Nakhara: Journal of Environmental Design and Planning

Sustainable Architecture Practice in Indonesia: Navigating Global Standards and Local Knowledge

2025-10-06T10:38:06+07:00

This study investigates how Indonesian architects navigate between global green building rating tools (GBRTs) and context-specific design strategies across different project types and scales. Using a comparative analysis of sixteen award-winning projects by six Indonesian architects, the research combines semi-structured interviews with document review and inductive coding to map design logics against core GBRT categories. The analysis is around six themes used by GBRTs—energy efficiency, material resources and cycles, water conservation, sustainable site development, indoor health and comfort, and building resilience and adaptability—and identifies two additional themes central to Indonesian practice yet largely absent from GBRT assessment—social collaboration in the design process and cultural values. Findings reveal that in small- to medium-scale private and CSR projects, architects exercise greater autonomy to implement low-tech, community-based strategies, including passive cooling, proximate and recycled materials, hydrological restoration, and collaborative building processes. By contrast, large, regulation-led government projects tend to limit sustainability to compliance requirements, resource accounting, and site-level mitigation, often marginalizing socio-cultural dimensions and constraining contextual innovation. Across all design themes, recurring misalignments appear between GBRTs’ measurable proxies and architects’ context-driven values. These frictions show that what counts as sustainability in GBRTs—simulation outputs, certifications, and prescriptive thresholds—does not consistently capture what sustains practice on the ground: community resilience, ecological balance, and cultural continuity. In Indonesia, a context-aligned recalibration that recognizes adaptive comfort, vernacular material cycles, and participatory processes can keep GBRTs rigorous while making them more responsive to climatic logics, cultural values, and long-term stewardship norms.

Localized Ks Assessment for Bioretention in Thailand: Improving SWMM Accuracy

2025-09-26T11:38:41+07:00

Urbanization in Thailand has significantly reduced natural infiltration surfaces, intensified stormwater runoff, and increased the demand for effective urban drainage solutions. Bioretention systems, guided by water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) principles, offer a promising approach for enhancing infiltration and mitigating urban flooding. However, the effectiveness of bioretention depends critically on the accurate estimation of saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s), a key input parameter in hydrological models such as the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Despite international guidelines, local K_s values for tropical soils and vegetation remain scarce, limiting model reliability. This study aims to determine its suitability as a filter media layer in bioretention systems developed specifically for the Thai context. Two surface conditions, vegetated and unvegetated, were tested using coarse construction sand as filter media. The results showed a significantly higher Ks (an 18.55% increase, p<0.001) in the vegetated system (306.57 ± 4.58 mm h-1) compared to the unvegetated system (258.61 ± 4.98 mm h-1), confirming a significant influence of vegetation on infiltration capacity. The localized K_s data produced in this study fall within international bioretention design standards and offer a practical alternative to SWMM’s default parameters. A sensitivity analysis using SWMM and actual Chiang Mai rainfall data demonstrated the critical impact of these localized K_s values, showing that integrating them can reduce simulated runoff volumes by up to 30% for high-frequency storms, thereby enhancing the predictive accuracy of urban stormwater models. This research contributes to bridging the gap between hydrological modeling and site-specific environmental conditions in Southeast Asia.

The First Home: A Pedagogical Exploration of Architecture’s Mythical Origins

2025-10-17T19:53:30+07:00

This research article proposes the idea of the "First Home" as a pedagogical model for architectural design studios in Thailand. The objective is to foster a more humanistic approach to the foundation of architecture education by integrating histories and theories of architecture, architectural representation, and architectural design studio courses. The "First Home" investigates the mythical origins of architecture—the cave, post-and-lintel structure, and tent—as well as the roles of language and art, framed as the processes of “remembering” and “forgetting.” The literature review for this study is based on architectural texts and diagrams focusing on spatial composition, written by architects who are also educators. These were articulated through a project-based teaching and learning process in two architectural design projects: an analytical case study inspired by the mythical origins of architecture and a shared house design. In these projects, students analyzed the spatial organization of case studies and developed their understanding of three-dimensional architectural composition through diagrammatic drawings and model-making. The teaching method reinforced the historical beginnings and core principles of architecture while allowing students to overlook conventional residential typologies (e.g., a standard two-story house with a ground-floor living room, kitchen, and dining area, and first-floor bedrooms, all separated by standard walls and doors). By directing students beyond aesthetic concerns, the pedagogical model encouraged engagement with enduring architectural archetypes and the attainment of spatial qualities informed by fundamental living conditions, thereby cultivating a reflective and imaginative foundation essential for architecture.

Does One Size Fit All? Well-Being Environmental Assessment Criteria in Low- And Middle-Income Aging Communities in Thailand

2025-10-20T07:29:36+07:00

The effectiveness of well-being environment assessment criteria for aging communities in diverse contexts, particularly in developing countries, remains underexplored. This study aimed to fill this gap by employing Thailand Well-Being Environment and Age-Friendly Communities criteria to assess the living environment of 15 low- and middle-income aging communities in Thailand and determine their well-being status. The results of the overall quantitative assessment showed an average score of 60.78/100. Findings indicated high scores in categories such as healthy food environment, community open space, community asset, and street lighting, indicating a strong foundation for the well-being of low- and middle-income communities. Medium-scoring categories like housing, air quality, drinking water quality, and heat mitigation showed varied results, indicating the need for targeted interventions. Conversely, low scores were found in the categories of roads and sidewalks, public transportation, and noise mitigation, indicating to a critical gap in infrastructure for older people. Considering the scores for each main category, it was found that only the heat mitigation category showed a statistically significant difference between urban and rural areas. However, a deeper qualitative analysis by local experts revealed that 24 indicators in urban contexts, across three categories (housing, roads and sidewalks, and public transportation), were not aligned with the reality of rural contexts, underscoring the ineffectiveness of the "one size fits all" approach. This study highlights the need for context-specific criteria to guide targeted policy and resource allocation to improve the quality of life for older people.

Inclusive Education in Thailand: Exploring Gaps and Opportunities Across Urban and Rural Contexts through Topic Modeling Analysis and Systematic Review

2025-11-08T20:08:27+07:00

This study addressed knowledge gaps in Thai inclusive education research and proposed strategies for improvement, with three key objectives: (1) synthesize and compare research on inclusive education across urban and rural universities; (2) analyze the topic trends in international inclusive education research; and (3) propose strategic guidelines for promoting inclusive education in Thailand. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study was conducted in two phases. Phase one involved a systematic review of Thai university theses, guided by the framework and PRISMA 2020 protocol, alongside topic modeling analysis of global studies (2020–2024). Phase two utilized focus group discussions with 13 experts to contextualize findings and formulate actionable recommendations. Key findings indicate that urban and rural universities differ significantly in their research focus areas, particularly regarding parental roles, educational supervision, curriculum and instruction, and instructional innovations. International research trends further reveal three dominant themes: discourse analysis of inclusive practices in Northern Europe (Prob. = .238), implementation studies in higher education (Prob. = .129), and teachers’ attitudes toward diverse learners (Prob. = .027). Based on these findings, the proposed guidelines emphasize establishing early childhood screening and appropriate rehabilitation systems; developing diversity-responsive policies and implementation strategies; involving students with special needs in curriculum development; strengthening pre-service and in-service teacher knowledge; promoting cross-sectoral understanding of inclusive education; creating a systematic database for children with special needs; fostering strong school–community relationships; and designing inclusive learning environments.

From Tradition to Adaptation: Spatial Transformation of Kyoto Machiya

2025-09-22T08:34:05+07:00

This study investigates the spatial adaptations of everyday Japanese dwellings in Kyoto, known as machiya. Employing Hall’s proxemics theory, it analyzes five heritage-conscious machiya through field surveys and comparative case analyses. The research focuses on the transformation of the earthen floor space, or tōriniwa, its relationship with the raised floor space, and the resultant spatial systems in regenerated machiya.

Findings reveal that traditional machiya are structured by a clear dichotomy between the raised floor/served space and the earthen floor/service space, reinforced by level changes, materials, spatial boundaries, and socio-cultural practices. This is complemented by a subtle spatial gradient from public working to private living quarters, articulated through linear and compartmentalized layouts. Regenerated machiya, however, demonstrate strategic adaptations: dissolving this dichotomy by lowering raised floors, expanding either floor zone, minimizing boundaries, and introducing free-flow layouts to facilitate public, guest-centric use without footwear transitions. Crucially, the nature of the program, i.e. public vs. private, proves more decisive for spatial organization than the number of functions, a significant shift from prior research emphases.

The study concludes that the tōriniwa endures as the architectural and cultural spine, enabling spatial integration. A layered approach to adaptation is key: heritage-focused interventions preserve the external skin for townscape harmony while actively modifying internal space plans and infill. This demonstrates machiya regeneration as a sustainable model of adaptable architecture, where cultural continuity is achieved through the innovative reinterpretation of spatial principles to extend building lifecycles and enhance community resilience.

Spatial Clustering and Determinants of Dengue Incidence Among the Young Population of Northern Thailand During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2025-05-09T10:27:57+07:00

Dengue infection remains a significant public health concern in Thailand, particularly among young populations. The emergence of COVID-19 introduced additional complexity to disease surveillance and control efforts. This study aimed to determine the spatial clustering and determinants of dengue incidence among individuals under 25 years of age in Northern Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ecological analysis was conducted across 103 districts in eight northern provinces. District-level dengue incidence rates of individuals under 25 years of age for 2021 were calculated and analyzed using global Moran’s I and local indicators of spatial association (LISA) to detect spatial clustering. Bivariate LISA was employed to explore spatial correlations between dengue incidence and sociodemographic, environmental, and health service factors. Spatial regression models were applied to identify significant predictors while accounting for spatial dependence. There were 18 districts (17.48%) with dengue incidence rates higher than the national target. Global Moran’s I indicated a positive spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I = 0.087), and LISA identified significant high-high clusters in two remote border districts. Bivariate LISA analysis revealed significant positive spatial associations between dengue incidence and the proportion of the population under 25 years of age, COVID-19 morbidity rate, and minimum, maximum, and average rainfall. In contrast, significant negative spatial associations were observed with the proportion of the urban population, COVID-19 fatality rate, and both minimum and average temperatures. Given the low spatial dependence observed, the ordinary least squares model was considered appropriate and identified the number of schools, the ratio of village health volunteers to households, and average temperature as significant determinants of dengue incidence (R² = 0.102). These findings indicated the need for geographically targeted health planning strategies and community design, school-based vector control, and climate-informed surveillance strategies. Integrated and resilient public health systems are essential for managing concurrent health threats.