1. GEOFFREY BAWA IN THE
RENAISSANCE OF TRADITIONAL
ARCHITECTURE
pRESERVATION OF
tHE “mBARU NIANG”
TRADITIONAL & MODERN
FUZE
Edition 13th /
2013
2. 01
®
Published by
PT. ARKIPURI INTRA NASIONAL
ARKdesign Jakarta Office
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Editors
EDITION 13
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Paul Tan
Vita Rahayu
ARKdesign
Olivia Pingkan
June 2013
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3. Content
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DiscourseDiscussion TRADITIONAL & MODERN FUZE
InnovationTechnology SIWALU JABU, KARO TRADITIONAL HOUSE
ARKdesignIndesign ABIAN KOPI; ST. MORITZ PENTHOUSE
DesignNews TRADITIONAL HOUSE & RESORT ARCHITECTURE
RecentPublication PRESERVATION OF THE “MBARU NIANG”
PrincipalPoint GEOFFREY BAWA IN THE RENAISSANCE OF TRADITIONAL
ARCHITECTURE
EditorsMailHouse
StayInformed
Events
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4. 03
PrincipalPoint
Geoffrey Bawa in the Renaissance
of Traditional Architecture
“Boutique hotels have played an important
role in the renaissance and appreciation of
traditional and vernacular architecture all
over the world “
Pool view westward from lobby across
the pool to the sea
My first introduction to Geoffrey Bawa (British
trained Sri Lankan Architect, born in Colombo
1919) was through my passion for art and the
paintings of Donald Friend (c 1950). I love Friend’s
depiction of simple, honest, yet exotic life in Asia
very similar to how Gauguin (c 1890) saw life
in French Polynesia Tahiti. Bawa’s architecture
somehow expressed that simplicity in the
vernacular architecture of Sri Lanka. Bawa and
Friend became friends and exchanged designs
between Bali and Sri Lanka. Bawa designed
Friend’s villa by the beach in Batu Jimbar, Sanur,
and Friend painted Bawa’s main doors to his
home in Colombo. In my opinion, it was since this
time that a new approach to designing resorts
was born.
Peter Muller, an Australian architect working
in Bali, who later also knew Bawa in Sri Lanka,
started a personal journey in exploring the design
and materials of traditional Balinese architecture,
through the design and development of Amandari
in Ubud (c 1988). Since Muller designed the Bali
Oberoi in Kerobokan (c 1977), the first, all-villa
hotel, he and his wife, who is an archeologist,
researched and found some original materials
used for building in Balinese villages. One of the
many materials revived through her research, is
the coffee brown colored sandstone found in an
ancient village of Taro around the Ubud area, in
centralBali.Thistypeofsandstoneislocallyknown
as Paras Taro. Since then this local sandstone
is widely used in modern Balinese resorts, villas
and almost all architectural creations trying to
bring the Balinese look and feel to it.
It is during these creative years of both Bawa
and Muller, the term “boutique hotel” was born.
This term is used for small resort hotels, usually
located on sites with dramatic views and natural
beauty. This thirty or so villas, are designed in
the traditional, vernacular architecture with very
high quality and luxurious amenities; better
than the “five star” rated hotels, in the level of
services and conveniences. Boutique hotels
have played an important role in the renaissance
and appreciation of traditional and vernacular
architecture all over the world. Brian Taylor in his
book on Bawa wrote, “Much of what has been
written on Bawa’s architecture refers constantly
to its inspiration from local vernacular building –
its being a contemporary interpretation of course,
By Paul Tan
5. Painting by Donald Friend
Of these traditions”. From Bhutan to Bali, and
from ski resorts in Courchevel to Kohsamui,
boutique hotels designed in the traditional
architecture all over the world are reinventing
vernacular architecture into the modern lifestyle
expectations of the 21st Century traveller. Many
however, have abused the term and refer to
boutique hotel design loosely without the in-depth
architectural/archaeological knowledge, husband
and wife Muller had. It has diluted the original
meaning of the term as well as cheapened its
architecture.
The meaning of architecture in the past is often
born out of religious and cultural beliefs of the
people. Shapes, materials, ornaments, planning
and orientation of buildings and architecture have
very deep and significant lifestyle roles to play in
these communities. To compare it in meaning to
the car garage in an American home is a very
poor parallel. Asta Kosala Kosali to the Balinese,
or Feng Shui to the Chinese, is deeply rooted in
their cultural beliefs. Muller visited Bali, in 1970 a
really transformed me, because I understood
that indigenous architecture contained within
itself everything I had been intuitively searching
for … the utilization of renewable local materials
assembled in a thoughtful, practical way to suit
the spiritual, cultural, emotional and physical
needs of the community of individuals. The
simple complexity was stunningly beautiful to
me, so expressively honest and environmentally
harmonious.” (Muller to Johnson, 1996).
The slow development or even the disappearance
of traditional architecture, has, at least in
Asia, found a vehicle in which it can develop
and mature, the resort hotel architecture now
booming around the globe. It will remain to be
seen where it leads to, and that is part of the
mystery and fun we have in the innovation of
the ever so needed architecture that is strongly
rooted in our beliefs. The Greeks and Romans,
the Egyptians, the Chinese and Japanese have
all created forms of architecture that are rooted in
the traditions of the time, and some are still being
re-invented and become the source of inspiration
to many architects today. We are hopeful, the
same development process will happen to
traditional architecture in South and South East
Asia. I hope you will enjoy this edition of AQ, as
we try to explore some of the architectural forms
that are designed today, but we believe have
evolved out of the local traditional and vernacular
architecture.
Sources :
- “Geoffrey Bawa” by Brian Brace Taylor, 1986 Concept
Media Pte Ltd.
- Wikipedia, Peter Muller (architect)
- Wikipedia, Geoffrey Bawa
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PrincipalPoint
Painting by Donald Friend
Geoffrey Bawa
7. 06
RecentPublication
PRESERVATION OF THE
“MBARU NIANG”
“In the ‘Mbaru Niang’ preservation’ the architect initiated a community-
led revival of the vernacular ‘worok’ homes, conical constructions of
tied-together wood and bamboo. “
8. Local, Tangerang-based architect Yori Antar
started the Rumah Asuh project as a movement
to preserve traditional houses and building
technologies throughout indonesia. The architect
takes young designers to distant villages to both
experience and renovates existing traditional
homes. All under the premise indigenous culture
has time-tested methods for building effective
and perfectly acclimated dwellings.
Believing in the power of local wisdom has proved
fruitful for the architect, who just earned a spot on
the shortlist for the aga khan prize for architecture,
shortly on the heels of garnering UNESCO Asia-
pacific award for cultural heritage conservation,
specifically for his work with the Wae Rebo
community in Flores Island, Indonesia. In the
‘Mbaru niang’ preservation’, the architect initiated
a community-led revival of the vernacular ‘worok’
homes conical constructions of tied-together
wood and bamboo.
Rendering of the building typology image
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RecentPublication
9. The rattan palette and thatched roofs have
been a hallmark of the architectural language of
the remote island, however when the group of
touring young architects realized that there were
only four of these unique homes standing, two
of which were badly in need of repair, a project
to preserve the typology was born. While the set
of skills required to build the dwellings had been
handed down through generations, the process
was quickly democratized to include university
students and the community at large and to
rightly preserve the techniques from fading to
mere memories.
The structures are imbued with more than
the base requirements of a shelter. They are
examples of a living culture, an architect that
inherits the power of family and humanistic
kinship. Yori Antar’s architecture posits that there
is room for architectural values in the industry
today, as he stated to the Jakarta Times, “if we
want to build modern architecture, build ones
that have soul.”
Source:
www.designboom.com/architecture/yori-antar-mbaru-
niang-preservation-flores-island-indonesia/
construction of MBARU NIANG
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RecentPublication
11. 10
DesignNews
Toraja house or “Tongkonan” (meaning
“sit”) can be said to be the seat, but not
meaning the actual seat. Designed as
a representation of the universe, the
tongkonan is constructed in three parts:
the upper world (the roof), the world of
humans (the middle of the building), and
the underworld (the space under the floor).
The Beach Republican in Thailand has
been influenced by traditional Toraja house
design. This can be seen in communal
halls and colourful long tail fishing boats
nearby.
Source :
www.the-scandinavian.com/blog/?p=301#more;
http://artasia.www2.50megs.com/Indonesia/houses.
Toraja House in Beach Republic Architecture Design
Toraja traditional house, South Sumatra, Indonesia -Photo credit:
Rafał Cichawa
Beach Republic, Thailand
Gadang house, Minangkabau (Padang), Indonesia Samui Buri Beach Resort Thailand
Tower House serves as a shelter, space
for family meetings, and for ceremonial
activities.
Samui Buri, a unique resort built in the
Royal Thai traditional architecture, set
on the 100 meter stretch of beach-front
location at the tranquil Maenam Beach.
Two different architectural designs, coming
from two different countries, that have the
same architectural character.
Source:
http://scopecimsafkunand.blogspot.com/2010/06
http://www.samuiburi.com/
Gadang House & Indigo Pearl
12. 11
DesignNews
Nihiwatu Resort Hotel, Sumba, IndonesiaSumba traditional house, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Indonesia
Sumba House, Nihiwatu Resort Inspiration
Nihiwatu, a small and exclusive island
hideaway in remote eastern Indonesia, is
one of the most extraordinary resorts in
this exceptional island nation. The concept
of resorts architecture is derived from
the Sumba traditional house, East Nusa
Tenggara, Indonesia, which is made from
wood and thatched alang - alang.
Source :
- http://noenkcahyana.blogspot.com
- http://www.nihiwatu.com/
Honai has long been known as a traditional
house in Jayawijaya. The Dani and
indigenous tribes who inhabit the central
highlands of Papua.
In Tanzania there is a resort, Serengeti
Serena Safari Lodge, that has very strong
similarity with the design of Honai.
Source :
-http://christiandaniell.blogspot.com/2013/03/hanoi-
house-papua.html
-http://www.serenahotels.com/serenaserengeti/
Honai, Irian Traditional House, Irian Jaya, Indonesia The Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, Tanzania, Africa
Honai House & Serena Safari Lodge
13. 12
DesignNews
The Layar Villa, Bali, IndonesiaPalloza, thatched House, Galicia, Spanyol
The gorgeous Presidential Suite, Hilton Bora Bora
Palloza is a traditional thatched house
as found in Galicia, Spain. They are
circular or oval, and about ten or twenty
feet in diameter. The Palozza roof shape
similarity can be found in The Layar Villas
located in the heart of the most important
residential areas of Bali, Seminyak. The
Layar was designed by a group of Italian
architects.
Source :
- http://www.iclickfun.com/10-unique-houses-from-
around-the-world/
- http://raywhiteparadise.com/villa-rental/the-layar-
luxury-villa-seminyak.html
Palloza Thatched House & The Layar Villa
The Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort and Spa
sits on Toopua Motu, an island in the lagoon
just over a kilometre from the mainland.
This resort takes a water village as their
concept.
Brunei is famous for it’s traditional water
vilages. This is a photo of a water village
called Kampong Ayer, the Water Village of
Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei on
northern Borneo.
Source :
- http://www.classicvacations.com/
- http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Brunei/
West/Brunei_and_Muara/Bandar_Seri_Begawan/
photo943483.htmKampong Ayer, Brunei
Water Village and Water Resort
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DesignNews
Seven storeys ‘Chandra Mahal’, or the
Moon Palace and Amanbagh, India,
take the architectural values of Mughal
architecture with domed cupolas and inner
courtyards.
‘Chandra Mahal’ is one of the highlights of
the City Palace tour, residence of Bhavani
Singh, Maharaja of Jaipur right now. The
architecture of ‘Chandra Mahal’ is a blend
of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal
architecture.
Source :
- h t t p : / / t o u r i s m i n d i a o n w a y. b l o g s p o t .
com/2011_09_01_archive.html
-http://ampersandtravel.com/accommodation/
Amanbagh-Alwar
Amanbagh, IndiaChandra Mahal, India
Mughal Architecture in Chandra Mahal and Amanbagh
I Resort ,VietnamFujian Tu Lou House, China
FujianTulouhousesareatypeofChinese
rural dwelling in the mountainous region
of south eastern Fujian, China. The
uniqueness of this building is its circular
shape.
This uniqueness can also be seen in
the I Resort; Nha Trang in Vietnam. The
resort is located in a small hill near the
main river separating from Nha Trang
city centre has the necessary calm.
Source :
-http://www.archdaily.com/214626/i-resort-a21-
studio-2/
-http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-
design/the-ancient-hula-hoop-buildings-of-china.
html
Uniqueness Tu Lou House & I Resort
15. 14
DesignNews
This unique Korowai Architecture is
to protect families from the swarming
mosquitoes below, as well as from
troublesome neighbours and evil spirits.
Finca Bellavista take the tree home
architecture as their resort concept. This
resort is located on 600 acres of land in
the mountains of Costa Rica.
Source :
-http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/korowai-tree-
houses
-http://izismile.com/2013/03/22/experience_
treehouse_living_in_forested_costa_rica_resort_21_
pics.html
Korowai Tree House, Papua, Indonesia Finca Bella, Costa Rica
Tree house in Papua and Costa Rica
INTELLIGENT LIVING
16. 15
DiscourseDiscussion
John Banton is the Associate Director of
ARKdesign Australia Pty. Ltd. John specializes in
Retail architecture design and graphics.
In this edition, John got a chance to interview
Martin and Emma Branner, husband and
wife team, principals of Interarc Pte.Ltd, an
international interior design firm specializing
in resort and hospitality design. Interarc is the
interior design associate office of ARKdesign in
Singapore.
How does traditional architecture
influence your thinking on interior
design projects today?
We encounter the use of traditional architecture
almost exclusively in our interior design work on
destination resort hotels rather than city hotels.
The first step is to research the culture, the area
and what historic relevants might apply and from
this we are able to develop a narrative through
the interiors in particular the furniture, artwork
and accessories. The inclusion of constantly
developing technology and connectivity will
always present a challenge in presenting a
seamless guest experience.
What does traditional architecture bring
to modern interior design?
Traditional architecture brings space and
transparency to our modern interior work. Very
often we are dealing with spaces that have
enormous roof volumes supported only by
columns without infill. As liberating as this can be,
the downside can be vast dark spaces looming
overhead, which can be handled by capable
lighting consultants and solutions such as
Traditional & Modern FuzeInterview with Martin Branner and Emma Matias by John Banton
bamboo chicks or newer motorised mesh blinds.
Another very important issue raised by traditional
architecture can be that of lack of privacy and
controlling sight lines to ensure guest comfort.
Privacy issues can only be handled by skilful
master planning in conjunction with interior
planning to ensure controlled and exclusive sight
lines.
In what way do you fuse traditional
architecture and modern architecture?
From an interior point of view it usually involves
providing all of the expected technology and
modern comforts such as A/C, four fixture
bathrooms etc while acknowledging and
maintaining the traditional roots and celebrating
them in a sensitive manner that meets the needs
of today’s sophisticated traveler.
CENTARA GRAND BEACH RESORT
Phuket Villas
EPHELIA RESORT of MAHE, SEYCHELLES
Cyann Restaurant
PRINCE MAURICE RESTAURANT
Mauritius
17. 16
DiscourseDiscussion
best way to meet those expectations. Sometimes
there is a heritage upon which to build while at
others there needs to be a bit of liberty taken
in interpreting the local culture. Along with the
Operator and the Architect the ID is tasked
with meeting guest expectations. Always the
thin line between a new cultural experience or
experiencing a theme park.
An example of how clients and customers
relate to traditional architecture can be found in
Singapore’s China Town or Little India. They are
constantly filled with foreigners looking for some
sort of authentic experience. Singapore, to its
detriment, managed to destroy a great deal of
its built heritage before realizing it was really a
money maker. The same for cities all over the
globe.
What can we learn form the traditional
architectural approach?
There is the permanence and durability in
traditional architecture and interiors that seems
to engender a “feel good” emotion and provides a
sense of continuity. We live in a world that makes
it very hard to keep up and while most cultural
signposts today seem to be directions for the
young, there is still a world wide grey population
with tremendous spending power that doesn’t
necessarily find the next new thing that intriguing
or compelling.
The projects that still resonate and do not look
dated are those that one would call traditional are
What do you think traditional
architecture contributes to climate
change thinking?
British colonial architecture uses over-door
transoms, verandas, high ceilings and other
architectural features to assure adequate air
flow and maximum cooling. French colonial
design and buildings also addresses climate
issues similarly as witnessed in places such as
Mauritius, the West Indies and New Orleans.
These same features are celebrated in some of
today’s modern buildings and are often cited in
awards such as the Aga Khan prize.
The unfortunate problem with the above
approaches is they were not intended for the
highly urbanised world in which we are now
living. Nearly half of the population now lives in
cities and in those cities they reside in high rise
buildings. An entirely new vocabulary of building
design that recognizes climate change is being
developed and refined. The only question is, are
the solutions being developed and adopted fast
enough?
How do you think clients and customers
relate to traditional architecture?
The resorts, often in romantic or romantic
sounding destinations are generally, for the
guest, a great distance from their homes. They
expect something out of the ordinary in the interior
design and some orderly and working version of
traditional vernacular architecture is often the
usually based on traditional tenets of balance,
symmetry and comfort. But this universal idea
and the relevance of the traditional criteria is often
lost on a younger clientele. Styles come and go
with alarming frequency, with 10 year old buildings
being redeveloped in the latest style. By the very
nature of population increase, the need to house
an ever expanding population and rehabilitating
the environments leads us it to question how non
traditional architecture and eco-engineering will
lead the way forward.
PRINCE MAURICE GUEST ROOM
Mauritius
CENTARA GRAND BEACH RESORT
Phuket Villas
18. 17
DiscourseDiscussion
Final Word
Most of our interior design work has been trying
to meet the expectations of guests who are
looking for a new and unique cultural experience.
And at the same time provide a local population
with an installation they feel comfortably mirrors
local design and building customs.
In twenty years of practice in Asia we have seen
the pendulum swing from one extreme to another.
Where once we were chastised for suggesting
the use of traditional Chinese chairs in an interior
we now find these pieces appreciated by the very
people who deleted them previously. Tradition,
in all its manifestations, will ultimately always
resonate and with a different ring throughout
different countries and regions.
When one looks at the interiors of many of the
latest building being realised by the architects of
today one is likely to see some sort of Bauhaus
early 20th century furniture in the mix - a Mies
chair here or a Corbusier chaise there. Furniture
designs less than a century old are now the new
traditional totems giving continuity and comfort.
The concept of “traditional” keeps being
reinterpreted and moving forward.
Specialist for Curtain and Fabric Interior
Jl. Kembang Abadi 1 Blok A1 No. 35 Puri Kembangan , Jakarta Barat 11610
Ph : 021-583.06173 Fax:021-583.06174
19.
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InnovationTechnology
Siwalu Jabu
Traditional Karo House Structure
Traditional house is one of the nation’s cultural
assets. Each region has traditional houses with
distinctive features and the uniqueness of each.
However, unfortunately the day more people are
leaving the area of traditional house and move in
a regular house. There are only some regions,
people, or tribe which still survive in the traditional
house.
One of the interesting traditional houses is the
“Batak Karo traditional house”. This Traditional
house is also known as “traditional house
Siwaluh Jabu”. Siwaluh Jabu has a sense of a
house inhabited by eight families. Each family
has its own role in the house.
The houses are constructed for wood, bamboo,
using ijuk fibers for binding (no nails or screws
are used) and for the thatched roof. The design
is naturally earthquake-resistant.
The colours used in Karo designs are red, white
and black. The red signifies a zest for life, a ‘get-
up-and-go’, the colour seen in traditional clothes
used in weddings, black the colour of death,
man’s ignorance of Dibata’s (God) will, and white,
the colour of God’s holiness.
Ornamentation is very important in Karo houses,
with Buffalo horns an essential decoration of the
traditional houses and two white-painted horns
are mounted on each end of the roof, using
both male and female buffalo. Ornaments in
Karo houses served traditionally to protect the
residents from evil spirits, and to demonstrate the
status of the owner. With the fading of traditional
religious beliefs (permena), they are now largely
decorative and reminder of past cultural traditions.
Karo Traditional House
Parts of the Karo Traditional House Rear Preview Front Preview
Source :
1. www.indonesian-tourism.info/2012/06/batak-karo-
traditional-house.html
2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batak_architecture
21. 19
ARKdesignIndesign
Abian Kopi Spa & Villas was designed based on research into Asta Kosala Kosali, the Balinese tradition
of building orientation and proportion.
ABIAN KOPI
SPA & VILLAS
Location : Puncak Sari, Tabanan, Bali,
Indonesia
Status : Design Development
Designer : Paul Tan
23. PRE LAUNCHING
MAJESTIC WATER VILLAGE,
ULUWATU, BALI, INDONESIA
On 21 March 2013 at Grand Hyatt Bromo Room, Jakarta, Prioritas Land held a Pre
Launching for their latest project, Majestic Water Village, Uluwatu, Bali.
Apart from the owners, the event was also attended by Paul Tan as Architect, Devy
Anggraeny as Interior Designer, Gunawan - President Director of Premier Hospitality
Management and Aries Harijanto, Director of Indonesian Feng Shui Online center.
This is an exclusive pre- launching event and investor gathering, that was filled with
property enthusiasts because Majestic Water Village is the first and only water village
concept in Indonesia during modern times.
L - R: Aries Harijanto, Gunawan Rahardjo, Marcellus
Chandra, Paul Tan, Devy Anggraeny
Model of the masterplan model of the villa
Paul Tan, speaking about the architectural concept of water
village
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Events
24. 21
Events
BIRTHDAY in ARKdesign
Meidy’s Birthday
- 23 May 2013 -
Adhitia Panduwinata’s Birthday
- 28 May 2013 -
Meidy with ARK staff from left to right:
Hema Saepuddin, Reza, Herman, Riki Mubarok, Wisnu Setiawan,
Adhitia Panduwinata, Meidy Suriansyah, Freddy Sumanto, Ari
Dermawan, Hartono Wijaya
Diana Ananta, Felicia Gunawan, Melinda Mayella, Sherry Lydia, Meidy
Suriansyah, Vita, Olivia Pingkan, Wenda Boen
Adhitia Panduwinata and Wenda Boen - General Manager
Adhitia with ARK staff from left to right:
M.Rosidi, Hartono Wijaya, Adhitia Panduwinata, Sherry Lydia, Fajar Abdi,
Vita, Riki Mubarok, Olivia Pingkan, Felicia Gunawan, Diana Ananta, Wenda
Boen, Freddy Sumanto, Eko Arif
25. ARKdesignNewTeamMembers
22
StayInformed ARKdesign
New Team Members
Olivia Pingkan, S.E
STIE Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta,
Indonesia
Bachelor in Economy
Hartono Wijaya
Universitas Kristen Indonesia,
Jakarta, Indonesia
Bachelor in Economy
26. PT ARKIPURI INTRA NASIONAL
Taman Kebon Jeruk Blok G1 No.58, Jakarta Barat 11630
p +6221 5869369 / 5869371 / f +6221 5304456 /
e jakarta@arkdesign-architects.com
www.arkdesign-architects.com
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