Why Prabowo’s push for clay roofs in ‘rusty’ Indonesia may face a brick wall
The president says tourists are put off by Indonesia’s ‘rusty zinc’ roofs, and its image would improve with wider use of clay tiles
But analysts warn that the plan – dubbed gentengisasi, or “mass roofing” – could burden the environment, require costly structural upgrades and face resistance outside Java island.
He recalled that previous generations had built roofs from thatch, palm fibre or other natural materials that kept homes cool. “Back then, [the houses in] my mother’s village in Minahasa used thatch as roofs. Now, it’s all zinc, zinc.”
Prabowo said revitalising the declining roof-tile industry would “not be expensive”.
“The raw material for roof tiles is soil, and by mixing it with other waste materials, it can be light and strong,” he said. “I’ve received reports from our professors that coal waste, mixed with soil, would make a good roof tile material.”