Reading meaning of architectural work in a living heritage

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine an analyzing procedures for reading the meaning of culture’s architectural work in a living heritage. Culture and architecture are inseparable parts. Architecture is composed of combination of signs ordered by certain codes that should be known and understood. Semiotic is a method that places architecture in a sign system, which follows to certain rules of the game. The predicate of an architectural work in the living heritage was more than just a monument, but it proceeds of living side by side with humans. The Semiotic procedure could be used to read its meaning by adding a stage of understanding. Using analytical-descriptive methods to investigate theoretical views, to explain semiotic analysis techniques, and to present of interview results, with the case of the Carahulu Komering house in Palembang South Sumatra. The views of semiotic architecture emphasize on the structure of signs, symbols and also gave attention to the process of meaning. However, in the case of investigation in a living heritage is needed placing signs and symbols as a human’s work should be understood, not merely as a fact which is seen as an object only. In this way a communication to the actors as subject was needed. The result shows this procedure could answer the culture’s architectural work meanings understood by its community as well as in general.

Urban semiotics: analysing the contemporary diasporic meaning of Petaling Street, Chinatown

“…The actual functions of the architecture and its condition have been experienced by society (Suprapti and Iskandar, 2020) Signified (Fourth-Order)…”

“…The signified is the concepts and meanings of the signifier Recent studies adopting the semiotic architecture triangle include the architectural mechanism and the social-cultural background aspects (Suprapti and Iskandar, 2020;Parsaee et al, 2015;Heryati and Rachmawati, 2017) (Figure 1). Based on this, to comprehend the primary qualities of the architecture the research intends to analyse the architecture form of expression which constitutes the physical attributes of the form.…”

“…As seen through the six facades, findings were in line with existing knowledge, which established that architecture in the urban context consists of three factors that communicate its figure and the urban environment. These are the physical aspectssignifier (first-order), the functional meanings (second-order), and the social and cultural meanings-signified shaped by society (third and fourth-order) (Pane et al, 2020;Suprapti and Iskandar, 2020).…”

“…Odgen–Richards's semiotic architectural triangle model containing three orders, as explained by architectural historian Charles Jenks, is an improvised model of Saussure's semiotic (Pane et al. , 2020; Suprapti and Iskandar, 2020). While it is understood that architecture comprises functional meanings (primary function) however, the social meanings (signifier/secondary function) formed by the social processes should not be disregarded.…”

“…Certainly, distinctiveness plays a critical role in aiding streets character to be identifiable and recognisable. Nevertheless, the street is an architectural entity (Lynch, 1960), and that architecture often reveals in a certain form of meanings and messages (intangible aspects) intentionally or unintentionally (Suprapti and Iskandar, 2020). This is because these physical substances that frame the street, tend to communicate through its figure . It communicates the state of society and the environment of its period formed by the social processes of the complex interaction between people and the context (Rapoport, 1987;Relph, 2007).…”