In Semarang, BTN Housingpreneur Explores ‘Housing for Today’
Jakarta (ANTARA) – Central Java’s housing need, which remains at around 990,000 units, presents significant opportunities for the development of the housing industry. The challenge, however, is not simply to increase the number of homes, but also to ensure that they are affordable, decent, comfortable and suited to people’s needs.
This issue was the focus of PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Tbk (BTN) at the BTN Housingpreneur Batch 3 roadshow at Diponegoro University (Undip) in Semarang on Monday (19 October). Under the theme “Housing for Today: Meeting Needs and Delivering Liveable Homes”, the event invited students, academics and industry players to develop innovations that address real challenges in the housing sector.
Fitri Novianty R. Kusuma, BTN’s Central Java and Yogyakarta regional head, said that, according to Central Java provincial government data, the region still needed around 990,000 homes. This indicated strong prospects for the housing business, including the development of its supporting ecosystem.
“When we talk about housing, we may picture houses and buildings. But the housing ecosystem is much broader, encompassing design and urban planning, materials, construction, technology, digital solutions, energy efficiency and access to financing. The challenge is not just to build more homes, but to provide housing that is affordable, high-quality and sustainable,” Fitri said.
Fitri said BTN was also continuing to broaden its role through its Beyond Mortgage strategy, developing businesses that focus not only on mortgages but also on the housing ecosystem and digital services. As part of its services, BTN has opened the Digital Store BTN KCP Karangayu in Semarang to strengthen its digital transformation.
Through BTN Housingpreneur, Fitri hopes students and businesspeople in Central Java will develop new ideas, including integrated residential areas with facilities that support people’s daily lives.
“An idea does not have to be perfect from the outset. What matters is that it starts with a real need and delivers benefits,” she said.
Undip Vice-Rector for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Heru Susanto, S.T., M.M., M.T., welcomed BTN Housingpreneur as a way for students to gain insight and develop skills beyond their university courses.
Heru said competitiveness increasingly depended on mastery of knowledge and technology, as well as the ability to generate innovation. Young people therefore needed to develop cross-disciplinary skills to meet increasingly complex challenges, including those in the housing sector.
“Competition has shifted from being resource-based to being knowledge- and technology-based, or innovation-based. Those with innovation and knowledge are the ones who will win the contest or competition,” Heru said.
Heru said housing innovation also needed to go beyond physical buildings. In addition to affordability and energy efficiency, home development could be directed towards improving family life, including through technology and better resource management.
For its Inspiration Talk session, BTN brought together Undip Faculty of Engineering Professor of Urban and Regional Planning Sunarti, S.T., M.T.; MarkPlus Institute Vice-Chancellor Dr Jacky Mussry; Rahmat Indrani, founder of SPOA Architecture & Smiljan Space; and Hamdan Wahyudi, director of PT Andalusia Intra Teknologi (GridSolr) and third-place winner of BTN Housingpreneur 2025.
Sunarti explained that housing liveability could not be assessed solely by the physical quality of a home. It also required consideration of the entire residential area, including residents’ needs, the social environment, natural conditions, infrastructure networks and accessibility.
“Liveability is not something we assess only at the level of a single building; it has to be assessed across an entire area,” Sunarti said.
She said housing needs also varied according to the character of each area and people’s purchasing power. Research she presented indicated that high-rise, smaller homes tended to be preferred in city centres, while landed houses remained popular in outlying areas. These differences should be taken into account when developing housing innovations, including those aimed at young people.
The BTN Housingpreneur discussion in Semarang also covered efficient and functional home design, changing consumer needs, smart-home technology, and the use of more efficient materials and energy. Through the programme, BTN is encouraging ideas that are not only attractive in concept but can also be developed into practical solutions for the public.
Registration for BTN Housingpreneur Batch 3 remains open
BTN Housingpreneur Batch 3 is open to students, the general public, developers and businesses, with two competition groups. Business Ideation includes the Rumah Nusantara, Housing Design and Housing Innovation categories, while Established Business includes Rumah Nusantara, Housing Ecosystem, Housing Tech, Housing Design, Affordable Housing and Commercial Housing.
Registration runs from 28 September to 30 November 2026, followed by Initial Screening, Business & Idea Evaluation and Live Pitching stages to select finalists. The programme will continue into early 2027 and culminate at BTN Expo.
Through BTN Housingpreneur Batch 3, BTN hopes Central Java and Yogyakarta will become not only growth markets for housing, but also places where innovations emerge that improve housing quality and create new business opportunities in the sector.