Yenny Gunawan, Justin Coupertino Umbu, Marianne Trautten

Architectural impermanence: Tectonic ecology of the Sumbanese traditional house

Introduction

Architectural impermanence: tectonic ecology of the sumbanese traditional house. Discover architectural impermanence via tectonic ecology in Sumbanese traditional houses. Learn how local practices, focused on disassembly and regeneration, offer an ecological building framework.

Abstract

This research proposes tectonic ecology as the framework for understanding the impermanence of architecture, challenging the views of permanence in architecture and positioning impermanence as an ecological building practice. This study explores the idea of impermanence in vernacular architecture as a living spatial practice, acknowledging the growth, decay, and regeneration taking place in such a context. The research focuses on the Sumbanese traditional house in Weelewo Village, Southwest Sumba, as a case study. The Sumbanese house is constructed with natural materials and utilises joinery without using nails. The study collected data on the local construction practice through fieldwork, which included open-ended interviews, model-making demonstrations, observations, and documentations. The study reveals how local building practice understood the concept of impermanence through three interrelated principles that define the traditional house’s tectonic ecology: layered, disassembly, and regeneration. The findings demonstrate that disassembly is the mechanism of tectonic ecology, enabling the temporal transformation of materials and sustaining buildings' capacity for regeneration. The exploration of tectonic ecology contributes by offering a framework of materiality and building practices that value impermanence. In doing so, such architectural practices emphasise the rhythm of the environment, as rooted within the wider ecosystem.

Review

This research presents a compelling argument for re-evaluating architectural permanence, proposing "tectonic ecology" as a robust framework to understand the inherent impermanence of building practices. By positioning impermanence as an ecological imperative, the study challenges conventional notions of architectural longevity and frames vernacular architecture as a dynamic, living system characterized by growth, decay, and regeneration. The chosen case study, the Sumbanese traditional house in Weelewo Village, provides a rich context for this exploration, highlighting construction methods that inherently embrace natural material cycles and joinery techniques conducive to material recovery and reuse. The methodology employed appears thorough and well-suited to the study's qualitative nature, utilizing fieldwork, open-ended interviews, model-making demonstrations, observations, and documentation. This multi-faceted approach ensures a deep engagement with local construction practices and an authentic understanding of the Sumbanese house's ecological principles. The study effectively distills these practices into three core principles defining its tectonic ecology: layered construction, disassembly, and regeneration. Crucially, the findings underscore disassembly not merely as a consequence of material degradation, but as a fundamental, intentional mechanism within this ecological system, enabling material transformation and perpetuating the regenerative capacity of the built environment. Overall, this paper makes a significant contribution by offering a sophisticated theoretical framework that enriches our understanding of materiality and building practices through the lens of impermanence. By foregrounding the ecological rhythm embedded within traditional architectural practices, it provides valuable insights for contemporary sustainable design, moving beyond mere material efficiency to embrace a holistic, cyclical view of architecture's relationship with its wider ecosystem. The emphasis on disassemblability as a core design principle has particular relevance for future-oriented discussions on circular economy in architecture, making this a thought-provoking and timely piece of scholarship.

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