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Transport minister inspects future site of IKN port to boost local tourism, economy
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(Photo courtesy of the Transportation Ministry)
T
ransportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi visited on Oct. 3 the site of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Airport in North Penajam Paser regency, East Kalimantan province.
The minister was accompanied by the architects involved in designing the main airport of the nation’s new capital, Yori Antar, Adi “Mamo” Purnomo and Reza “Bobos” Wahjudi.
Also present at the site visit event were the ministry’s Air Transportation Director General Maria Kristi, Airport Director Syamsu Rizal and Port Director Muhammad Masyhud, as well as other officials from related government institutions.
"We are here to check and prepare [the site] because on Nov. 1, 2023, the groundbreaking ceremony for IKN Airport is slated to take place," said Budi.
The minister explained that his visit with the airport’s architects aimed to inspect the site to ensure that the development project was in line with the new capital’s overarching concept to be a nature-centered and environmentally friendly city.
"We asked that the architects work in harmony with nature, so even though we are building an airport in [Nusantara], we must still preserve the surrounding environment well. We will maintain the existing forests and minimize tree felling," Budi added.
He also noted that the design of the IKN Airport terminal combined elements of local wisdom, modernity and environmental friendliness.
At the same event, Yori explained that the terminal’s structure was designed to showcase the Kalimantan culture while remaining modern, "so the traditions and cultures that have existed here [from long ago] will be brought into the present as well as the future".
Mamo, another architect involved with designing the terminal, said the building would be constructed as naturally as possible by embracing the surrounding environment, to reflect the nature-centered vision of the nation’s new capital.
"The green building principle will be applied here. The terminal building resembles the typical longhouses of [Kalimantan’s Dayak culture] with an open roof, allowing air and light to enter. This will be more energy-efficient compared to the typical [airport] terminal," he explained.
IKN port site inspection
During his visit, the minister Budi and the three architects also went to the planned site of a tourist port to support the development and growth of Nusantara.
Budi said the new port was expected to support the tourism industry in and around the new capital.
"With a thriving tourism [sector], there will be opportunities to create jobs for the local community, and security will also be better maintained," he said.
The location of the future port offers beautiful and natural views, surrounded by a mangrove forest. Similar to IKN Airport, the design concept for the new tourist port is to be nature-centered and environmentally friendly.
Construction on the new port is scheduled to begin this month.
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This article is published in collaboration with the Transportation Ministry.
