Mbaru Niang Preservation, Flores Island Project, Indonesia Development, Indonesian Architecture

Preservation of the Mbaru Niang, Indonesia

Flores Island Project – design by Rumah Asuh + Yori Antar

10 May 2013

Mbaru Niang Project

Design: Rumah Asuh + Yori Antar

Location: Wae Rebo Village, Flores Island, Indonesia

Mbaru Niang Preservation Project

Conical houses of ‘worok’ wood and bamboo in tied-together rattan construction with thatched roofs are the archetypal buildings of this remote island village.

images from architects

A group of young Indonesian architects in the habit of touring a part of Indonesia each year arrived to find four of the last surviving examples of these houses, two of which were in need of renovation.

images from architects

Symbols of unity in the family and the community, the houses represent a living culture; the villagers are guardians of this culture but the necessary building skills, having traditionally been handed down, from generation to generation, had faded from memory.

images from architects

The architects initiated and facilitated a community-led revival of traditional techniques enabling all the original houses to be rebuilt. In this a role was opened up to include university students who both participated in and documented this architectural preservation and cultural conservation project and continue to do so annually.

Mbaru Niang Preservation Project – Building Information

Location: Wae Rebo Village, Flores Island, Indonesia (South-East Asia)
Architect: Rumah Asuh/Yori Antar, Tangerang, Indonesia
Client: Wae Rebo Community
Completed: 2011
Design: 2008
Site size: 6’500 m²

Mbaru Niang Preservation Project images / information from Aga Khan Development Network

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