Preserving Minangkabau traditional building in West Sumatera, Indonesia: Toward sustainable community

Abstract

Minangkabau traditional house is part of Indonesia's rich cultural asset with its historical and normative values. Beside custom homes, Minangkabau traditional building also serves as a place to stay in the context of human habitat but has slowly endangered its sustainability. The purpose of this study was to analyze the current physic conditions of this type of building by area. The study also aims to analyze the community participation in preserving this building in West Sumatra Indonesia. This is a quantitative study. Primary data was collected through a questionnaire survey. The total of this type of building amounts to 1,122. The study found that nearly 19.37% of traditional buildings are not occupied because of damages. In addition, there are influences of urbanization impact in urban community on the sustainability of the buildings. This research, suggested that the government should emphasize both maintenance and protection of traditional buildings by establishing policies in view of sustainable development planning.