Continuity and adaptation of veranda from traditional betawi house to modern house design

Abstract

The design of modern houses transforms and maintained some functions and patterns from traditional houses of space from period to period. The advancement of technology, as well as the changing lifestyles, influences the use of elements in traditional houses. Betawi traditional house features a veranda at the front side. As a front element, the veranda is one of the richest parts of the house that creates a representation of the owner and a connection to the inner part of the house. The veranda is covered by a roof and provides protection against sun and rain as well as plays an important role in the aesthetic in the house. The veranda in Betawi traditional house shows the basis for a traditional house type that is deeply associated with Betawi people's way of life. One character of Betawi's house is the attention to the relationship of society through the idea of the verandah that welcomes visitors. The openness can still be used in modern house design by using verandah as an extension of the living room. Even though modern houses are designed using modern materials, the openness of veranda adds a unique character of a Betawi house for modern houses. The first part of this paper discusses the characteristics of traditional Betawi houses and introduces various examples of the development of veranda starting from the Dutch colonial era to the recent era. There is a discussion of some examples of both traditional and modern houses in Jakarta to show continuity and adaptation of traditional and compares them from form and user, especially with the use of veranda. The investigation discovers that the idea of the veranda is still relevant to modern dwellings in Jakarta. Transformed or maintained, the veranda idea still provides one of the prototypes of the modern dwelling. In conclusion, the development of veranda has served to promote the continuity and adaptation of traditional Betawi architecture, even though there is a degradation in the function and meaning of veranda for a modern house.