• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.115-125
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• 2020

Housing issues such as mushrooming slums remain as chronic in most developing countries. Due to the state's restrained capacity, the housing-vulnerable's self-help approaches have been increasingly inevitable and vital for addressing the housing issues. However, there are still two challenges: securing good quality with economic efficiency, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. This study aims at doing an architectural experiment by developing and educating the production of eco-friendly interlocking stabilized soil bricks (ISSB) by employing vernacular materials and technologies for housing-vulnerable communities in Indonesia. In collaboration with a local architectural NGO, the study features a co-creation workshop in which 40 evicted households participate in the whole process. Soil analysis, mixed design, compression tests, and economic analysis are carried out. This paper illustrates that ISSB also has a high potential as an alternative to a burned brick or a cement block. The application of ISSB to self-help housing is expected to have socioeconomic and environmental effects, thereby facilitating the housing-vulnerable's self-help approaches and contributing to addressing the housing challenges in Indonesia.