After Deadly Quake, Indonesians Urge Return to Traditional Building Methods

• 5 September 2018
• Local News
• 812 Views

Photo by nl.wikipedia.org

After the collapse of modern concrete buildings was responsible for a high death toll and homelessnessfollowing the deadly earthquakes in Indonesia, many have called for a return to traditional construction methods using natural materials.

The Associated Press reported that 436 people died as a result of the 5 August earthquake on the island of Lombok, the majority after being trapped in concrete buildings. A further 350,000 are homeless with over 100,000 homes destroyed.

Indonesian houses have traditionally been built using materials such as bamboo or timber and most of those left standing after the quake were built with traditional materials and techniques.“It’s our duty to learn more about carpentry, natural materials and local culture,” Engineering Professor Yulianto Prihatmaji told VOA. “Experiences in the past can be the answers for the future. For example, in the past, houses were smaller. So it would be wise to return to wooden houses in the future.”

• Analysis