Tradition and Modernity: The Adaptation of Outdoor Spaces in Traditional Balinese Dwelling

Abstract

This study investigates the dialectical relation between tradition and current everyday domestic practices in traditional Balinese dwellings that manifest through the spatial adaptation of their outdoor spaces. Traditional Balinese dwellings consist of a compound collection of partly open pavilions surrounded by open spaces, following the symbolic classification of Balinese cosmology, Sanga Mandala. Dwelling adaptation becomes necessary to enable the support of the changing household needs throughout time, aiming to capture a process that emerges in the current traditional dwellings bounded by a particular cultural order. This study focuses on the spatial adaptation strategies of the outdoor spaces as a response to their changing livelihood. Observation and documentation were done at a Balinese traditional dwelling in Batuan Village, Gianyar, identifying the changes in dwelling arrangement through spatial practices happening in the local families. The study maps the traces of objects and transient areas in the central and in-between spaces around the pavilions. The study highlights conditions that drive the critical dialogue between tradition and current everyday practice, such as the growth of family members, the differing livelihoods across generations, and the need to balance between everyday occupation and ritual events. This dialogue has led to permanent, temporary, and incremental adaptation strategies of the outdoor spaces, creating layers of spatial ordering that demonstrate how architecture adapts and evolves instead of being frozen in time. Such findings contribute to the discussion of adaptation in the traditional domestic context that is informed by an in-depth connection with its locality.