Buk: An inornate folksy construction in creating cultural space

Abstract

Indonesian society has its unique tradition reflected on how architectural elements are formed according to their own culture. One interesting phenomenon found in Malangsuko Hamlet, Malang Regency, Indonesia is a construction of a low wall called Buk. The buk is a simple construction shaped as a barrier on the sides of the bridge in front of the house that sized to the proportion of human sitting and is usually joined with the house's fence. This construction eventually used as a place for various activities, such as sitting, chatting with neighbours, or gathering. Almost all houses in this hamlet own the buk. This paper tries to describe this phenomenon descriptively to get a more comprehensive understanding through the point of view of place attachment. This study provides another perspective in considering an inornate construction around society which built folksy by the locals. The result of this study shows that the buk interpreted as a place and has an emotional significance to the culture and its people. The buk has produced the social interaction and harmony between neighbours and be perceived into a cultural space by the community because of the activities therein and interactions formed between each other.