of Senopi

What is a green home?

When talking about green home, one may think that it is a home whose steeply slanted roof has been installed with solar PV panels that produce electricity, or a home whose yard is fully covered with green vegetations. Well, an environmentally friendly house construction needs to fulfill certain characteristics or criteria to be categorized as a green home.

1. A home that has minimal adverse impact on local ecosystem where it is built. For instance, the construction of the house did not cause a lot of forest clearing. Or the domestic wastes that are produced by from the house have to enter special treatment before they can be disposed off.
2. A home that is energy-efficient during its operation. If it is located in Europe or North America where the weather is cold, it will not need a lot of energy for indoor heating. If it is in the tropical region, the house must have enough ventilation holes to enable air naturally circulate from the outside into inside of the house and in reverse direction so that the cost for installing and operating air conditioning system can be minimized. For night lighting, the house uses LED lamps.
3. It has to be a house that has been constructed using environmentally friendly materials, both in the physical construction of the housing components and in its interior decoration. The construction materials for the house, if possible, should be taken from the local resource.
4. A home which has designed to have adequate natural lighting and ventilating system
5. And the last but not the least a home that is comfortable, safe, and healthy for its occupants.

If you plan to have your house designed by an architect or built by a home builder, don't forget to ask some of the above green home characteristics. You might only be able to fulfill small percentage of the above criteria but as long as you have tried any of them, you have helped the whole global community preserve this precious environment.

Also read:
Earthquake resistant wooden house
The ceiling and windows of wooden house

Ventilation System of Tropical House

Tropical houses are different from European houses. In cold region, houses must have good insulation to keep the indoor temperature warm during cold or winter season. In addition, most of the houses in the sub-tropic or polar region have stoves that use wood or gas as fuel to maintain the warm temperature.

For tropical houses, ventilation system plays very important role in controlling the temperature of the rooms. In tropical region, sun shines all year long. The humidity is very high. Tropical houses need to have large openings such as windows and holes above doors to let the air circulate freely in and out of the houses.

Besides providing many windows, some house owners install the roof ventilators which will turn and suck the cool air into roof to cool the houses from above. City dwellers that install Air Conditioning Machines at their houses usually cover the ventilation windows and holes with transparent plastic sheets to keep the inside temperature of their houses cool. But this practice is considered not healthy because the new or fresh air cannot enter the houses.

Many tropical house owners grow trees at the front or beside their houses to harness fresh oxygen produced by the trees to directly enter the houses during the day. This is one of the best natural ventilation systems that integrates trees as air cooler. It can reduce the cost of electricity spent for operating artificial exhaust fan or Air Conditioning machines.

Although tropical houses need to have large window openings, they also need to be closed at nights to prevent mosquitoes from entering the houses. When the glass windows are closed, the air will still circulate through air holes located above the windows that are covered with mosquito nets. It means the fresh air can enter the house but the mosquitoes can't. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of Papua island.

The Ceiling and Windows of a Wooden House

When designing a ceiling whether manually or automatically using such software as Revit Architecture or Archicad of Graphisoft, an architect must think both the function and aesthetic appearance of the ceiling. Ceiling is an integrated part of every house.

It can be made of wood, metal sheets or composite and other fiber material. On the ceiling, we have lamps, fan, loudspeaker and fire fighting equipment. The following pictures are ceiling of a wooden house. The surface of the ceiling is not flat. It is made of many smaller wooden boards that are artistically arranged.

To balance the dark color of the wood, the surrounding side of the ceiling and the walls are painted with leaving the contrast look of the house. The exterior of the house is also similar to the interior one. The ceiling and the windows are made of wood. The owner of the house does not apply brighter painting to them. Instead, he painted the wall white to balance the dark brown color of the wood.

To protect the house from theft, steel frames are installed at the window openings separating the interior and exterior of the house without blocking the sunlight from entering the interior. This house was designed and constructed by the owner alone in Manokwari of West Papua following the typical design of the Minahasan wooden house in North Sulawesi.

The use of wood as the main material of a house will not threat the tropical rainforest as long as the practice is done in sustainable way. It means that after cutting the trees, people have to replant them with new trees. Tropical rainforest is important not only for the animals living inside it but also for human beings who need clean air and water as well as coral reef that lies deeper under the sea. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia Also read:

How to design roof with Archicad

Archicad is an easy to use CAD software which many architects use to design houses and buildings. Whether you want to design a complex building like malls or a simple house, Archicad provides many tools and feature which you can deploy to accelerate the design process. The latest release made by Graphisoft is Archicad 13.

Archicad is now getting more and more popular in Indonesia. On the following explanation, I am going to describe how to design house roof using Archicad. Roof that I want to design here is of a simple form that follows the form and size of the slab floor which I have created.

To design the roof, double click the Roof Tool on the tool box of the Archicad. Roof default settings window will appear on the screen. Locate the roof slant angle and change the default figure from 45 degrees to 30 degrees. I chose that figure so that the roof will not look too steep. After that, click the Geometry Method: PolyRoof. The icon is located next to Geometry Method: Dome or Barrel Vaulted.

After clicking the PolyRoof icon, you can begin drawing the roof following the boundary lines of the slab floor which are outside the walls of the house. Your drawing on the floor plan view should look like the following picture.

On this view, you cannot see how your roof looks like. To better visualize the roof, you need to see it in 3D view. Right click your mouse and choose Show all in 3D or Press Ctrl + F5. Now the roof which you have just designed with Archicad should look like the following picture.

Roof protects the people living in the house and the house construction from extreme weather condition. After following this step-by-step tutorial, you might feel that it is too simple and you want to explore more about this BIM software. Actually, I have written a number of articles related to Archicad tutorials but I honestly have to say that they are not enough for you if you are serious in learning this BIM software. You need to have some books which can help you explore the tools and features of this architectural software. If you are still a beginner then I should recommend you Introduction to ArchiCAD: A BIM Application. Another reference that I can suggest is the book entitled Discover Smart BIM: An Interactive Guide to ArchiCAD. You can also try the book to study ArchiCAD. This book is a little more expensive than the previous one but it is a very good reference for architects who want to master the software. 

The best way to master this BIM software is trying to design a simple house directly inside the ArchiCAD platform. The more you practice, the better you'll become. by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia.

Also read:

ArchiCAD and Autocad

Archicad a powerful home design software
The number of Archicad users is rising in Indonesia
Designing round wall room with Archicad
Designing simple bedroom with Archicad
How to draw floor plan with Archicad of Graphisoft
How to add column and beam to a house using Archicad
Dimensioning of round wall in Archicad of Graphisoft
Creating a rounded corner wall with archicad 12

Archicad and revit for house design

Archicad promotion in indonesia
Archicad 12 the best choice software for architects and interior designer
Wooden house of Minahasa an earthquake resistant construction
The ceiling and windows of a wooden house

Recommended book for home building technology
Houses in earthquake zone
Earthquake resistant wooden house of Minahasa

How to buy a good wooden house

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua of Indonesia

The demand for wooden house in earthquake zone is increasing at the present time. People have known that wooden house is strong and sturdy construction that can withstand ground shocks and wind blowing. Besides having light weight construction, wooden house looks beautiful and well blended with nature.

If you want to buy a good wooden house, you must pay attention to some of aspects that are related to wooden house design and construction.

The type of wood - In tropical region, wood such as Cempaka, Merbau and Jati are some of the best types of wood that determine the quality of the end products whether they are furniture or house.

The age of wood - wooden material for house construction should be at least 30 years old. At that time, the wood fire is mature and strong enough to withstand stress or loads.

The dryness of wood - the drier the wood fiber the better will be the wood material for housing. If the water content is the wood is high, when the wooden has been constructed, after several year the wooden board, pillars or panels will buckle due to the drying process of the wood itself.

Wood is a versatile material for house construction. If wisely used, it can be one of the best renewable resources that continues to serve human needs for housing, furniture and any other needs. Also read: Earthquake resistant wooden house of Minahasa

Earthquake resistant wooden house of Minahasa

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

In recent days the demand for earthquake resistant houses is increasing. The recent earthquake in Italy has caused massive destruction on concrete buildings with hundreds of people dead. It has been a reality that when an earthquake happens, wooden house constructions can withstand the disaster well. Very few wooden houses failed compared to "modern" concrete houses.

When I was traveling around Minahasa mountainous region, I saw that most of the houses were wooden houses. People in Minahasa build their houses with wood because they know that it is strong enough to withstand frequent ground shocks. There are some active volcanoes in the region.

In addition to its superior strength, wooden house looks natural with the surrounding environment. The aesthetics of wooden house design is one of the most important factors that attract people to buy or build houses made of wood.

Wooden houses of Minahasa are sold in knock down units in Woloan villages. If you are interested in buying one, just visit Woloan, choose the wooden house that you like and proceed with the buying procedures stipulated by the exporters. They will help you ship the house and if necessary send carpenters to your country to re-erect the house in your place. Also read: The number of Archicad users is rising in Indonesia

Traveling and enjoying the wooden house of Minahasa

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

When I was traveling along the Minahasa mountainous region, I took many pictures of wooden house. I saw some tourists dropped by the Woloan village. It is the hub of Minahasan wooden house industry.

If, as traveler, you stay in Tomohon or other resorts in the mountainous region, you will mostly likely to sleep in a small wooden cottage. Why Minahasan like to build homes from wood? The answer is simple. Wood is one of the best construction materials which can withstand earthquake and cold temperature. The type of wood which is suitable for that house construction is cempaka, merbau, and lingua.

Minahasa mountainous region is surrounded by some active volcanoes. So, it is safe to live in a wooden house than in a concrete one. Because it is located in mountainous region, the temperature of most of Minahasa regency is cold. The Woloan villagers have even been able to export their wooden houses to customers abroad. Read more: Traveling around the traditional market of Manokwari; Traveling to Mansinam island of West Papua and Enjoying the natural beauty of Minahasa Mountainous Region Part 2

Creating a rounded corner wall with Archicad 12

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

Graphisoft's new release of Archicad 12 has been a great tool for architects who find that this software has helped them a lot in their daily works. Archicad 12 provides various new features such as curtain wall, hotlink module management and 3D document and etc. Anyone who has studied the fundamentals of building technology can design their own house using this software.

In this article, I am going to explain how to create a rounded corner wall with Archicad 12. Home owners some time ask their designers to round one of the wall corners of their new house which is usually the front one. To design a rounded corner, make two walls by clicking the wall tools on the tool box located on the left of your window screen. Then, one the working sheet, draw a vertical wall and a horizontal wall.

After drawing vertical and horizontal walls that form a corner wall, then proceed to drawing the round wall by clicking the use three points rounded wall, click and the outer ends of the walls. When you have clicked the two ends, Archicad will show a circle with a radius showing how the rounded corner wall will look like.

You need to make adjustments to the length and radius of the rounded wall so that you can connect the two horizontal and vertical walls. When you have finished making the adjustments, then you can press enter. Archicad wil show you an image similar to the one below. Make sure that the corner radius is not larger or smaller than it should be. You can see the final image of your wall in 3D if you select the view in 3D feature provided by Archicad 12 in view menu.

Archicad 12 is a great tool that accelerates the design process of a building. It is a BIM application software which I would like to recommend to anybody who is interested in learning how to design a house or a building in a fast yet accurate way.

Archicad promotion in Indonesia

by Charles Roring in Manokwari of West Papua - Indonesia

In my last article I said that I am learning to use Archicad 12, the software that is made by Graphisoft to design home, building, and interior. Archicad has been around for tens of years but I just knew about it for a couple of weeks. Many architects and engineers say that the software is really suitable for those who want to design houses. Besides it is fast, it has many features which can help architect to create a three-dimensional building model to be presented to home owners.

Architects who design homes or buildings using Archicad 12 can enhance the appearance of their designs by using Artlantis or 3D Max. They are popular rendering softwares.

I also visited the website of Graphisoft Indonesia. There, I read about a special promotion month for people who are interested in buying original Archicad software. The original price of the software is around 30 million rupiahs. Now, during the promotional month, we can buy it for around 18 million rupiahs.

If I had enough money, I would buy an original copy. Besides it is offered in full version, it is also shipped with manual and GDL script books that are really important for those who are serious in learning how to use Archicad 12. Archicad can increase our productivity.

I like Archicad because when I encountered with it for the first time. I found that it was easy to use. I just need some one or two months to get more familiar with the software.

Light and Air Circulation Requirements for Tropical House

by Charles Roring in Manokwari West Papua, Indonesia

Having a good and comfortable house has been the dream of every family. A house is a place where a family lives and rests. A house is a construction that protects a family from rain, snow, excessive sun light and cold.

A good house must meet certain technical requirements stipulated by such standards as ISO, DIN, JIS or SNI. As a guide, for instance the minimum requirement for light for a room according to SNI is 20% of the floor area. It means if the size of a bedroom is 4m x 4m = 16 m² then the window area should at least be 20% x 16 m² = 3.2 m². Usually a living room needs more light than a bedroom.

Besides having enough light, a house also needs enough air circulation. This is very important for tropical houses which are always exposed to warm temperature and high humidity. For houses, the openings for air circulation should be at least 5% from the floor area. For office buildings which accommodate more people during work hours, the openings should be at least 10%. In tropical region, people like to construct the walls higher to make to house cooler.

In Indonesia a good house does not only need sufficient light and air circulation but also strength to withstand earthquakes. When people in big cities use steel bars to strengthen their buildings, villagers prefer to use wood and bamboo. These materials can easily be found in remote regions in affordable prices. For hundreds of years wooden houses have protected the buildings from collapse during the earthquakes. Earthquakes happen in Indonesia nearly every year because this country is located in a ring of fire area. I will discuss more about this matter in another article.