Aand Sayana, a prefabricated modular micro house

AAND Sayana is a prefabricated modular micro house that can be fully assembled within 3 weeks. The cabin is used as meeting room and podcast studio, where the building primary purpose itself can be very versatile depending on the user needs and activities. The building components were made in Kendal, Indonesia, and later gathered in the site for assembling process. Prefabricated construction is the answer to the long-overdue problems in conventional constructions, in which have been becoming a bubble in our real-life situation, such as uncertainties of schedule and budget, unstandardized labour skills, materials, and design quality, and unsustainable environmental responsibility, especially for material and non-material waste. With digital fabrication, every building and furniture component is measured both in the sense of quality and quantity, giving a standardization of labour quality and efficiency in time and cost, wherever and whenever. The construction system here was designed without involving any heavy equipment, therefore, the construction is possible to happen anywhere from a lot amidst a narrow alley of the city centre, somewhere in the middle of a pine forest, and even in a remote island.

In AAND Sayana, the wall is made of CLT or Cross Laminated Timber, an engineered wood panel in which the material acts as a structural or load-bearing wall. The structural timber was made of certified local burflower-tree or Neolamarckia Cadamba, local fast-growing trees commonly used for building materials. In terms of strength, the CLT panels were factory-made that has been calculated, tested, to be finally labelled as an earthquake-resistant structure. As we are living in Indonesia where the archipelago is surrounded by active volcanoes due to the ring of fire, the situation urges us to be prepared for disaster prevention that can happen anytime.

Indonesia has a hot and humid tropical climate, with a sun shines throughout the year, making it abundance for solar farming. Therefore, the energy here is supported by on-grid solar panel system, where in times of excess energy occur, the energy will be supplied for the office. Where there are no needs of heating in the area, cooling systems are obtained by passive and active systems. Passively, the house wall and structure were made of CLT in which the wood surfaces itself is a hygroscopic material and heat equaliser, great for absorbing and releasing moisture to achieve a moisture and heat balance in the environment. Additionally, the roof is covered with reflective white roof coatings, and insulation that wraps the whole building. Active system for cooling here is achieved by air conditioner with 12,000 BTU for a mezzanine cabin type, which is more than enough and rarely used except when intense activities take place. Excess cool air is transferred to the office besides via air conditioner ducting.

All electronic system is controlled by IoT or Internet of Things from the phone, making every future occupant is conscious and having awareness of how many carbon footprints they have left, how their building is made, about what are the occupants’ actual needs, and what actions the occupants have taken and should take for a better environment and humanity. AAND Sayana is hoped will foster a faster development in a remote area, especially in East Indonesia, with a focus on high-quality standardized prefabricated local materials that can be effortlessly constructed by anyone, while keeping the environment at its natural beauty, with minimum footprint left.