Housing Activities in Contemporary Indonesian Dwellings

Abstract

Activities in the dwelling are inseparable from housing design. Spatial features often result from patterns of activities that take place within the dwelling. Activities are further elaborated to affect house plans, furniture, arrangement, and equipment. However, discrepancies still exist between housing design and behavior, where housing design often fails to accommodate activities and behavioral dimensions within the family and the dwelling. This paper addresses the relationship between dwelling activities and housing design by means of a qualitative study that aims to understand the needs of the Indonesian dwelling through activity analysis. To do so, the research adopts a methodology that involves collecting data from measurements of the house, house plan analysis, and photographs, in addition to in-depth semistructured interviews with families. Taking Bandung as a case study, 9 houses and families were selected as respondents that share similar family life-cycles, number of family members, and building size. The findings from the study suggest that spacious and open plans are preferred by the family, while maintaining family privacy. Guest areas are used to host formal guests and to restrict visitor access in the house. Service areas such as kitchens and laundry areas are the core areas for household activities for cooking, laundry, and drying. To meet social activities such as community gathering, open plan design is necessary to allow flexibility of furniture reconfiguration to accommodate extra guests.