Jakarta, November 7, 2024 – Indonesia is facing a very high housing backlog, especially in densely populated urban areas. The government itself is targeting a reduction in the number of housing backlogs to around 5 million units this year, from the previous 7.64 million in 2020. This target is supported by a large budget allocation from the APBN and the private sector through a sustainable housing development program.
The increasing demand for housing requires faster, more efficient, and more sustainable construction solutions, to balance the need for decent housing with existing social and environmental conditions, such as increasingly limited housing land or increasing construction costs.
PT Cemindo Gemilang Tbk, a producer of SEMEN MERAH PUTIH and other cement-based construction materials, sees this as a challenge that must be met by the construction industry, especially cement, to support the government and the community in the current increasing housing supply crisis.
And through its subsidiary PT Motive Mulia, which specifically produces concrete and its derivatives under the BETON MERAH PUTIH brand, offers an innovative solution that focuses on precast and prestressed concrete for housing, namely Precast Modular Concrete or Prefabricated Modular Concrete.
This was revealed at the Indonesian Construction Workshop, Collaboration of AP3I (Association of Indonesian Precast and Prestressed Companies) with Semen Merah Putih and Beton Merah Putih, on November 7, 2024 at ICE BSD, Tangerang.
Transformation of Precast-Based Modular Housing Provision
Akhmad Syamsuddin, Operational Director of PT Motive Mulia explained that this precast modular solution is designed to provide cost efficiency and speed in building housing so that it will be the best solution to answer the current housing backlog challenge and meet the government's target in providing quality and affordable housing for the community.
"The Prefabricated Modular Concrete solution will significantly reduce construction time and costs, so it is very relevant and appropriate for the implementation of various housing projects in urban areas that require short construction at affordable costs." said Akhmad
The Modular System also has high flexibility, from design to construction, making it suitable for the construction of various projects from landed houses to high-rise buildings, said Akhmad further.
Precast Modular as Sustainable Construction
Akhmad Syamsuddin also explained that in addition to the speed and efficiency of the construction process, Beton Merah Putih modular system has also adopted environmentally friendly technology and materials which are considered increasingly needed in massive and sustainable development, in accordance with government policies for the implementation of national projects.
"For this Prefabricated Modular Concrete product, we are also in line with the government's policy to use non-OPC cement to support sustainable construction, collaborating with our parent company Semen Merah Putih," explained Akhmad.
On the same occasion, Head of Technical Marketing of PT Cemindo Gemilang Tbk, Syarif Hidayat, explained that his company always presents high-quality materials for various uses, which support sustainable development. This commitment is fully based on the quality assurance of non-OPC Cement which is more environmentally friendly and owned by this business group.
"We offer various variants of environmentally friendly non-OPC products for various uses, one of which is Semen Merah Putih FLEXIPLUS (HE), a hydraulic type of cement with High Early Strength that is suitable for precast modular production for house construction," said Syarif.
With Semen Merah Putih's superior product, in addition to the high quality of precast results, it also reduces the carbon footprint of the construction sector in Indonesia when compared to the use of conventional OPC cement.
Syarif further explained that Semen Merah Putih's sustainability commitment is a value that is manifested in various innovations developed both in the process and products. Because according to him, the construction industry is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions in the world. "With the environmentally friendly materials that we develop, we hope to be a pioneer in reducing carbon emissions in the construction sector, supporting the government's program towards Net Zero Emission by 2060. In addition to reducing environmental impacts, we ensure the durability and strength of construction, which are priorities," said Syarif.
AP3I Supports and Campaigns for Sustainable Technology in the Precast and Prestressed Construction Sector
On the other hand, AP3I welcomes the Semen Merah Putih initiative. AP3I considers this collaboration an important step in expanding the implementation of modular technology and sustainable materials in the national precast and prestressed industry.
According to AP3I, this precast approach will be able to help overcome the challenges of housing backlogs in Indonesia while strengthening the quality of durable and sustainable buildings. Ir. Dudung Maulana Textianto, Secretary General of the Indonesian Precast and Prestressed Companies Association (AP3I), believes that the need for affordable modular housing is increasingly urgent amid the housing crisis.
"We believe that modular system houses such as those offered by Beton Merah Putih will be the solution to answer the government's three million housing program and overcome the national housing backlog in an efficient time," he explained.
Furthermore, Dudung also appreciated the environmentally friendly approach in precast products: "This is also our joint commitment to realizing greener and more sustainable development in the future, so that we from the association are ready to continue to socialize the use of environmentally friendly cement for precast and prestressed products."
Various parties in this collaboration have agreed to commit to accelerating the development of sustainable, decent housing. The precast solutions presented are expected to trigger a paradigm shift in the Indonesian construction sector. They hope that this campaign will inspire many parties to proactively adopt sustainable technology and materials.
"We hope that this collaboration is not just a short-term solution to Indonesia's housing needs. This is a joint effort by the nation's children to build a better approach for the construction industry. This is a campaign for all parties in developing a greener and more sustainable future for Indonesia," concluded Syarif.
