Collaboration Becomes Key to Sustainable Architecture, Sanitation and Water Issues Highlighted at ARCH:ID 2026
Sustainability issues, particularly related to water and sanitation, are increasingly demanding an interdisciplinary approach in the world of architecture. The integration of design, research, and social understanding is seen as an urgent need to address current urban living challenges.
Global housing and sanitation solutions company LIXIL highlights the importance of such collaboration through its participation in the ARCH:ID 2026 event. In this forum, the architectural approach is no longer positioned merely as spatial aesthetics, but as a medium to respond to broader environmental and social issues.
LIXIL Water Technology Indonesia’s Marketing Director, Arfindi Batubara, stated that the quality of living spaces today cannot be built partially. According to him, architecture needs to contribute to environmental preservation, community welfare, and national development.
“Collaboration has become the new standard to deliver more adaptive solutions. The architectural landscape must be able to address broader challenges, including environmental and social issues,” he said.
One example of such an approach is demonstrated through the ‘OASE: Architecture in the Water Cycle’ pavilion, which explores the relationship between water, sanitation, and urban history. This pavilion is the result of interdisciplinary collaboration involving architects, researchers, and landscape designers.
Founder of Mamostudio, Adi Purnomo, explained that water issues serve as an entry point to understanding more complex living space problems. He believes architecture needs to open up broader dialogue spaces to respond to changing times.
“This space is not just a physical form, but a representation of attention to the issues faced by cities. Collaboration allows ideas to develop further,” said Adi.
From a research perspective, Labtek Apung researcher Novita Anggraini added that sanitation problems have long influenced urban social structures, including during the Batavia era, which faced crises due to poor water management.
She views the limited public access to research results as a particular challenge. Therefore, integrating research into public spaces like pavilions is an important step to increase public awareness.
“History shows that sanitation can shape social orders. By opening access to knowledge, the public can reflect on the city’s journey and future challenges,” she said.
Globally, sanitation issues remain a major task. LIXIL notes that around 3.4 billion people worldwide still lack access to adequate sanitation. Efforts to improve access are seen not only to impact health but also the economy, with every investment in the sanitation sector potentially yielding multiplied returns.
Through collaborative and data-based approaches, architecture is expected to transform into real solutions for urban problems. Not only as physical spaces, but also as spaces for reflection on the human relationship with the environment.