Devina Amelia is an architect dedicated to redesigning traditional shophouses in Indonesia. She aims to propose a more empathetic approach towards architecture to achieve a balance on three pillars of sustainability: social, economy, and environment. The shophouse project was a part of her master thesis project during her study in the Netherlands.

This “shophouse is not for sale” is a message that extends beyond shophouse as a source of income but to also include the social and unifying character of the informal and micro businesses in the surrounding space. This strategy would ensure shared opportunities in this time of crisis that also help to shatter stereotypes relating to the position of the ethnic Chinese Indonesian as the commercial bourgeoisie.