Preliminary Study in Finding Alternative Materials: A Study on Traditional Malay Stage-House Typology and Construction in Bangka Island

Abstract

Woods is the most favoured material for traditional and vernacular housing construction in Indonesia because it is cheap, versatile, and easily accessible. However, the practice of wood constructions has become a laborious task nowadays, with woods availability dwindles and becomes highly unaffordable. Advanced technology in our everyday routines and habits is also indicated as one of many aspects, influencing shifts in today’s vernacular and traditional architecture in Indonesia. Therefore, finding an affordable alternative is crucial to maintain and develop vernacular typologies of traditional houses in Indonesia. This paper focuses on Malay stage-house, a traditional housing typology in Bangka Island, which is in dilemma of being left by the local people. The scarcity of wood makes the material unaffordable for locals, forcing them to adopt a more modern housing typology instead of traditional ones. This paper uses methodologies of literature research, interviews, and field study on Malay stage-house in Muntok City, Bangka. Result and conclusion in this paper, therefore, becomes a preliminary study to propose an alternative and sustainable materials that is available and financially affordable for locals in Muntok without overlooking the authenticity of Malay’s traditional typology and ideology in Bangka Island.