Lies about the impossiblity of traditional architecture today

^^ As I live in Bali and being a native Balinese, I gave some explanation, ordinary people's view, why most of us, retained our traditional architecture even in remote village.

First, it has to do with regulation. Balinese regulation mandated the Balinese architecture context when designing a building, in order to keep the Bali aura intact. Usually it is done in form of mandated use of stone carving, use of red bricks, statues, and roof. This is much evident on buildings constructed during Old and New Order governments where local architectures are highly valued and appreciated, even on international-style buildings. In reform days, since 2005 and later, the trends shift away from our local architecture to almost puritan neomodernism. Even it did employ some "local" elements in order to fulfill the regulation, I rejected such notion as it feels like in Jakarta rather than Denpasar. For example, Alamanda Tower in Jimbaran and upcoming Crea in Nusa Dua.

Second, it's our own awareness. Any Balinese Hindu temples, local meeting hall and certain buildings built in Bali always assumed any elements of Balinese architecture (even catholic cathedrals in Denpasar and Palasari, Jembrana and a mosque in Denpasar are influenced by local architecture). However, in recent decades, I agree, the architects today are very obsessed with puritanism, has poor understanding on local architecture at all, or even because they used imported item which cost the fortune. In Indonesia, this is the real problem, because the architects and building owner appear to chase prestige to their client over aesthetics. I even found a building designed in totally opposing style: neo-classicism.

And even there is claim that Balinese architecture didn't fit on shop building and small homes (or locally rukan/ruko). Oh, come on, I meant, you can't because you're lazy, right?


Bank Mandiri Gajah Mada by Everyone Sinks Starco (using album), on Flickr

Introducing an old Bank Mandiri office at Jalan Gajah Mada in Denpasar, I don't know belongs to which preceding bank (as Bank Mandiri has tons of branches from 1999 merger located close to each other) or who designing this building, but the building exhibits quite an example on applying Balinese-styled carvings on shop-offices or shop-houses. More modern example includes this building in Noja, Denpasar. The carving and redbrick use is really worth considering.


Gedung Amoghasiddhi by Everyone Sinks Starco (using album), on Flickr

I can use my home as example, as my home uses wooden carving on doors, bought from guys in Jepara, Central Java and carved by hand in my hometown.

Old peasants can build such beauty object, I believe, because they paid fee for certain year for a project allocated by village, or government gave us the village social benefit budget. My daddy is leader of local traditional village and formerly owner of local construction company tasked to restore iconic Ujung Palace and my aunt is architect, who did a local temple in my hometown, so I know how do we preserve local architecture and current state of Balinese architecture. Hope this answer a thread that I wish I can answer when this originally posted, but only realised much later.

The cost of craftsmen and artisans differs immensely in different parts of the world. In poorer, more rural parts of the world artists or craftsman will be paid seemingly very little to for example carve a beautiful stone relief by hand. It will however be enough to make a living in that part of the world.
Now on the other hand go to a highly advanced country like Germany, where they are right now rebuilding the baroque Berlin City Palace. Highly skilled, trained and educated craftsmen and artisans take a lot of money for similar work. Alone this one relief on the Palace facade cost as much as a brand new Ferrari and it took a group of craftsmen many months to create:



I work as a designer and illustrator and when I tell laymen my prices their eyes get really wide. They usually are very surprised by how much a design or artwork costs. What they never consider: I work many days to weeks on one single project and I have to be reimbursed for that work. I make my living off that work. Additionally what I do is highly skilled work, I studied and trained my craft for many years, in advanced Western countries it is normal to be paid more when you for example reached a master degree in your field of work. Be it a designer/artist, architect or doctor...