1

Architecture as a reality life philosophy Research in ponpes pabelan Magelang- Central Java

by

Bambang Joko Wiji Utomo

Architecture lecturer of FTSP ITN Malang

Abstracts

Architect creator couldn’t be Ignored by the creator and

planer, Life philosophy of the creator and social condition within any

culture and natural potention is really influenced with any

architecture creation, both its set plan or physical building Kyai

Hammam Dja’far tries to build education place by the demand that

human being has to acquire knowledge, so that they can share their

knowledge with other, on the other hand, human being has to pray to

Allah. His philosophy is knowledge, charity and worship. Assisted by

his strict adherent and local teenager who tend to be sinuously to gain

knowledge, kyai Hammam Dja’far gathered and processed the local

resources optimally to create an architecture creation that

harmonically with his rural environment.

The result is architecture product that proportional and functional

with their aim for studying process and self development for the sake

of social environment. We can conclude that it might be kyai

Hammam and his strict adherent be able to create his eksternal

process and transformed themselves to gain successfully architecture

product which is valuable for human being. This valuable searching

process due to fulfill self realization. This externalization process is

based on human basical need.

keyword: cultural, philosophy and architecture.

Introduction

“Local Resources” can create an architecture as a culture product, for

instance, Merapi explosion in 1960 had destructed both people and environment

surround. Those explosion also destructed almost three dams along Pabelan river

included Kojor dam, Pasekan Dam and Bringin Dam. Further more. It also

destructed Pabelan Bridge and disconeeted two Region included Jogjakarta and

Magelang. This misery bold for a long time.

2

After few years, those misery and bad condition seem to be changed by

oppearance young pioneer, kyai Hammam and his strict adherent began to build

learning society. They began to promote learning activities in Pondok Pesantren

Pabelan. People in Pabelan began to realita that they really need to have place for

learning as akind of workshop, instrument and edication facilities, however, they

began to work hand in hand to build settlement and education facilities by eracking

the big stone which is provided by Merapi explosion.

This case seem to show us that something was ignored by human being

because of one possible need that it was education facilities, Kyai Hammam and Ali

people can create and build ony facilities in his ponpes such as stettlement for his

adherent, library, cooperation and classroom for learning transformation which is

based on basically human Intelectual could be changed a bad codition to be the

valuable condition.

That is an architecture as a calture product

Stone and sand which is the result of Merapi explosion was tend to be the

valuable architecture out come because people in pabelan designed it to be abetter

functional tearning facilities in Pondok pesantren.

Culture

There are many definitione about culture, but the most suitable definition are

incfuded

1. culture in a human life are variety.

2. culture is gained and continued by education prosess There are three steps

education which dueto human for self socialisna:

a. introduction / internalication

b. curidusity or socialism process

c. enculturation (include lifeslyle)

3. there are many components to show culture there are included biological

component, environmental pysichological and historical of human existance

4. culture is structural

5. culture is divided in to many aspects

6. culture is change able (diatonis)

7. the value of culture is relative

so close connection between human and culture, tends to show us that culture is a

kind of medium of human being life continuously. As Ki Hajar Dewantoro Said

“human could be Said as culture creature.”

1. culture type and culture creation

the statement of human as a culture creature means that culture is measurement

of human life and behavior.

The mayor of culture includes how to create the world, environtment and their

people. That is on idea which covered the whole valuable things we state our

behavior to create our life inside and outside.

3

It proofs so wider and larger those culture concerns to human life, that is

why, it is necessary for us to understand more details about culture due to

human life. Indonesia antropolog by the name of Koencoroningrat in his book

“pengantar ilmu antropolog” defined culture as:…..

a. culture realization are include complexs idea, concept of value and norm.

this culture realization seems appear like an abstract

b. cultural realization are include complex activities, behave done by human in

their environment, as a social system in the people society

c. cultural realization as human created out coming seems to be concrete

(artefact)

Those realization practically never separated one on other.

Those are the out coming of human intellectual (the first and the second

culture realization)

The third one is the out coming of human creation include culture

architectural.

Those three cultural realization always be faced in cultural field

Architecture as a part of culture is a kind of cryltulisation of a culture as

human creation which has a concrete characteris tic and it has on affection to

another cultural realization.

2. Many factors whirch is important for hanling culture.

architecture is a type and a place for living. Human and peacefull (van

ramomdt), for this definition we can assure that culture will be able to fulfil the

human need both physical ond psychological.

According to victor papanek, architecture out coming has a function which it

depend on various factor like this scheme:

Picture 1

The relationship of the cultural realization

Idea

Behavior Out come

Picture 2. Factor that affected to the Architecture

Need Technology

Idea

Architecture

As cultural out come

Right

Application

Association Up to date Aestetica

4

Need

Architectural creation is exist because there is a human need to complete or

fulfil the human will asocial creature basic requirements of human being is

smilar between the others by cultural involvement. They began to be different

between one another.

Technology

Technology can be the type of mechanic science or architeetural scientific, more

over, technological out come seem to he the difference with technology itself. It

is included materials, equipt ment for those moterials. Technology is used to

make easier to fulfil the human requirements, and to create some thing abstract

to be the real one.

Associaltion and right Application

Association is knowledge to interpret something. The type of architectural can

be proportional with association if the type of architectural itself could be able to

understand by other people (include the latest culture)

This definition might be understandable by seeing the answer of many people

who indue it. The definition of the right application is that involved by the

functional of the building.

The mayor question is that how to build and create the shape of the buiding that

it can be associated according its function

Up to date / modist

The shape of architect have to be able to shaw the recent model for instance, the

shape of temple, that used mystical characteristic at that time.

Estetica

The requirement of a beauty is being felt by the whole people thus that,

architectural is used for realization of human need, will be able to perform the

art of estetica of the shape they built.

People And Pesantren Pabelan

1. Introducing Pabelan Village

Pabelan Village was famous because the village seems tobe the oldest

and the first tank in chronological sultanate in central Java.

Primordially Pabelan still had relationship between sultanate. Pabelan Islamic

schoolarity (Pesantren Pabelan) was also the oldest Pesntren (Islamic

schoolarity), most Kyai (Islamic teacher) has emotional relationship with

Pabelan Islamic center especially with the Kyai Pabelan that‟s why Pabelan

village was famous as “Islamic Village” among Payaman, Tegal Rejo, Watu-

Congol, Ponggol.

5

There were g.223 people who occupied in ten rural in Pabelan, others,

the condition of the Pabelan settlement was made of wood or bamboo with no

ceramic floor, it means still soil for their floor. Jus few people had a

convenience house that made of concrete and ceramic for the floor.

It can conclude that people there still live in a lower social condition,

traditiondlly and always be live in hand between one another.

2. Back ground of historical pabelan pesantren.

All people in Pabelan hold Islamic Religious, since a hundred and fifty

years ago, they bad built Pondok Pesantren. It was began by kyai raden

Muhammad Ali who considered as the pioneer of Pabelan village.

Pesantren in Pabelan become blurred and huzier in 1960; People in Pabelan

looked apprehensive, lack of knowledge, poor and jobless.

This condition inspired kyai Hammam to do something for the sake of

his village he tried to give up inspiration to all people in Pabelan

Kyai Hammam inuited all people to build schoolarity, some facilities in order to

be able improving their Village from apprenhensive condition. Finally all people

in pabelan realized that education is very important for their live. Since that

time, they began to move on better condition. All teanagers involved in

organization of young Pabelan.

On the other hand, the elders also involved in organization “Pabelan Islamic

Care” and they began to rebuild Pondok pesantren Pabelan.

Pondok Pesantren Pabelan „re opened again, in august 28th, 1965, today we can

see the culture colored people in Pabelan to be joy ful and far from appre

hensive condition, although they used a simple tools to rebuild their village and

gained success, both architectur concept and technology

3. Mindset Kyai to build Pabelan village and Islamic center in his village

The main set of K.H. Hammam Dja‟far build Pesantren Pabelan was

that people should not give up with suffered condition, thet had to be strong and

abefrent, with all condition what the god give to them, and always try to do an

effort in order to survive and increase the welfare of those people,

By educating those people, KH. Hammam Dja‟far can be able to relized

Pabelan people and supported them to build their environment. The famous

philosophy of KH. Hammam Djaffan is “People will never know their god if

they were not familiar with their nature or environtment”, it means that every

one must be closed with their nature, take care of them, the result is they will

know the glorious and the holy of Allah

Other philosophy of KH. Hammam Dja‟far is also:

“people always be realize of what they are,

People always be realize of their nature

people always be realize of what Role that they have been done”

6

it means they have to know their potential, their duty as a human being,

“people always to hold a better as realization of tradisional valuable

education, and always be eager to adopt a new valuable behavior from

others”

it means KH. Hammam Djaffar ean receive many concept that was considered

as a good concept for his people and refused the worse concepts.

“As human being, people have to gain batter education, thus they can

learn their knowledge to others, and they should obey the reles what

their god (Allah) command it”

Those are the concept of his philosophy as the pioneer of Pesantren Pabelan

Magelang

4. Natural potentials

As we know. Pondok pesantren Pabelan was built of the wakaf land, it

is about 5 Km2 for it squares. It is located in Pabelan village on mungkid

subdistrict in Magelang, it is in southern of by pass a Magelang – Yogyakarta:

8 Km from Borobudur Temple

4 Km from Mendut Temple

5 Km from the capital city of tingkat II Kab. Magelang.

10 Km in the east of Kodya Magelang

3 Km on the west of Muntilan

30 Km on the west of Yogyakarta

The boorder of Pesantren Pabelan is :

Western is Paremono village

Easter is Pabelan River

Southern is Nrajeg village

Northern is Bojong village

As we describe in previous, in 1960, this village had been destructed by

Merapi eruption, however this village seem to be far from its welfare, it looks so

apprehensive. There were only big rocks, sand and other minerals as a remain of

volcano eruption those volcano eruption as its reminder was left over, and K.H

Hammam Djafar begin to prosess this natural potential, rock and sand, as the

material to build Pesantren Pabelan.

7

5. Set plan

The component of outer architectural are the elements of outer

environment compiler are included:

A. All the building for instances :

1. Mosque

2. Adherents dormitories

3. Classical Room

4. Cooperation room

5. Living room lobby hall

6. Dining room and kitchen

7. Workshop

8. Other

B. Green park (green sheltered area)

C. Pond

D. Street

All the building in Pesantren Pabelan was constructed to be convenient

between floor to floor. It looks so harmonically against the environtment and

outer Pabelan village is settlement.

There is no distinguish boarder or fence around Pesantren Pabelan it is

meant that Probably it gives us a chance for people in Pabelan can communicate

with Pesantren activally mainly in Pesantren Pabelan is freely communicating

with other people out side, it seems no isolated condition, social relationship,

instead of its, there is just a gate way which is separated between male

dormitories and female dormitories. On the north of Pesantren is used for male

dormitory and the female is on the southern. In the middle of Pesantren is a

mosque and green park area which used for adherents activities.

The main part of the site plan were constructed by followed these contruction

philosophy:

a. mosque is on the west symbolized worship (ibadah)

b. green area is on the west symbolized a good deed (amal)

c. library is in the east symbolized a know ledge (ilmu)

UTARA

MASJID

R.KELAS

R. KYAI

R.KELAS

R.KELAS

R. MAKAN

ASRAMA PUTRA

ASRAMA PUTRA

ASRAMA PUTRA

R. DAPUR

ASRAMA PUTRI ASRAMA PUTRI

ASRAMA GURU

R.KELAS

ASRAMA PUTRI

LAP.OR

ASRAMA GURU

SITE PLANPONDOK PESANTREN PABELAN

MAGELANG

R.TERBUKA

(OPEN SPACE)

R.TERBUKA

(OPEN SPACE)

Picture 3 Outdoor as facility for social interaction

8

gravement is at the edge of west part symbolized the last thing what

human done in the world, they have to responsible all their behavior to ALLAH,

and they have to follow the cycles of the sun which rises in the east and sets on

the west, it symbolized that human being ought to work in the morning and take

arrest in the afternoon together with the sunsets.

It might also symbolized that human have to search a know ledge as a

beginning, is they had gotten, they have to share with others, after that they have

to devote to Allah, finally after the human finished their tasks / duties in the

world, they will be die, and responsible their charity and behavior to Allah. .

That is K.H. Hammam Djafar philosophy for Pesantren Pabelan Architectural

construction

Pesceription: 1. educational medium (schoolarity)

2. social medium (greenpark)

3. worship medium (mosque and

praying room)

6. Architectural

Type architectural in Pabelan Pesantren can be considered as a folk architecture

refer to architecture traditional model it used local resourced to build this

Pesantren.

A. Model construction

All the Architectural building in Pesantren has a visual type element

such as : Realization, dimension, color, texture, position, orientation and

inertion visual. It refer to show traditional model, the building uses Pelana

type for their roof. It refer to use a simple square type. The finishing

architecture is rough because of its material thal use calcium and paint. It

loks like a traditional architecture that show original type of which villager

used to build in Pabelan settlement.

B. Roof

Roof is essential part in architectural building because it covers the

occupant from bad climate both rain and sunlight. They used Pelana model

with roof-tile as a cover. The elevation angle is less than 300.the line uses

bamboo it show that be exploits natural potential.

Picture 4 Model architectural of Pesantren Pabelan

1

2 3

9

C. Wall

Wall is also essential element in architectural building because of its

function as a boarder between room to room. More ever, its function make

occupant, feel safe all of the time.

The wall in Pabelan village seems to have traditionally shape. It use bamboo

in a half part of the building. It‟s meant that it can unite outer condition with

the room inside, it feels that the outer air condition is not different with the

room inside.

Architectural Pesantren Pabelan At Cultural Creation

1. Society culture and Pesantren Pabelan.

As a cultural phenomenon, architecture has mutual influence to another

cultural phenomenon such as ideas and activities. Idea itself is the existence idea

that pabelan society have and also their activity shows the same thing, white

architecture shows the contruction of the building of Pesantren Pabelan. Ideas in

Pabelan society is being emerged because of Religious concept influence, these

concept was strongly held in Pabelan societres since they were exist long time

ago. It can be de

Idea in this concept is the result of acculturation concept between

religious concept and cultural concept to handle their environtment.

Habbluminanas is a religious concept, it means that human being have to live

harmonically with other people, environtment, and nature. Cultural concept is

living in harmony. It means that human can not live separately between each

other.

By emerging these ideas, there is a behavior concept, it turned out due

to taking care of therir environment for better life, and the village grow well.

Finally they can gain something that valuable in acicty that is Pesantren Pabelan

building complex.

Picture 5

Culture in Pabelan society

Religius

concept

Idea

Cultural

concept

New culture

10

This process can be described schematically.

Table 1.

The Involvement of the society culture with an architecture

Object

Research

Architecture realization

Pesantren Pabelan

Cultural foundation

Site plan /

master Plan of

the Building

Green Park

­ Open minded

­ Join with rural settlement

­ The distance between building

­ To building relatively further

­ The building orientally spread

­ From east to west

­ There is main park and square

for social activity

­ Green park and square is spread

out among the environtment

­ There were closely relationship

between adherent and villagers

­ The square is easter to reach

­ The mindset of the people That

rural and Pesantren was the one

unity

­ The philosophy that human have

to live har monically with their

environtment

­ The philosophy of Islamic that

human have to pray to Allah by

facing at the Ka‟bah (on the

west)

­ Knowledge-charity and worship

­ People join hand in hand among

thers and live in peace,

Tabel 2.

The Involvement of environment and social problems with an architecture

An affection factor and an Indonesian social culture

social problems / local environmental condition

Idea in architecture sellection

1. need 2. Technology 3. Association and right

Application 4. Up to date 5. Esthetica

­ Adherent dormitory

­ Poor society

­ Local material provided

­ Rural society

­ Unprovided architect

professional skill

­ Just familiar with a local

architeture

­ Local material ­ Traditional tools ­ Simple technology ­ Brick stone , bamboo and

wood construction ­ Local architecture ­ Suitable with a religious

village

Picture 6. Scheme of cultural realization as a architecture creation

Religious

concept

Cultural

concept

New

culture

Structural

Idea

Architectural

goal

Social problem &

Environtmental condition

Action

concept

11

By looking at the table above, it proofs that a set plan model of

pesantren pabelan has an involvement with an influenced conceptual culture

among social problems. In other hand Architetural pesantren pabelan is a

reflection of culture and potential environmental pabelan society.

2. The philosophy of kyai Hammam Djafar related with Pesantren Pabelan

The philosophy of kyai Hammam djafar had been influenced by

religious concept that he did, due to an Islamic concept which is also affected by

an original culture

The scheme can be drawn such as :

Religious concept and cultural concept had been acculturated in kyai‟s

mindset thus it creates such philosophy which is realized by kyai Hammam

Dja‟far For all his actions based on his philosophy. This mindset finally created

kind of behavior mode continuously also created architectural art . That is

Pesantren pabelan.

The scheme can be drawn such as :

.

picture 6.

The scheme philosophy of

Kyai Hammam Dja‟far

Religious

concept Cultural

concept

philosophy of

kyai

Social problem & Environtmental

condition

Gambar 7. Scheme of realization process architectural art as a philosophy of Kyai

Hammam Dja‟far

philosophy of kyai

Architectural idea Architectural

product

Action mode

12

The philosophy of kyai Hammam djafar based on looking at rural social

problems among an environtment condition creates an idea due to an architect

and finally it can create behavior mode to reach his ideas in architecture.

We can see his action by looking asking all the people to build their village and

pesantren .

Table 3.

The Involvement of kyai‟s mindset with an architecture

Object

research Architectural art

Pesantren Pabelan Mindset / cultural foundation

Site plan ­ Open space

­ Opening space ­ Harmonically with rural

settlement ­ The site plan of architectural

building spread out from eastern to western

­ The building oriented to “ KIBLAT “ ( northwest )

­ There is a major opening space green park

­ Easier to reach and to use by surrounded society so it is possible the adherents and villager make relationship.

­ Always hold the existent natural condition.

­ Always uses local nature materials.

­ Traditionally texture

­ Hold tightly the best tradional value/ behaviorand always be accepted the newest better behavior / view.

­ knowledge - charity – worship ­ expressed a kind of life style that

is living in harmony among others. ­ As a place of gather activity ­ Self reflection and its environtment

it means human being tought to see the role what they have to do.

­ Social envirotment is considered as a medium of learning

­ Adherents and villagers learn and study each other.

­ Appreciate their nature

we can conclude that philosophy of kyai is majority reflectionable due

to an architecture pesantren Pabelan . His architectural decision is able to reflect

his simple philosophy and always realize that other people is more important than

himself.

Conclusion

It can conclude that site plan in pondok pesantren pabelan can not be

separated with its chronological appearance of the pesantren itself. The architect of

pondok pesantren Pabelan is the rural people themselves which is contributed by

kyai Hammam Dja'far as the pioneer of Pabelan society.

Those affections can be appeared by looking at the site planning that stand

up in harmony with outer settlement. There is no distinguish boarder with outer

environtment. There is also providing Open space area where all people were easier

to reach and make relationship among others. Large green space lies everywhere in

pesantren area show that all pabelan people have a big lovely sense with their

13

natural environtment . It might be possibly as the realization of the affection of

natural condition and social problems at the time being. In this case that condition is

probably caused by the role of social culture in finishing architectural.

DAFTAR PUSTAKA

Amos Rapoport. 1969. House Form and Culture . Published by Prentice-Hal I . Inc.

Engiewood Cliffs. N.J.

Amos Rapoport. 1977. Human Aspects of Urban Form. Towards a man -

Environment Approach to Urban Form and Disign. Published by Pergamon

Press, oxford. New York. Toronto. Sydney Paris. Frankfurt.

F.Christian, J. Sinar Tanujaya. 1991. Wujud Arsitektur S&ba-gai Ungkapan Makna

Sosial Budaya Manusia. Published by Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta.

Heinz Frick. Ir. 1988. Arsitektur dan Lingkungan. Published by Kanisius Jakarta.

Koencoroningrat. Prof.Dr. Pengantar IImu Antropologi. 1990, Published by P.T.

Rineka Cipta. Jakarta

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture. "The Changing Rural Habitat. Architecture

Transportations in The Islamic World Held in Beijing. People's Republic of

China. October 19-22. 1981.