The Tongkonan in Toraja, Indonesia
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ITU A|Z • Vol 14 No 1 • March 2017 • 111-126 Daylighting and architectural concept of traditional architecture: The Tongkonan in Toraja, Indonesia Parmonangan MANURUNG [email protected] • Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Received: May 2016 • Final Acceptance: March 2017 Abstract Indonesia has more than three hundred tribes distributed in various islands. Since each tribe is divided into several traditions, this means Indonesia has hun- dreds of traditional architecture. One of the traditional architecture which has a unique design and a representation of Austronesian style is a traditional house Tongkonan. Tongkonan, built by the ancestors of the Toraja people, is based on their belief which called Aluk Todolo. This belief arranges the orientation of Tongkonan, sun has a great influence in the arrangement of exterior and interior space in Tongkonan. The aim of this study is to find the relationship between the spatial patterns generated through Aluk Todolo belief and the quantity/quality of daylighting ob- tained based on light measurements and the review of the various theories on daylighting. The method used in this research is quantitative by measuring the quantity of daylight. This is supplemented by a review of theories about Aluk Tod- olo belief and architecture of Tongkonan within the framework of the theories of daylighting. The results of the research show that although designed by ancestral belief, the architectural design of Tongkonan has already met the rules of daylighting de- sign. The quantity of daylight inside Tongkonan has accommodated the needs of functions and activities. Design of Tongkonan’s roof has an important role in opti- mizing daylight and reducing solar heat and ultraviolet. In conclusion, traditional architecture designed based on Aluk Todolo belief has provided good quality and quantity daylight and can support the functions and activities of the building. Keywords doi: 10.5505/itujfa.2017.65487 doi: Traditional architecture, Tongkonan, Ancestral beliefs, Daylighting, Orientation. 112 1. Introduction vernacular architecture does not fol- Indonesia is a country with hun- low fashion cycle. This shows that the dreds of tribes and has a variety of vernacular architecture is oriented to cultures. Such cultural richness makes local needs by utilizing potentials of Indonesia has a variety of traditional nature and existing context, so that it architecture inherited from generation is not influenced by flourishing trend, to generation. Ronald (2002:5) says In- style or fashion. The architecture of donesia has more than three hundred Tongkonan in Toraja is built based tribes which can be further divided on belief and faith of the Toraja peo- into several customs. Each custom has ple oriented to the direction of the its own house so that Indonesia has wind because north-south axis and hundreds of diverse customary hous- east-west axis are very important in es. Meanwhile, Scefold, et al. (2004:4) their belief, as Koentjaraningrat (2004) argue that it is not difficult to choose states that every form of manifestation architecture in Indonesia as a research of cultural object reflect perspective, object because most of the houses in thought, belief and social system. This the archipelago are interesting and im- shows that the traditional house of the portant objects, not only the tradition- Toraja people as a work of architecture al houses but also the transformation built without architects is a manifesta- of the modern houses. Furthermore, tion and reflection of their perspective, Scefold, Nas and Domenig (2004:4) say thought, belief and social system, and many ethnic groups in Indonesia have not a work oriented to the develop- a wide variety of traditional houses and ment of particular architectural style settlements with their specific history. or fashion. Figure 1 shows a map of Indone- Before the 15th century, the Toraja sia and the geographical location of region was called Tondok Lempongan the Tana Toraja Regency. Tana Toraja Bulan or Tana Matarik Allo which is located in South Sulawesi Province means a country which has an inte- which is geographically located on gral unit of belief and culture as the the Sulawesi Island. Built for genera- full moon (bulan) and the sun (allo), tions by the Toraja in South Sulawesi, as stated by Tangdilintin and Syafei Tongkonan house is a traditional house (1977:13). This shows that light (moon which is very important in Indonesia and sun) is an important element in because it represents the history and the belief of Aluk Todolo embraced by development of architecture in Indo- the ancestors of the Toraja people. Said nesia. According Wuisman (2009: 26), (2004:33) explains that in the belief of traditional and vernacular architecture Aluk Todolo the traditional house of in Indonesia is considered as a very im- Toraja (Tongkonan) is regarded as mi- portant constituent element in highly crocosm and is a part of macrocosm diverse and complex architectural heri- (universe), and Puang Matua (God) is tage. Furthermore, Wuisman (2009:27- associated with allo (sun). 33) says that building which is the It is clear from the aforementioned most important and most often built explanation that the house of Toraja and included in the vernacular archi- people, Tongkonan, is an important tectural tradition in Indonesia is house. architecture because it represents the Buildings constructed by communities belief and culture of ancestor and is in the interior are considered to show an important part in the Austronesian greater similarity in various Austrone- architecture. The belief held influences sian buildings than houses of commu- settlement arrangement and design of nities living in lowland or coast, and the houses built by the Toraja people in South Sulawesi and the Batak people in North Sumatra are closest representa- tion to the diversity of vernacular ar- chitecture of their ancestors. Rudofsky (1965:1) describes ver- nacular architecture as “architecture without architects”, arguing that the Figure 1. Map of Indonesia. (Source www.visittoraja.com) ITU A|Z • Vol 14 No 1 • March 2017 • P. Manurung 113 Tongkonan traditional house because ly measure at the site by using the light of the importance of the orientation to meter at 27 spots in the three rooms in the axis of north-south and east-west, the Tongkonan house, which are front as the appreciation and respect for the room (tangdo), middle room (sali) and Creator (Puang Matua), which is asso- back room (sumbung). The measure- ciated with the sun. ments were taken directly at the site in Based on the aforementioned back- order to obtain more accurate results ground, the study was conducted at because the topography of the site is Tongkonan house because it is a tra- exceptional and is in the mountain. ditional architecture that is important Each room was divided into 9 point in the development of architecture in of observation in order to see the dis- Indonesia and has a concept of design tribution of light and the difference in oriented to the belief and culture of the quantity of light existing in these the Toraja people. The belief and faith, rooms. In order to complete the data, which are oriented to Puang Matua as- in addition to using a light meter, mea- sociated with the sun (allo) affect the surements were also done using com- planning of exterior, architecture and puter simulations. According to Hop- interior of the building. This study per (2007: 41), computer simulation is aimed at obtaining the correlation can be used to determine the position between the spatial pattern resulted of the sun and shade locations. Mea- from the belief of Toraja people and surements were made using computer the quantity and quality of daylight ob- software DIALux Evo 6.2. DIALux Evo tained based on the measurements in 6.2 is a computer software that has the the field and the review of various the- ability to measure and analyze the nat- ories of daylighting. ural lighting of light into the building. According to Livingston (2014:169); 1.1. Research methods Tregenza and Wilson (2011:63); Virdi This research employed quantitative (2012:257), and Lechner (2015:141) method done by directly measuring the position of the sun changes every the quantity of daylighting in the Tong- day and throughout the year and its konan house and studying theories of highest angle occurs on June 21 in the Tongkonan and daylighting. Accord- summer and the lowest angle occurs on ing to Gordon (2014:74), in order to December 21 in the winter. Although determine the quantity of light enter- Indonesia has only two seasons, i.e. ing the building, we need to know the dry season and rainy season, and lies size and position of windows as well as along the equator which causes the cir- data concerning the average daylight at culation of the sun is relatively stable a certain location and orientation. The throughout the year, but June is the dry Commission of the European Com- season and has a greater quantity of so- munities Directorate-General XII for lar light. The measurements were taken Science, Research and Development since June 21. But, on June 21 and June (1993) explains that measuring light 22 the sky was dull and cloudy, so that in the room can use two very import- the measurements started again on ant tools, namely Illuminance meter June23. and Luminance meter, both of which In addition to taking measurements, use sensitive light detectors that con- literature study was done on the the- vert light hitting the detector into the ories of Tongkonan traditional house, lumen. Phillips (2004:219) states that particularly on the belief of the Toraja Illuminance is light that falls on a sur- people that affects design, orientation, face, while Luminance is light reflected arrangement of interior, as well as the by a surface.