An Approach for Participation in Cross-Cultural Design

This is a AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A258113. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: Ikat cloth is made in Indonesia through a process that weaves together handspun threads that have been colored by using dyes from local plants and minerals. The weaving starts more than a year after the initial spinning of the thread and results in a beautiful fabric used in clothing, interior design, and traditional art. Like Ikat, this thesis is an attempt to interweave related threads of thought and process in an attempt to create an architecture appropriate for its contemporary cultural context. The vehicle for this study is the design of a youth center near Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The youth center, which will ultimately provide educational and recreational opportunities for children throughout East Kalimantan, is the vision of a dedicated group of Indonesians who are affiliated with a local Christian church. They have formed a Board of Directors, known as the Yayasan, to plan for, develop, and manage the center, which will be located on a heavily forested 5 hectare site they have already purchased.