Architecture Student UNS Becomes 2nd Runner Up on National Design Competition

FT UNS – Architecture students of the Faculty of Engineering (FT) of Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta (UNS) won third place in the mosque design competition with local material concentration organized by the Indonesian Muslim University in Makassar (November 23, 2022). The UNS Architecture Team consists of three students from the Class of 2020: Lexa Maulvi Yonan, Pramudya Wahyu Pamungkas, and Mazza Zulfikar Wibowo, from the Architectural Engineering study program at FT UNS, class of 2020.

Lexa revealed that she and her pals initially participated in this challenge. Lexa stated that the purpose of this competition was to invite participants to revive the use of local materials in

order to respond to the lack of use of local materials and to get fresh ideas related to modern mosque design, but contextualized with local insights, in order to advance architectural treasures in Indonesia.

Lexa and her pals chose a spot in Temanggung Regency for this project because bamboo is a major material there and because it is flexible to mould.

Lexa and her friends carry three patterns of human life relations in Islam, namely Habluminallah (the relationship between humans and Allah), Hablummina alam (the relationship between humans and nature), and Hablumminannas (relationships between humans). These three relationship patterns are used as the basis for processing from the site to the mass of the building.

For the realization of this competition, Lexa said that there was no realization because this competition was also carried out online, so it only compiled and sent projects and then continued online presentations.

In addition to the Mosque Design Competition, Lexa, who is the Head of the Association of Architecture Study Programs, also participated in the Architectural Design Competition held by Semarang State University in July 2021 with her team consisting of herself, Rovega Krisna Rahardyan, and Satrio Aulia Firdaus, as well as the "Place in Peace" Architectural Design Competition held by UNS in November 2022 with her team, Annisa Shafia Mushaffa, and Satrio Firdaus.

Lexa stated that, in terms of tips and tricks, it is vital to select a proportionate team member in order to compete and win the championship. Furthermore, before discussing and implementing the project, the team must comprehend the scope.

Maintaining commitments and aiding one another in the team is also crucial. Lexa had no trouble balancing competing in lectures and her busy life as the Chairperson of the 2022 Architecture Student Association (HMA) because the lecturers who taught were also very supportive of the competition in which she and her friends competed, and Lexa was able to prioritize which one was her responsibility. Hopefully, this Lexa experience can serve as motivation for other FT students.

Translator Annisa Firza Early