The identification of the existence of stilt houses at Musi riverside settlement in Palembang

Abstract

The existence of Musi River influenced the forming of initial settlement in Palembang. Musi river was the main transportation way. Therefore, past people built their houses along the riverbanks. The stilt structure became the best solution as it was aligned and adaptive to the nature of the Musi River. The excellence of the stilt house is less realized by the modern city development. The emergence of new modern houses is easily found side by side with the stilt houses at riverside settlement. The stilt house as a part of vernacular architecture in Palembang tends to be abandoned. This research aims to investigate the existence of vernacular houses and settlements located on the Musi riverbank. In order to achieve this aim, study elaborate function pattern and the form of living existence. This study used a qualitative approach with two vernacular settlements at Musi riverbank as case study namely 3-4 Ulu and 30 Ilir village. Data were collected from six main sources, namely documentation, archival records, interviews, direct observation, participant observation, and physical artifacts. The result shows that there are two changes of the existence of a vernacular settlement at Musi riverside. Firstly, the existence is decreasing in term of space between houses, orientation to the river. Secondly, the existence is increasing in form of coexistence with the new activities and function accommodated by the river. Findings show that the changes are supported by community activities. The change also determines the elements of settlement and layout.