Green Subsidised Housing Enters Academic Study
The Mulia Gading Kencana (MGK) housing estate in Serang, Banten, will become a research site for the housing sector for postgraduate and doctoral students at the University of Indonesia (UI). The research is directed at finding models for building subsidised housing that is more affordable, high-quality, environmentally friendly, and sustainable.
The use of MGK Serang as a research location is part of a collaboration between PT Infiniti Triniti Jaya, or Infiniti Land, and the UI School of Postgraduate Studies in Sustainable Development (SPPB-UI). The partnership was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding at the UI Salemba Campus in Central Jakarta on Wednesday (17/6).
The Director of the UI School of Postgraduate Studies in Sustainable Development, Prof. Dr. Drs. Supriatna, M.T., said collaboration with industry players is important to strengthen the link between academic study and housing development practice in the field. According to him, housing research does not only concern building aspects, but also residential location, area infrastructure, environmentally friendly materials, spatial planning, disaster mitigation, and earthquake-resistant building structures.
“This collaboration can be even broader, because we have a comprehensive study institute, not only about urban housing and settlements, but also aspects of resilience and others,” said Supriatna. He assessed that the MGK Serang project can serve as a field example to test various approaches to building subsidised houses, especially those related to building quality and the living environment. Beyond technical studies, the research can also include surveys of community satisfaction with housing.
“The UI School of Postgraduate Studies in Sustainable Development is ready to make the MGK Serang Housing developed by Infiniti Land a pilot project for housing research locations for postgraduate and doctoral students,” said Supriatna.
The collaboration is also linked to the need to improve housing quality in support of the 3 million homes programme. Infiniti Land President Director Samuel S. Huang said the results of UI’s research are expected to become a reference for subsidised housing developers in building decent and sustainable homes. Samuel noted that the national housing challenge is not only about the quantity of supply, but also the quality of homes built for low-income communities. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the housing backlog still reaches 9.9 million units.
“We consider this collaboration very good, because academics and practitioners synergise to obtain a valid perspective on how to build decent housing, especially homes for low-income communities,” said Samuel. Under this partnership, Infiniti Land will provide access for SPPB-UI students to conduct surveys, observations, and data collection at projects being developed by the company. This access is expected to strengthen the data base and research recommendations that can be applied in the field.
Samuel said Infiniti Land has been striving to implement a green housing concept at MGK Serang, from the planning stage through to construction. According to him, subsidised housing must still be built with attention to building quality, area infrastructure, facilities, and environmental aspects. “We build the Mulia Gading Kencana subsidised housing with heart and provide the best quality in terms of buildings, infrastructure, and facilities. Our principle is, because this is their first home, give them the best,” he said.
MGK Serang previously obtained a Green Building Certification (BGH) with a Main Predicate from the Ministry of PUPR for the subsidised housing category. The project has also won a number of awards, including a MURI record, the Green Housing Award 2025 from the University of Indonesia, Best Subsidised Housing Development Project at the Golden Property Awards 2025, FIABCI Indonesia-REI Excellence Awards 2024, and a special award from Forwapera as a Pioneer of Green Building Subsidised Housing.
By making MGK Serang a research site, the collaboration between UI and Infiniti Land is expected to not stop at the development of one housing project, but to produce broader recommendations for the development of green subsidised housing in Indonesia.