Building Task Concepts of the Vernacular Settlement in Tamkesi Village

Abstract

Tamkesi village in Timor Island is a vernacular village designed and constructed by the local people based on local wisdom and knowledge. The Tamkesi settlement was developed on the basis of culture of Southern Biboki ancestral traditions, either in terms of the order of space outside the building or the order of space inside the building. The mass building of Tamkesi people contains 6 masses, either occupancy masses or non-occupancy masses. Tamkesi vernacular settlement is very significant to be analyzed because of the phenomenon of its local wisdom concept. This research, therefore, was focused on the process and concept of building task architecture. Such concept is believed to contribute to today's architectural designs. This study used literature review and field notes as its methodology. The employed reading tool in this study is based on the relationships which exist in function-form-meaning of vernacular architecture. The building task analysis was used as an identification tool of a concept which influences function-form-meaning of a case study. The result indicates that the building task of the study object is a phenomenological concept of the existence of a vernacular settlement which has been survived until this time based on the local natural condition and social symbol of cultural settlement. The contribution of the process to discover the concept of building task of Tamkesi vernacular architecture is the understanding about the value of culture and the symbols of tradition as the concept of local identity of today's architecture.