Saginatari, Diandra Pandu
(2025)
Mapping the architecture of three porosities: A study of urban decay and regeneration in Semarang old town, Indonesia.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
This PhD thesis is an architectural inquiry that proposes and explores the concept of architectural porosity as a framework for interpreting patterns of inhabitation within an urban heritage context. It aims to illuminate the diverse definitions and perceptions of porosity within heritage practice and in architectural and urban discourse more broadly.
The research begins by approaching porosity as an interdisciplinary concept, drawing on perspectives from the physical sciences, such as materials science and geology, to the social sciences and humanities, including archaeology, cultural heritage, and urban studies. These various interpretations of porosity are then reframed architecturally: on the one hand, rooted in the materiality of the urban fabric, and on the other, extending beyond its material existence to influence social and spatial dynamics. By applying the idea of porosity both literally and metaphorically, the study identifies three distinct modes or levels of operation: (1) material porosity, understood as a typically microscopic quality that reflects the capacity of architectural surfaces to retain traces of past events; (2) spatial porosity, observed through an analysis of inhabitable architectural boundaries; and (3) social porosity, proposed as a consequence of the preceding two, which denotes a potentially productive coexistence of planned and unplanned, human and non-human inhabitation—often marginalised or erased in conventional urban heritage revitalisation projects. These three forms of porosity are conceptualised collectively as a new definition of architectural porosity, offering a framework for reinterpreting urban heritage values and enhancing regeneration outcomes by enriching the diversity of spatial practices and patterns of inhabitation in the built environment.
The research includes an in-depth case study of the revitalised urban heritage site of Semarang Old Town in Indonesia—a historic colonial district comprising over one hundred heritage buildings. Since 2017, Semarang Old Town has undergone a significant revitalisation effort involving infrastructure upgrades and selective restoration of heritage buildings. These interventions have brought notable improvements to environmental quality, including enhanced drainage and redesigned streetscapes featuring new street furniture. However, the regeneration process has also sought to 'clean up' many of the informal practices that once occupied the streets, façades, and building edges—practices that had emerged following the area’s stagnation in the post-independence era. Given the site's complex and fragile socio-cultural context—including the uncertain legal status of some heritage buildings and the prevalence of economically driven informal activities—Semarang Old Town remains a mix of restored and decaying structures, with both formal and informal inhabitation continuing despite the revitalisation efforts. Nonetheless, these efforts persist in a direction that treats heritage sites as income-generating assets for a broader and more affluent market. This often entails restoring historical materials, erasing signs of decay, and suppressing informal modes of inhabitation.
This thesis proposes a framework for re-reading the value of heritage sites by developing a porosity index based on the three aforementioned categories. The porosity index maps the material, spatial, and social conditions of the heritage buildings studied, indicating their revitalisation status as well as the presence of both human and non-human forms of inhabitation. These three sets of mappings are examined relationally, as an assemblage of latent potentialities found within the urban heritage landscape. This analytical framework offers an alternative perspective within ongoing debates on heritage conservation, revitalisation, and gentrification, advocating for a more adaptable and inclusive approach that better acknowledges and preserves a broader spectrum of material, spatial, and social inhabitation practices.
| Item Type: |
Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
(PhD)
|
| Supervisors: |
Hale, Jonathan
Collett, Tim |
| Keywords: |
Architectural Porosity, Material Porosity, Spatial Porosity, Social Porosity, Urban Decay, Heritage Practice |
| Subjects: |
N Fine Arts > NA Architecture |
| Faculties/Schools: |
UK Campuses > Faculty of Engineering
UK Campuses > Faculty of Engineering > Built Environment |
| Item ID: |
81444 |
| Depositing User: |
Saginatari, Diandra
|
| Date Deposited: |
09 Dec 2025 04:40 |
| Last Modified: |
09 Dec 2025 04:40 |
| URI: |
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/81444 |
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