Departemen Arsitektur ITS News — Creative solutions to address the challenges of the climate crisis are being implemented by faculty from the Department of Architecture at ITS through training on the utilization of local materials. One of the programs under the tridharma of higher education, which includes community service, is being carried out through the production of unburned solid earth blocks in the community of Buleleng, Bali, specifically in the Sumberkima area of Gerokgak.
The training activity for making solid earth blocks without firing aims to provide skills to rural communities. It involves creating alternative building materials aside from red bricks by utilizing local soil without the burning process. It is hoped that this will address pollution issues arising from the burning process in block production, and with these skills, the local community can meet their construction material needs using local soil that meets standards and is environmentally friendly.
Prof. Totok Noerwasito, an expert in materials within architecture and the head of Community Service, observes that soil from less fertile areas is currently underutilized as a building material. This presents an opportunity for new material configurations that can be utilized by the community. Consequently, the building material commonly used for walls in the village, which is red brick produced through a firing process, could shift to solid earth blocks that do not require firing. Solid earth blocks are unfired bricks made from local soil. They serve as an alternative to red bricks.
Plot of Land with Grass and Weeds
In this training, the service team provides three types of training: training in the production of blocks made from local soil, training in the production of blocks made from local soil and wood powder, and training in the production of blocks made from local soil and dry grass. With these three different materials, it is hoped that they will serve as alternative variants that can be applied by the local community to optimize the potential of these materials.
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