The Architecture of the EquatorThe

Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country, contains 17,000 islands with over 6,000 are inhabited, scattered over both sides of the equator. Politically divided into 34 provinces, Indonesia’s population is reaching 237 million people, with 58% of the population lives in Java island (population density is 1,067 people per km2). Because it is spread unevenly, there is an extreme development difference between megacity of Jakarta, to the primitive tribe in Papua.

Being the most populous island in Indonesia, there is a fascination to unfold the hidden treasure of what makes the island very mature.There are 300 distinct native ethnic groups, compromising 40% of the population.The growth of the city led to a drastic form of equatorial architecture, started by small villages and village alliances derived from the Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms era, the rise of Islamic sultanates, followed by the Dutch colonial periods until the country’s independence.

Central Java is almost entirely volcanic area with active volcanoes. Its mountains and highlands has created a secluded regions suitable for wet-rice cultivation, which makes the majority of people in Java works as farmers. The natural environment of Java is tropical rainforest. Eversince the forest management system has been taken over by the government, the forest is divided into conservation area, production area and protected area. The production area is divided into the main production area and the limited production area. Blora, one regency in Central Java located on the northside of Central Java in the border to East Java and 148 km to the administrative capital of Semarang. Blora was famously known for its huge oil mine. Existing side by side with this oil resources, was the abundant teak plantation which became the biggest main production forests for teak. Blora teak was known for its best quality of teak in Indonesia due to its soil and climate conditions.The soil consists of lime and some volcanic ashes needed for teak to grow and produces the best quality of hardwood.

For the forest to be productive, it requires a process of adding and subtracting trees. Millions of Javanese peasants live alongside state-controlled forest lands in one of the world’s most densely populated forest regions.They have a very limited access to the forest, which pushes them towards illegal use of forest resources. In Blora,Taungya system is being adapted to support public welfare. It is an agricultural system whereby villagers are allowed to cultivate agricultural corps during an early stage of forest plantation. It was started by the Burmese in 1856, since then the system is being used in most countries within the equatorial region (Chamshama 1992). The system allows foresters to reduced labour costs since forest plantation would be taken care of by the villagers, and in return they were given some plot for their own use.

For the Javanese, there is only one type of wood: Teak. It has been used for as long as the Javanese exists and because of its quality, teak is considered a wood for the royal. Joglo house is the traditional house in Central Java which its entire structure and ornament of Joglo house is typically built with teak.

Without a demand,Teak as natural resources will be just that. It becomes a resource as long as people find a use for a material. However, demand and culture varies over time, what was a precious resource then might not be as precious now, and vice versa. The Dutch hunger for timber used for ship-building back in the seventeenth and eighteenth century had led them to differentiate Teak with other woods available in Java forest. Teak made its way out of the tropics through the Dutch during their colonization in Java. Ever since they used teak as the main material for their ships, its value has increased dramatically and it has become known worldwide as exotic hardwood that are today so sought after by companies for export (Boomgaard 1988).

Teak in Java as natural resources may be seen today as a product of capitalism in today’s scenario. For Karl Marx, “nature” was the location and source of raw materials that were transformed through the productive power of labor and industry but was not inherently valuable in itself (Ciccantell and Smith 2005, 2-8). Apart from its physical properties, there are other factors that constituteTeak as natural resources, such as its potential markets and transport. The demand for the material is obvious, but so little realize how much effort it would take on transportation that is generally costly and complex, even within a short distance.

Equatorial Architecture follows an equation of climate, environment, soil and life.The ability of local craftsman to increase material value indicates that there is still potential, specifically in the region to preserve craftsmanship. The house grows out from the land while still remains deeply rooted into it, establishing a close connection with its material source. With the intervention of the emerging technology to make it more economically and politically viable, it adds up onto the existing equation another equation of technique, aesthetic and function.