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Rumah Besar Sembalun is a competition project for the tourism department in Lombok, Indonesia. The center will be a tourism destination and gate to one of Indonesia’s beautiful volcanoes, Mount Rinjani. Therefore, the concept is to create a compound of a variety of tourism activities.
Location: Sembalun Lawang Village, East Lombok, Indonesia
Stage: Competition Design Proposal
Function: Rumah Besar (information center, administration office, culture center)
Year: 2016
Land Area: 5.827 sqm
Building Area: 821 sqm
Rumah Sembalun Lombok’s key feature is as a preservation center of Sembalun traditions. Such traditions include cultures, farming, agriculture, and common social activities. At the same time, it will exhibit hand-woven fabrics famously known in Lombok. Altogether, the Rumah Besar Sembalun is a center of culture and tourism under one roof.
The architectural concept comes from adopting the geometrical shapes of local farms and rice paddies. By implementing this idea, we want to achieve a soft and neutral modern look to the existing village. As a result, Rumah Besar Sembalun Lombok will have a strong architectural relationship with local architecture.
Another architectural feature is the fragmentation of buildings. This approach is to mimic the traditional village-like pathways in between buildings. By doing so, we hope to represent the experience of walking through an old Indonesian village.
The materials we use throughout Rumah Besar Sembalun Lombok are from the local surroundings. First, on the list, the wood we are using is Suren Wood. It is famous among the local people of Sembalun to construct houses. Secondly, the bamboo panels we use are commonly used in fencing a property. Our idea is to use these panels as wall dividers and space dividers. Also, do not use glass we want to replace it with the same bamboo panels as some panels will allow light penetrations. Thirdly, the color of the soil is mixed into the cement to create earth-like wall finishes. And finally, we apply local stones to ground cover and some structural wall elements. Altogether, the materials will blend together with the landscape and existing architecture. As a result, it will create a seamless architectural language between the center and the village.