Main Article Content
Abstract
Vernacular house façades have distinct visual characteristics as a reflection of the factors that influence vernacular architecture, one of which is how the locals perceive and interpret aesthetics. This study attempts to quantitatively examine the aesthetic qualities of the façades of two vernacular houses, namely Rumah Gadang from West Sumatra, western Indonesia, and Uma from Sumba Island, eastern Indonesia. Both have very different geographical conditions, cultural, and historical backgrounds. The fractal dimension analysis is used by breaking down the façade into 5 layers of architectural attribute; silhouette, main tripartite, structure, façade components, and material texture. Using the box-counting method, it is known which layer is the biggest contributor to the visual complexity of the façades. Based on the calculations, it is concluded that there are differences in the degree and proportion of visual complexity in the case of the two houses. The façade of Rumah Gadang has higher visual complexity than Uma. Material texture is the most dominant contributor to visual complexity of both houses. In Rumah Gadang, the façade components greatly contribute to visual complexity, while in Uma the silhouette has a big influence. This finding can be attributed to the way the homeowners place importance on the façade and the house in its respective social system, or even the development of civilization behind the two houses. It is also found that subjective-qualitative visual observation and philosophical approach do not always correspond with the result of mathematical calculation.
Keywords: façade; fractal analysis; fractal dimension; Indonesian vernacular house; rumah gadang; uma; visual complexity
Article Details
Copyright (c) 2024 Johanita Anggia Rini, ST.,MT.,Ph.D
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
- Articles and all related material published are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.