Eco-Friendly Classroom Murals Spark Architectural Curiosity and Boost Early Childhood Well-Being in North Jakarta

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FORMOSA NEWS - Jakarta - A visual and structural environment that prioritizes child psychology is essential for early childhood development. To address the need for creative and stimulating learning spaces, a research and community action team from Universitas Kristen Indonesia (UKI) successfully completed a classroom revitalization project at PAUD Kartini in North Jakarta. The initiative transformed a plain, institutional space into an interactive educational environment using advanced, non-toxic, eco-friendly interior coatings. Led by Ulinata, a prominent architecture lecturer at Universitas Kristen Indonesia, alongside UKI researchers Michelle Putri Ayu, Amanda Daniella Sirait, and Kenny Prayoga, the project was executed in June 2026. This structural and visual upgrade provides a scalable framework for urban community development, showing how strategic architectural design can stimulate cognitive development and spatial imagination in children from low-income urban families.

The Role of Visual Psychology in Early Education
Early childhood development depends heavily on physical environments that support emotional, social, and cognitive growth. Many early education centers in densely populated urban areas face structural and budgetary limitations that compromise interior quality. PAUD Kartini, established in late 2022 on the first floor of the Rawa Badak Utara Village Office, operates a single $26\text{ m}^2$ classroom. Before the intervention, the room featured plain, beige walls that lacked the visual stimulation required to optimize children's creative and psychological development. To address these spatial limitations, the Universitas Kristen Indonesia research team integrated architectural psychology into the classroom design. Visual factors such as color composition and environmental graphics generate specific behavioral responses in young learners. The team introduced custom-designed thematic murals as an active tool for environmental communication and cognitive stimulation.

Methodology and Child Safety Protocols
The Universitas Kristen Indonesia research team implemented a structured, multi-stage methodology over five days to transform the interior of PAUD Kartini safely and efficiently:

• Surface Preparation and Sketching: The team cleaned the wall surfaces, protected existing furniture, and drafted technical pencil sketches directly onto the walls based on selected architectural concepts.
  
• Eco-Friendly Base Coating: Researchers applied a water-based, non-toxic primer layer across the $4.5\text{ m} \times 6\text{ m}$ classroom layout.
  
• Detailing and Low-VOC Finishing: The team filled in the design details and coated the completed murals with a protective, low-volatile organic compound (VOC) clear coat to ensure durability and sanitation.
  

Child health and environmental safety dictated the selection of materials. Traditional synthetic wall paints often contain harmful plasticizers, lead, and volatile organic compounds that can off-gas into confined spaces, causing long-term respiratory risks for young children. To mitigate these environmental health hazards, Ulinata and the UKI architecture team selected Avitex Gold paint produced by Avian Brands. This water-based interior coating is certified with the Singapore Green Label by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), confirming that it is free from hazardous heavy metals and maintains low VOC emissions. Additionally, the material features a Domestic Component Level (TKDN) of 50.03%, exceeding national industrial requirements.

Key Visual and Educational Discoveries
The completed mural installation successfully transformed the monochrome classroom into a multi-dimensional educational ecosystem. The visual intervention delivered three distinct educational zones:

• "Me and the World of Architecture" Mural: This central installation features illustrations of architectural blueprints, active construction cranes, modern skyscrapers, and green energy infrastructures like solar panels and wind turbines. This design introduces the architectural profession and sustainable engineering concepts to children at an early age.
  
• Interactive Literacy Wall: An integrated alphabet graphic system from A to Z provides a permanent, playful visual tool for language acquisition and daily reading exercises.
  
• Numerical Cognition Panel: A dedicated vertical graphic displaying numbers from 1 to 10 paired with child-friendly characters improves early mathematical literacy and spatial counting skills.
  

Post-installation evaluations confirmed that the vibrant, thematic environment significantly improved student engagement and classroom comfort. During the formal closing ceremony on June 17, 2026, the Head of Rawa Badak Utara Village, Mrs. Ester Laura Kartini, officially verified the success of the project, stating that the creative design added essential cheer, color, and functional value to the early childhood facility.

Structural and Policy Socioeconomic Implications
The project demonstrates how academic institutions, local governments, and community initiatives can cooperate to upgrade public educational spaces in high-density urban areas. Utilizing zero-VOC, green-certified architectural coatings sets a practical standard for municipal policymakers and school boards when renovating early childhood centers. By replacing unstimulating interiors with educational environmental graphics, schools can enhance cognitive development and inspire future career interests among disadvantaged youth.

Author Profil
Ulinata, S.T., M.T. is a full-time senior faculty member and researcher in the Architecture Study Program, Faculty of Engineering, at Universitas Kristen Indonesia (UKI). Her research focuses on sustainable interior architecture, child-centric spatial design, and community-driven environmental psychology.
Michelle Putri Ayu, Amanda Daniella Sirait, and Kenny Prayoga are research scholars in the Department of Architecture at Universitas Kristen Indonesia specializing in urban renewal projects, social architecture, and eco-friendly structural design.

Source
Ulinata, Ayu, M. P., Sirait, A. D., & Prayoga, K. (2026). Mural Paint Painting on the Walls of the Classroom of PAUD Kartini, North Jakarta Using Safe and Environmentally Friendly Paint. Asian Journal of Community Services (AJCS), 5(6), 347-358.
DOI : https://doi.org/10.55927/ajcs.v5i6.34
URL: https://journalajcs.my.id/index.php/ajcs