Reconnecting to the traditional wisdom of green buildings

A GBPN partnership is fulfilling a local dream to see Bali build more green buildings while reconnecting the industry to the region’s rich cultural heritage of sustainability, according to Prof Ida Ayu Dwi Giriantari.

Professor Giriantari is Head of the Center of Excellence Community Based Renewable Energy – Udayana University (CORE Udayana). She said the partnership aimed to support implementation of the new Bali Clean Energy Governor Decree, passed in November 2019 – but it had far greater potential implications. 

“We have a dream for green building to become best practice for us,” she said. 

“If you look at the local wisdom in the way of life we had in Bali, our traditional Balinese buildings have been green and sustainable. But with technological advances, the ways of building changed. 

“This project is allowing us to return to our traditional cultural values while still adopting new technology. With projects like these the future of our kids is going to change, but on the right path.”

“By tapping into the local wisdom of sustainability, we want to guide people to welcome technology while still staying true to their culture of green building.”

– Prof Giriantari, CORE Udayana

Bali was the first province outside of Java to pass a green residential building policy and only the fourth location in Indonesia, making it a landmark achievement for the country. The effective implementation of this policy will help Bali to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as ensure better health, social and economic benefits for its residents. 

Policies and challenges to adoption of sustainable buildings 

The Bali Clean Energy (Governor Bali Decree #45/2019) has a goal to accelerate and guide the adoption of sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. 

GBPN’s Project Lead and Senior Advisor, Sandra Pranoto, said that the decree was particularly important because it was one of the first policies in Indonesia at the provincial level that included building energy efficiency and renewable energy. 

“The decree targets at reducing the carbon emissions in the Bali province by as much as 45% over the next decade,” Ms Pranoto said. 

“This is a step in the right direction in the development and adoption of sustainable and energy efficient buildings.”

Despite being a landmark policy, the adoption and implementation of the Decree remained challenging a year after its adoption. In December 2020, the Bali Government commissioned GBPN-CORE for assistance and support to understand the barriers and develop strategies for the effective implementation of the Bali Clean Energy Policy. 

Ms Pranoto said, “Our partnership with CORE Udayana helped us to understand the potential gaps affecting the adoption and implementation of the Bali Clean Energy Decree, and to further develop strategies to fill these gaps.”

Prof. Giriantari said, “The survey results showed that while 63% of respondents were aware of the decree, they had limited knowledge about the specifics. 86% of respondents said they needed additional technical support as well as supporting financial mechanisms for the effective implementation of the decree.” 

GBPN and CORE carried out a further study of the existing built sector condition in Bali to better understand the key challenges regarding energy saving and clean energy. Ms Sandra Pranoto said that the key finding was that implementation gaps remained, despite having energy saving building policies at the national, sub-national, provincial and municipal level. 

“The lack of technical instructions and how the regulations achieve the energy-saving targets is the main reason for the implementation gaps,” Ms Pranoto said. 

Technical Guidelines to support Implementation 

GBPN was endorsed by the Bali Province Governor to provide policy and technical support for the effective implementation of the Bali Clean Energy Decree #45/2019. GBPN and CORE worked closely with two agencies on the development of the provincial technical guideline – Bali Province Manpower and Energy Mineral Resources Agency and the Bali Province Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing and Settlement. 

Yeni Indra, GBPN Sub-National Strategic Projects Lead, Indonesia, said the Bali Government was very appreciative of the GBPN-CORE project in supporting to bridge the gap between policy and implementation.

“By making the policy easy to understand and implement, there will be more acceptance and adoption of the green building practices,” Ms Indra said. 

“We are supporting Bali to achieve the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for low carbon emissions. And in the process, also ensuring that the traditional Bali culture of sustainability thrives, ensuring a healthier future for the coming generations.”

Prof Giriantari agreed, saying feedback from the government had been very positive. 

“The policymakers asked for our support and they were very happy with what we were doing because we were actually helping them,” she said. 

“We have already presented the technical guideline to them and they were very happy with our results.”

Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building 

GBPN-CORE partnership supported the province to identify clear law, policy and regulatory reform actions. The project team conducted extensive stakeholder engagement through Focus Group Discussions under the HIDUP initiative. The engagements saw participation from building owners, developers, government representatives, HIDUP representatives, and professionals from the building sector and academia. 

Ms Sandra Pranoto said consulting people working on the ground had been a crucial element in the process.  

“Stakeholder engagements help us identify on-the-ground issues in the current built environment and what works and what needs to be changed,” she said. 

“By consulting local experts, we can capture the different aspirations and perspectives of stakeholders who are impacted by the new regulation. This will ensure the successful implementation of the Bali Clean Energy Policy.”

Bali Next Steps: Reclaiming the culture of sustainable buildings

The Bali project will also see the GPBN and CORE working together on providing policy and technical support to two pilot areas: City of Denpasar and Regency of Gianyar. The piloting will include providing technical recommendations for development and adoption of green building policies in Denpasar and Gianyar. 

The Bali project will also offer capacity development training and other activities at the provincial level, as well as in the two municipal areas. 

Prof Giriantari said that the project was a great opportunity for her to contribute towards a greener Bali. 

“I want to see a future where our kids retain their cultural roots while still being able to enjoy the benefits of technology,” Prof Giriantari said. 

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to work on projects like these and we would love to work on more collaborations like this. Such projects are an excellent platform for local experts to bring their on-the-ground expertise and knowledge to a wider audience and make real change happen.”

The technical recommendations were endorsed by the Bali Government in August 2022. 

Part of a portfolio of projects managed by Monash University/MADA, host of the GBPN Asia-Pacific Office.