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078 – EduAll

(EN)

There was a concrete column in the middle of the room that split the line of sight and could not be torn down. The ceiling was already at its limit, and the floor area could not be expanded in any direction. We turned that column into a tree, and from there, everything began.

The building is a four-story shophouse in the Puri Niaga area, West Jakarta, situated in a dense row of schools and tutoring centers. Its framework was rigid and nothing could be altered, and the aforementioned column stood right in the middle of the space that was supposed to be the children’s play area.

Our question was simple. How much of a sense of spaciousness could still be brought into a building that left nothing to spare. Because what the client asked for was not an ordinary classroom, but a calming informal school, far from the rigidity of traditional classes, a place where children could choose for themselves where they wanted to sit.

So we started with that column. It was not demolished, because it simply couldn’t be, but rather transformed into a shade tree. Once it stood, the object that was once an obstacle now became the center of the room. The design began with that tree, and then the play area was arranged around it, with soft curves and bright colors, a place where children gather before and after class.

Then there was the matter of the low ceiling. Since the space could not be expanded horizontally, we expanded it upwards with a floating mezzanine. But a mezzanine in a room with a low ceiling only makes sense if its users are indeed short. Thus, we designed that floor specifically for bodies up to a maximum height of 1.2 meters, the size of the children who learn here. Adults will not be comfortable up there, and indeed, it is not for them.

Constructing it became a challenge in itself. So that the floor beneath it remained open, its supporting pillars had to be kept to an absolute minimum, and we solved that together with the builders and contractors on site. The remaining pillars were hidden behind rows of shelves. Part of the structure was hung directly from the ceiling. And the safety railing was made to serve a dual purpose, simultaneously stiffening the footing of the mezzanine itself. The stair treads were made to float so the view wouldn’t be cut off, continuing all the way to the broadcasting and recording room deliberately placed right at the end of the sightline from the entrance, so that arriving children would immediately see people creating.

We let the mezzanine pierce through the lobby, reaching the reception desk and shoe racks. Penetrating partitions does break convention, but that is precisely what made the initially cramped play area feel elongated.

On the upper floors, the functions broaden level by level. The materials shift, from a dominance of glass and clear colors on the lower floor toward increasingly bold colors as one goes up, following the age and independence of the children using them. Inside, there is a science lab, a library, a robotics room, a wood and metal crafting area, a sewing corner, and a place to exhibit artwork. Each level balances two things: the sense of safety in enclosed spaces and the relief of open views. The top floor was made as a hall, surrounded by display boards on its walls, serving as both an art training space and a teachers’ room.

The entirety was completed in six months. Two to three months were spent designing, making the execution time very tight, and the bottom two floors had to be finished first before the top floor could be touched.

If we could have any regrets, there would be two. Had the budget and time been more forgiving, we would have wanted to cut through portions of the concrete slabs to create an opening connecting the first floor with the others, so children below could see the children above and vice versa. We also wanted to bring that cheerfulness outside the building through its balconies, so this learning space wouldn’t just stop behind the walls.

Looking back, almost everything we love about this building was born from things that were once in the way. The column that divided the view became a tree. The ceiling that was too low became the reason for the birth of a floor belonging only to children. The lobby partition that was supposed to restrict was instead penetrated, so the space would feel long and even arrival became a part of play.

We designed this shophouse to be more than a formal school. We analyzed its obstacles one by one; some merely needed repositioning, others demanded a deeper reading, until what used to be a hindrance turned into a center of activity. That is what makes the children feel at home engaging in activities here. And for us, that is the ultimate end result of a design, not the building itself.

(IDN)

Ada kolom beton di tengah ruangan yang membelah pandangan dan tidak bisa dirobohkan. Plafonnya sudah mentok, dan luasnya tidak bisa ditambah ke mana pun. Kami menjadikan kolom itu pohon, dan dari situ semuanya bermula.

Bangunannya ruko empat lantai di kawasan Puri Niaga, Jakarta Barat, di deretan yang padat oleh sekolah dan tempat kursus. Kerangkanya kaku dan tidak ada yang bisa diubah, dan kolom tadi berdiri tepat di tengah ruang yang seharusnya jadi tempat anak-anak bermain.

Pertanyaan kami sederhana. Seberapa jauh rasa lega masih bisa dihadirkan di bangunan yang tidak menyisakan apa-apa. Sebab yang diminta klien bukan ruang kelas biasa, melainkan sekolah informal yang menenangkan, jauh dari kekakuan kelas tradisional, tempat anak-anak bisa memilih sendiri mau duduk di mana.

Maka kami mulai dari kolom itu. Ia tidak dirobohkan, sebab memang tidak bisa, melainkan diubah wujudnya menjadi pohon peneduh. Begitu berdiri, benda yang tadinya menghalangi kini menjadi pusat ruangan. Desainnya diawali dengan pohon itu, lalu area bermain disusun mengelilinginya, dengan lengkungan lembut dan warna cerah, tempat anak-anak berkumpul sebelum dan sesudah kelas.

Lalu soal plafon yang rendah tadi. Karena luasnya tidak bisa ditambah ke samping, kami menambahnya ke atas dengan mezanin melayang. Tetapi mezanin di dalam ruang berplafon rendah hanya masuk akal kalau penggunanya memang pendek. Maka, lantai itu kami rancang khusus untuk tubuh setinggi maksimal 1,2 meter, ukuran anak-anak yang belajar di sini. Orang dewasa tidak akan nyaman di atas sana, dan memang bukan untuk mereka.

Membangunnya jadi persoalan tersendiri. Supaya lantai di bawahnya tetap terbuka, tiang penyangganya harus sesedikit mungkin, dan itu kami pecahkan bersama para tukang dan kontraktor di lapangan. Tiang-tiang yang tersisa disembunyikan di balik jajaran rak. Sebagian struktur digantung langsung ke langit-langit. Dan pagar pengamannya dibuat berfungsi ganda, sekaligus mengakukan pijakan mezanin itu sendiri. Anak tangganya dibuat melayang supaya pandangan tidak terpotong, menerus sampai ke ruang siar dan rekam yang sengaja ditaruh tepat di ujung pandangan dari pintu masuk, supaya anak yang baru datang langsung melihat orang sedang berkarya.

Mezanin itu kami biarkan menembus lobi, hingga meja penerima tamu dan rak sepatu. Menembus sekat memang melanggar kelaziman, tetapi justru itu yang membuat area bermain yang semula sempit terasa memanjang.

Di lantai atasnya, fungsinya melebar tingkat demi tingkat. Materialnya bergeser, dari dominasi kaca dan warna jernih di lantai bawah menuju warna yang makin berani ke atas, mengikuti usia dan kemandirian anak yang memakainya. Di dalamnya ada laboratorium sains, perpustakaan, ruang robotika, area kriya kayu dan logam, sudut menjahit, dan tempat memamerkan karya. Setiap tingkat menyeimbangkan dua hal, rasa aman di ruang tertutup dan kelegaan dari pandangan terbuka. Lantai teratas dibuat sebagai aula, dikelilingi papan pajang di dindingnya, untuk pelatihan seni sekaligus ruang guru.

Seluruhnya dikerjakan dalam enam bulan. Dua sampai tiga bulan habis untuk merancang, sehingga waktu pelaksanaan menjadi sangat padat, dan dua lantai bawah harus selesai lebih dulu sebelum lantai teratas bisa disentuh.

Kalau boleh menyesal, ada dua hal. Andai anggaran dan waktunya lebih longgar, kami ingin membelah sebagian pelat beton supaya ada lubang yang menghubungkan lantai satu dengan lantai lainnya, agar anak di bawah bisa melihat anak di atas dan sebaliknya. Kami juga ingin membawa keriangan itu ke luar bangunan lewat balkonnya, supaya ruang belajar ini tidak berhenti di balik dinding.

Menoleh ke belakang, hampir semua yang kami sukai dari bangunan ini lahir dari benda yang tadinya menghalangi. Kolom yang membelah pandangan menjadi pohon. Plafon yang terlalu rendah menjadi alasan lahirnya lantai yang hanya milik anak-anak. Sekat lobi yang seharusnya membatasi justru ditembus, supaya ruangnya terasa panjang dan kedatangan pun menjadi bagian dari bermain.

Ruko ini kami rancang untuk menjadi lebih dari sekolah formal. Halangan-halangannya kami analisa satu per satu, sebagian cukup diubah posisinya, sebagian menuntut pembacaan yang lebih dalam, sampai yang tadinya menghalangi berubah menjadi pusat kegiatan. Itu yang membuat anak-anak betah beraktivitas. Dan bagi kami, itulah hasil akhir sebuah rancangan, bukan bangunannya.