The cool atmosphere of the slopes of Mount Andong in Girirejo Village, Ngablak District, Magelang Regency, now offers more than just the beautiful scenery typical of mountainous areas. Over the past few years, this area has also become a living laboratory for a team of lecturers from the Architectural Design Expertise Group, Department of Architecture and Planning Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, who have consistently accompanied the local community in developing sustainable, community-based tourism potential. This community service program, which has been running since 2022, has now entered its fourth year of implementation.
Through a program entitled “Development of the Girirejo Village Tourism Area, Ngablak District, Magelang Regency, Central Java – Phase 4: Design of a Hiking Tourism Area on Mount Andong,” the Architectural Design Expertise Group of DTAP has focused its 2025 activities on the preparation of a Detailed Engineering Design (DED) and the development of hiking tourism infrastructure, particularly the construction of hiker shelters. This stage represents a continuation of the efforts carried out over the previous three years, which emphasized potential analysis, tourism concept development, and the formulation of preliminary designs for tourism infrastructure.
This year, the tangible outcome of the program is manifested in the design of a general shelter, a temporary protection facility for visitors during mountain hikes. The general shelter is developed with a multifunctional concept, allowing it to serve not only as a resting or sheltering space but also as supporting facilities such as a logistics shelter or a small kiosk along the hiking route. The shelter design adopts a modular principle, enabling replication at other hiking points in the future while also simplifying construction and maintenance processes.
The applied design approach also strongly emphasizes sustainability and local community empowerment. Material selection intentionally prioritizes materials that are easily available around the site, such as hollow steel for the main structural frame and weather-resistant sheet materials, including spandek or corrugated uPVC, for roofing and walls. With a simple construction system supported by structural calculations prepared by experts, the safe construction process is expected to be carried out collaboratively by local residents without requiring complex technical skills. This approach also strengthens the community’s sense of ownership of the new facilities they will use.
This community service program aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, it contributes to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through the development of tourism potential that creates new economic opportunities for local residents; SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by providing environmentally friendly and accessible tourism infrastructure; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), as reflected in the collaboration between the university, the village government, and the local community.
The continuity of this four-year program serves as clear evidence of DTAP FT UGM’s commitment to integrating architectural knowledge with community empowerment. Through contextual, functional, and sustainable design, the lecturers of the Architectural Design Expertise Group of DTAP are not only developing tourism facilities but also strengthening the economic, social, and environmental foundations of the Girirejo Village community. Mount Andong is now not only a popular hiking destination, but also a symbol of collaboration between academic knowledge and the spirit of community togetherness.
(Edited by the Community Service Team of the Architectural Design Expertise Group, DTAP)
