Community Centre Construction Advances
Community centre construction at Rumah Kambera is moving ahead in Kawangu, East Sumba. Today’s photograph shows the final side of the wall being finished. We expect to complete all the walls next week, closing this stage of work around the site.
Next, sirtu, short for pasir batu, will be brought in: a mix of sand and stone or gravel. The north-eastern part of the land is too steep for building, so the material will be spread and compacted to create a more level working area before construction begins.
These steps prepare the ground for the first facilities of the planned Community Socio-Medical Centre: a small medical centre, pharmacy, laboratory, workshop and storage area. For more details, explore the planned centre on the Rumah Kambera website, with its interactive 3D model and SketchUp renderings.
External Links
- Statistics Indonesia (BPS): Indonesia’s statistics agency defines sirtu as sand-and-stone aggregate, a local material used in road and building construction projects locally.
- Ministry of Public Works Indonesia: Indonesia’s Public Works Ministry describes sirtu, a sand-and-stone material, used as embankment fill before road compaction in remote regions.
- Directorate General of Highways (Bina Marga): Bina Marga studies local sirtu and the testing needed before this sand-and-stone mix can be used for road foundations in remote districts.
- Tanjungpura University Civil Engineering Journal: This university study defines sirtu as sand and stone and assesses its use as graded aggregate for road foundations under engineering standards.
- Geological Survey of Indonesia: Indonesia’s Geological Survey library explains the term sirtu and records how sand, gravel and stone are used in construction work and building materials.
