Yogyakarta, June 1, 2025 — The Gadjah Mada City Festival (Festagama) returned in 2025. Festagama is an annual festival open to the public, organized by students of the Urban and Regional Planning Program, Department of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada—specifically the 2023 and 2024 cohorts. The festival serves as a space for creative exploration that connects art, the city, and the community.

The 13th edition, Festagama 13.0, carries the theme “Citra Musim Rupa Kota” (Seasons of the City’s Images). This theme invites participants to explore urban dynamics through the diversity of seasons, showcasing how a city can adapt to various seasonal changes—covering aspects of urban infrastructure, city image and experience, and the aesthetics of public spaces. read more

The Architecture Program of Universitas Gadjah Mada held a Matereality Lecture on Friday, August 29, 2025, at Lecture Room 1 (K1). The session, which took place from 08:30 to 11:00 WIB, featured Daikin Air Conditioning as the guest speaker, presenting a special topic on ventilation systems in hotel buildings.

The lecture opened with remarks from Ms. Nur Zahrotunnisaa Zagi, who explained the course contract for Matereality as well as the point-based system, which serves as a prerequisite for enrolling in the Materiality in Architecture course. The event was attended by undergraduate architecture students and was mandatory for students of the Comprehensive Technology Studio, as the hotel design theme directly aligned with the studio project for the semester. read more

Yogyakarta, August 21, 2025 – The Department of Architecture and Planning (DTAP), Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, welcomed an academic visit from Adamson University – College of Architecture, Philippines. The delegation was led by Sylvester Shaun D. Seño, MArch-CTM, ASEAN Ar, Dean of the College of Architecture, with the primary purpose of conducting a benchmarking study of UGM’s Bachelor of Architecture program.

The visit began with an official discussion session at the DTAP meeting room, where the Adamson University delegation was introduced to UGM’s undergraduate architecture curriculum. The presentation covered learning strategies, graduate learning outcomes, and the development of academic programs aligned with the future needs of the architecture profession. This exchange also reflected UGM’s commitment to supporting SDG 4: Quality Education through continuous improvement of higher education quality and innovative, globally adaptive teaching methods. read more

From May 23 to 25, 2025, students of the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MPWK) Program at Universitas Gadjah Mada conducted a field study for the Research Methodology course in Krakitan Village, Bayat District, Klaten Regency. The activity aimed to apply an inductive approach directly in the field as a method to build planning knowledge grounded in local social, cultural, and environmental realities.

The first day began with a visit to the Krakitan Village Head’s office for an interview about the village’s history and to map observation points. Afterwards, students were divided into three groups (Macro, Meso, and Micro) to conduct interviews with residents. In addition to collecting social and economic data, students observed how daily activities and local history shape the village’s space and identity. read more

To celebrate the selection of candidates for the Thesis of the Year (TOY) and Student’s Design Competition (SDC) of the Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA) 2025 by the Association of Architectural Higher Education in Indonesia (APTARI) and the Indonesian Institute of Architects (IAI), the Undergraduate Architecture Program, Department of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada held the TOY & SDC ARCASIA Indonesia 2025 Exhibition.

This exhibition showcases 13 TOY finalists and 10 SDC finalists who were selected through a two-stage process: the regional level by APTARI and the national level by IAI. As the initiator of this exhibition, IAI appointed undergraduate architecture programs at 14 universities across Indonesia, including Universitas Gadjah Mada, as the host of the TOY and SDC ARCASIA 2025 Indonesia exhibition from July 7 to August 8, 2025. Specifically for UGM, the exhibition was extended until mid-August 2025 to welcome the new batch of architecture students. In organizing this exhibition, IAI required participating programs to present works anonymously to maintain fairness in the Asia-level judging process and to design the exhibition in a way that reflects the uniqueness of each university. read more

Three students of the 2024 cohort of the Master’s Program in Architecture (PMPSA), Universitas Gadjah Mada, who are participants in Studio 2 under the Housing and Settlement Architecture Research Group, successfully conducted their final studio presentation on Thursday, June 19, 2025. The students presented the results of their research, which had been carried out throughout the semester under the guidance of lecturers from the Housing and Settlement Architecture Research Group, namely Dr.Eng. Ir. Ahmad Sarwadi, M.Eng., IPM, and Ardhya Nareswari, S.T., M.T., Ph.D. The final presentation was also attended by Diananta Pramitasari, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., Head of the PMPSA Program, who provided valuable feedback on the students’ research outcomes. read more

Localinsa is a local tourism organization based in Seoul, focusing on community-based tourism development and the preservation of neighborhood identity. The connection between Localinsa and the 2025 UGM KKA students was facilitated by a UGM Architecture lecturer, whose collaboration with Localinsa began during her doctoral studies in Seoul. This partnership has included various ecotourism projects that emphasize environmental sustainability, local community involvement, and the strengthening of cultural values. read more

On August 4, 2025, Architecture Department lecturer at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Odilia Renaningtyas Manifesty, S.T., MA(UD), Ph.D., accepted an invitation from the Department of Architecture, Korea University. This visit was an important part of DTAP UGM’s international agenda aimed at strengthening academic networks, expanding collaboration opportunities, and enriching academic experiences for both faculty members and students at the global level.

During the visit, Dr. Odilia was directly involved in several strategic academic activities. One of them was serving as a thesis examiner for master’s (S2) students in the field of architecture. This examination provided a platform for exchanging academic perspectives across countries, as well as appreciating research conducted by international students. read more

Yogyakarta, August 19, 2025 – The Undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral Programs in Urban and Regional Planning (PWK), Universitas Gadjah Mada, welcomed the 2025/2026 academic year with an inaugural lecture themed “The Role of Information Technology in Enhancing the Effectiveness of Spatial Planning.”

The lecture was held onsite at the SGLC (Smart Green Learning Center) Auditorium, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada. It was attended by faculty members and students of the PWK program across all levels—undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral—particularly new students. read more

On June 25, 2025, the Doctoral Program in Architecture, Department of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada (DTAP FT UGM), held a Closed Doctoral Examination for doctoral candidate Mutiawati Mandaka with the dissertation entitled “Urban Morphology of Historic Tourism Cities: Case Study of Lasem, Central Java.”

“This research highlights the crucial role of urban morphology in supporting sustainable tourism development in small historic towns, with a focus on the town of Lasem, Central Java. As a coastal town with rich cultural heritage, Lasem demonstrates how the historical form and spatial structure of the city can shape identity, enhance tourism appeal, and influence the direction of tourism development.”
(Excerpt from the dissertation abstract by Mutiawati Mandaka, 2025, p. xx) read more