TheConstructionTechniqueofAchehsVernacular

Archihtecture

1.1 Abstract
Indonesia is well known of their culture and historical and geographical. These
influenceoftheirarchitecturestyleinIndonesia.Thearchitecutereflectthediversity
oftheir culture andhistorical. Thepeoplefromoutside,colonizers, missionaries
brought their own culture and effected to the building styles and technique in
Indonesia.
1.2 Introduction
Indonesiagotalotofvernaculartraditionalhousebutitisdifferentdependon
theirplace.Thereareabout17vernaculartraditionalhousesinwholesumaterasuch
as Rumoh Aceh in Aceh, Rumah Melayu Riau at Riau and Rumah Gadang at
SumateraBarat.Diagram1.1belowshowsthemaparoundSumaterawiththeirstyle
of traditional house. Sumatera Traditional House is referred to the style of
Austronesia.Consistsofarectangulararrayontopofawoodencoloumnwithan
extendedroofdisplaysthevaluebothendstocreateslopingoutwardsforexample
theBatakrumahadatandtheTorajanTongkonan.TraditionalIndonesiaHouseis
madeoftimberwithoutanynails.Allthehouseshavesamesystemstructureinall
placewithstraightcoloumnandhorizontalcolumntosupportload,thenconnectthe
floors,wallsandroofs.Mainstructureisusingconnectiontechniquewithoutany
nails.Besides,thewallandroofisusingthepasakkayuandtaliserattanaman.
Thestructureofthesehousesisremainsupto150years.
StyleofthetaditionalhouseinIndonesiaisreflectingtotheculturesurrounding
especiallytheirmotifandpattern.Thehousesareatthecentreofawebofcustoms,
myths andreligions thatbindcommunity togrther.Thehouseprovidesthemain
focusforthefamilyanditscommunity.

Diagram1.1:DifferencesofIndonesiaTraditionalHouse.

Figure1.2:
Torajan
Tongkonan
(Source:http://pettyandposh.com/)

Figure1.3:RumahAdatBatak
(Source:http://rumahadat.blog.com/)
1.3 RumohAceh
AcehtribesaremostoftheprovinceofAcehDarussalamhavetraditional
vernacularhouse.Traditionalhousecanbeclassifiedintoresidentialhouseplace
ofworshipandaplacetostorewealth.TheresidentialspacecalledRumohAceh.

RumohAcehisconstructedonstickanditcouldbedividedwiththreesection,
ground,centreandroof.

Diagram
1.4:

Thespace

divide

into3
areas,ground,centreandroof.

1.3.1

GroundArea
GroundareaofRumohAcehheighttothefloorisabout2.3meterfrontand
backand2.8meteratthecentrearea.Columnisconstructedstraightlyin4
linesfront,centrefront,centrebackandback.Betweenthecoloumnhave6
coloumns.Distanceofthecoloumntocoloumnisabout2.5meter.The
columnisnotputinsidethegroundbutitputonthestone.

Diagram1.5:StructureRumohAcehfromfrontperspective.

Diagram1.6TheColoumnstructureRumohAceh
(Source: http://thedeadbears.blogspot.my/)

Digram1.7:Thecolumnsisontheground.
(Source:MohamadIhsan,UniversitasIndonesia)
Thestructureofthehouseissupportedby2maintimber,peulangan.The
peulanganislocatedattheendofbaloktoicentrearea(ungai).Tomakesureof
thestrengthenrokandtoibajoeisputtineachholes.

Diagram1.8:IsometricStructureofRumohAceh
1.3.2

CentreArea
Centreareaorupperlevelconsistsof3spaceswhichisfrontspacecalled
seuramoerinyeuenatauseuramoekeue,centrespacecalledtungaiand
backspacecalledseramoelikot.Thelevelisincreaseatcentrespaceabouthalf
meterwiththefrontandbackspace.Theshapeofthehouseisrectangle.The
mainentranceiscentreofhouseandwindowatthesideofthehouse.The
staicasemadeoftimber.

Diagram1.9FloorPlanofRumohAceh
Installationofflooring(aleue)inawayfewblocksabout9piecesabovethe
beams(toi).Thefloorwillputunderthebeam.Thefloorsmadeofbambooortree
nutparts.nowweremostlymadeofboards.Installationofthefloorbytyingit
withastringofrattanorropefibersonbondcalledRantealeue.

1.3.3

RoofArea

Theroofareaisusuallyreferredasbagianatasbythelocals.Itislocatedattheupper
partofthecenterarea.Theatticorparacanfunctionastheplacetostorethefamilys
item.Theroofpartisusuallymadefromthesagopalmleavesandtiedusingfiber
rope.

Diagram2.0TheroofstructureofRumohAceh.
(Source:http://nusantaravernacular.blogspot.my/2014_09_01_archive.html)

1.3.4

Materials

RumohAcehisavernacularbasedarchitecturehousetherefore,mostofthematerials
usedareabundantintheAcehcontextespeciallyinthejungle.Mainlythematerials
thatisneededtobuildRumohAcehare:
Woods.WoodsarethemainmaterialforbuildingRumohAceh.Theyareused
tomaketameh(beam),totroek,bara,baralinteung,kudakuda,tuleuengrueng,
indreng,etc.
Board.Itisusedtomakethefloorandwalls.

 Trieng (bamboo). Bamboo is used to make gasen (lath), floor foundation,

beuleubah(wheretheroofishooked),etc.
Enau/temor (sugarpalm).Besides bamboo,sometimes enauis alsousedto
makefloorandwall.
Taloemeuikat(bindingrope).Bindingropeisusuallymadeofpalmfiber,
rattan,warutreebark,andsometimesplasticrope.
Oenmeuria(sagopalmleaf)isusedtomaketheroof.
Enauleaves.Besideoenmeuria,sometimesenauleavesarealsousedtomake
theroof.
Peuleupeukmeuria(stemofsagopalm).Thismaterialisusedtomakewall,
racks,andsanding.
1.3.5

MethodofMeasurements

Diagram2.1.TheuseofbasicmeasurementinconstructionofRumohAceh.
(Source:EthnicIdentityinUrbanArchitecture.IndonesianHouses.Volume2:
SurveyofvernaculararchitectureinWesternIndonesiaP.Nas.KITLV,2008.)

ThemethodofmeasurementusedinthevernacularhouseinAcehisbasedon
localterms.Theyreferpartsofbodyslengthascommonmeasurementguideline.

This included such lengths as the distance between the spreadout thumb and
middlefinger(punkas),thelengthofthewholearm(Ihuek),andthespanofthe
spreadoutarmsincludingthechest(deupa).Thehousematerialswereprepared
usingthefirstthreeessentialmeasurements.Theshorterposts,forexample,had
tobeelevenhalt.Thebindersconnectingthelongpostsinthemiddlehadtobe
ninehaltinlengthandonepaleutinwidth.Thewoodentenonusedtofixthe
beamintheposthadawidthoftwofingers.Asthebeamsweremortisedthrough
theposts,thepartthatoverlappedwasthewidthofahand.Thestonessupporting
thepostshadawidthofthreehands.

1.3.6

Discussion.

Groundlevel
Column

Diagram2.2.ThebasicfoundationofstiltcolumninRumohAceh..

TheconstructionofrumahAcehisbasedon stiltvernaculararchitecturewhich
createhugegapbetweenthegroundtofloor.Themethodofconstructionisbased
on the adaptation of the local community towards the Acehs context since

hundreds of years ago. The gap in between the floor and ground prevent the
buildingtoreceivethedirectimpactfromthesoilmovementsinceAcehisprone
toearthquake.BesidethatflooddevastatetheAcehsgroundannuallysincethe
heavyraintropicalclimateandveinsofriversthroughoutAcehflowtothecoast
whichsurroundmajorpartnorth,eastandwestofAceh.Thestiltandgapofthe
vernacularAcehhouseallowthewatertoflowfreelyandpreventthehousefrom
driftedbythestrongwatercurrent.
Centrearea

Diagram2.3.ThemovementofRumohAcehsstructureduringtheearthquake.
Themaincomponentforthehousecenterareaisthediagonalbeamthatsupport
thefloor.Duringtheearthquake,thewholeupperbuildingwillbeshakenaswell
whilefixedtothegroundhoweveritwillmoveoppositeofthesoilmovement.
The axial movement from the beam that hold the house upper part at the
connectingpointwiththecolumnswingingtoandfroreducetheinertiaimpact.


Diagram2.4.Theaxialmotionofthehousesetbytheearthquake.Thediagonal
beamsupportthesidebysidemovementbytheearthquakewhilebindtothe
verticalpointofthecolumn..

DuringtheAcehposttsunamiperiod,someofthetraditionalvernacularhouse
thatadaptthetraditionalmethodofconstructionandbuiltonstiltsurvivedand
beenrepaired.

Roof

Diagram2.5.Theblackijuk(fiberrope)isoneofthefiresafetyfeaturesof
RumohAceh.

TheThatchroofishighlysusceptibletofireduetoitsflammablematerialnature.
Thefirecanspreadeasilyfromtherooftootherneighboringhouse.TheAceh
communityhasadapttheuseofthethatchroofduetoitsabundancesourceof
materialanddevelopconstructionmethodtoovercometheriskoffire.TheThatch
leaves areweaves withafibreropecalledijuktotheroofstructurelayersby
layers.Theijukisthentiedtooneoftheroofsstructureinexposedposition.The
ijukwhichismadefrompalmleavesleavesblackcolorappearancearethenready
tobecutoffbyitsoccupantincaseoffire.Theblackijukthatconnectthewhole
thatchroofwillimmediatelyfalltoavoidfurtherdamagebythefire.