As part of the learning process in the Studio 1 Contextual Exploration course, students from the Master of Architecture Program, Tourism Architecture Concentration, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), conducted a field survey at Bandengan Beach Area, Jepara Regency, from 7–10 May 2026. The activity served as an important stage in preparing the Master Plan for the Tourism Attraction Area (ODTW) of Bandengan Beach, with a planning horizon from 2025 to 2035.

Recognized as one of Jepara’s leading coastal tourism destinations, Bandengan Beach plays a strategic role as one of the largest contributors to the tourism sector’s Regional Original Revenue (PAD). This potential makes the area a relevant learning laboratory for tourism architecture students to understand the dynamics of marine tourism development through a contextual, sustainable, and locally based approach. read more

A presentation on the Cosmological Axis of Yogyakarta delivered by Dr. Eng. Ir. Laretna Trisnantari Adhisakti, M.Arch., or Bu Sita, before researchers of the Taiwan Heritage Society on 29 October 2025 introduced a fresh perspective to the global discourse on heritage city management. Representing the UGM–UNESCO Chair, she not only explained Yogyakarta’s achievement as a UNESCO World Heritage Site but also demonstrated how traditional spatial philosophy can inspire modern approaches to sustainability. read more