Collaboration Dialogue

On 2 - 3 July 2025, the NL Knowledge House successfully kicked off its collaboration with the Dutch Embassy Indonesia through a workshop on Energy-Efficiency in Public Buildings (EEPB), a timely topic as Indonesia accelerates its journey towards sustainable energy and climate adaptation.

The event began with opening remarks by Dr. Ir. Hendra Iswahyudi, M.Si, Director of Energy Conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), who provided a valuable overview of Indonesia’s energy consumption in public buildings and its strategy for energy transition. This was followed by Thorsten Roelofsen, Head of Climate & Energy at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Indonesia, who underlined the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration.

Day 1 of the workshop featured engaging presentations from experts, spotlighting a key focus area in energy-efficient building (EEB) design and implementation. Bram Entrop (Saxion University of Applied Sciences) set the tone by introducing energy concepts and financial decision-making frameworks, challenging participants to critically ask, "Do we really need it?" and to weigh both performance and economic viability. Jacco Bruil (The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS))) followed with insights into architectural and nature-inspired climate adaptation, encouraging us to "look at what nature has already solved" to address seasonal energy challenges. Monika Kuffer (University of Twente) demonstrated the potential of digital data, building simulations, and smart technologies like adaptive lighting to enhance both energy performance and human comfort in dense urban areas. Zyotty Thamsil (Colliers Indonesia) shared the journey of the Manhattan Square Building toward Greenship Gold Certification, emphasizing practical actions such as tenant engagement and making use of "low-hanging fruits," while also addressing the complexity of retrofitting a non-digitized structure. Rizal Sebastian (THUAS) had also showcased real-world examples of energy-efficiency policies and incentives, including the DuMaVa subsidy scheme and ERDH public-private partnerships for scaling EEB solutions in the public sector. The day also highlighted two real-world case studies: Hanafi Guciano presented the Universitas Islam International Indonesia (UIII) campus project, offering insights into university-scale energy design, while Darto Setiawan shared quick background of the Hermina Tower, a high-rise office building working toward more energy-conscious upgrades. The introduction if the case studies provided relevant resources to apply the information participants have gotten from the presentations, if these methods are applicable to the two case studies.

Day 2 built on the insights from Day 1 with a hands-on, collaborative approach through pressure-cooker sessions focused on two real-life case studies: Hermina Tower and the UIII's building. Participants were divided into groups and rotated among thematic lenses: financial feasibility, digitalization, nature-based adaptation, and data integration, with each themes are supervised by the experts. This format encouraged the practical application of concepts shared the day before, prompting participants to collectively explore context-driven solutions.

Participants included professionals from the public and private sectors, such as architects, urban planners, and government representatives. For example, an architect offered design ideas for integrating a cooling system through a central fountain at UIII, while an ESDM official explained funding pathways for adaptive renovations in public buildings. These diverse perspectives enriched the conversation, ensuring that the proposed strategies were not only innovative but also grounded in real-world policy and financial realities. The workshop concluded with each group of each case studies presenting their findings, demonstrating how the lessons learned could be applied to improve the sustainability of public buildings. Interest in expanding to additional case studies emerged—although discussions repeatedly underscored that financial viability remains a major hurdle in realizing energy-efficient transformations.