Paamprokan Square / SHAU Indonesia
Paamprokan Square / SHAU Indonesia
Text description provided by the architects. Pangandaran is a town on the south coast of West Java with a population of 420.000 people in 2020, locally known for its beach and nature tourism. Paamprokan square is part of Governor Ridwan Kamil’s priority public space programs for West Java. ‘Paamprokan’ means ‘to gather’ in Sundanese. This public space is an example of a public-private synergy with a developer. To gain direct access from the beach road to their property area through government-owned land, the developer donated the construction of the square.
The challenge was then to design a 1.8-hectare site with a minimal construction budget yet a list of extensive programs: from a gathering space large enough to host the annual kite festival and to hold occasional flag ceremony, an outdoor gym, a playground, a pavilion, a restroom, a prayer room, street vendor area, seating spaces, and a viewing tower. SHAU’s design strategy was to introduce a series of pocket spaces interwoven into the existing green field with coconut trees. Therefore, the vast site is only used minimally, leaving most of the area untouched. A grid set at a 30-degree angle frees the plan and creates shortcuts for pedestrian access. Each program is distributed in the field and connected using a narrow path to minimize material usage.
The viewing tower allows people to enjoy sea and mountain views, visible from a height of 11 meters above the existing coconut trees. There are three viewing platforms on the tower. In line with the maritime leisure atmosphere, the viewing tower was modeled after diving towers, including a “water splash” seating sculpture underneath- a tribute to David Hockney. The extensive leftover green surface invites the future planting of trees to enhance the microclimate.
