Blimbingsari Airport, Banyuwangi

Blimbingsari Airport is an airport

located in Banyuwangi, East Java. It is
located in a paddy field, surrounded with
lush greeneries. This airport was built in
2010 by Andra Matin and was awarded
as the first green airport in Indonesia.
With the green design of this airport, it
puts forward the sustainability aspect of
the building. In fact, this airport uses
passive design that minimizes the energy
consumption, especially the electricity
cost. I have visited this airport before,
once in late 2018 and experienced the
green design by myself. When my family and I visited Banyuwangi and used the airport, we can
really feel the well-functioning air circulation in the airport that allows winds to flow through
and cools down the areas. It was a quite memorable experience visiting this airport. Other than
the sustainability of it, we also got to experience the cultural aspect of this airport that uses a lot
of wood in the design. At that time, I did not really know what these materials and shapes
represent, but after reading several articles about it, I gained more knowledge about the cultural
representation of Banyuwangi through this airport.

Udeng
Osing
Banyuwangi
House

The representation of the local Banyuwangi culture comes in the shape of the airport’s
roof that is similar to Banyuwangi’s headpiece, udeng. The façade also has a similar shape to the
local tribe’s house, the Osing House, and also use a similar system of tropical buildings. The
materials used in the building are also locally sourced, using reused ironwoods (kayu ulin) that
was previously used in the pier or ships. The design focuses on the nature’s integration with the
openness, connectivity to the outside, and using passive design to enhance the use of natural
ventilation and natural sunlight exposure, especially with the open floor plan. Andra Matin
mostly uses louvres to separate the areas of the airport, which does not only act as a divider but
could also give additional spatial experience from the light and shadow patterns. The air could
also circulate throughout the building because of the openness. The green roof also acts as a
cooling device to counter the heat during the day, and the overhang also gives shading to the area
beneath it.

Overall, what I understood about post-reformation architecture is that after trying to find
the Indonesian architecture identity, being influenced by a lot of cultures, and having a lot of
style shifts, the identity goes back to the origin of Indonesia’s traditional architecture, where it
implements the use of local materials and was only influenced by each of the tribe’s cultures.
However, some of the architects combines the cultures into their own styles and modify it to fit
the context of the buildings more, without losing the uniqueness of the culture itself. I think this
adaptation of styles is good because it would conserve the culture for the future generations to
come, and also introduce them more to the citizens experiencing the buildings.
References
Akmal, P. (2014). Begini Tampilan 'Jeroan' Green Bandara Blimbingsari Banyuwangi.
detiknews. Retrieved 9 June 2021, from https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3385387/begini-
tampilan-jeroan-green-bandara-blimbingsari-banyuwangi.
ARCHIFYNOW. (2020). Banyuwangi Airport Welcomes Air Travellers With Emphasized
Natural Features. Retrieved 9 June 2021, from
https://www.archify.com/id/archifynow/banyuwangi-airport-welcomes-air-travellers-with-
emphasized-natural-features.
Blimbingsari Airport: Andramatin. Andramatin.com. Retrieved 9 June 2021, from
https://www.andramatin.com/project/blimbingsari-airport/.
Caesaria, N. (2019). Asrinya Bandara Hijau Pertama di Indonesia. Good News From Indonesia.
Retrieved 9 June 2021, from https://www.goodnewsfromindonesia.id/2019/08/19/asrinya-
bandara-hijau-pertama-di-indonesia.