(EN)
The Piyandeling project in Mekarwangi Village, North Bandung, did not begin with grandiose dreams. Rather, it was born out of limitations that challenged us to be more creative. Initially, the prospect of building a halfway house and a personal carpentry workshop felt daunting. The remote location and escalating costs took their toll, and our team of concrete workers eventually threw in the towel after months of managing to build nothing more than a fence. The true moment of reckoning came when we looked at our first workers’ shack: it was far from ideal, with a roof barely 1.9 meters high. It was at this exact point that the design on paper had to yield—a humbling reminder that our ego needed to compromise with the realities on the ground. Perhaps this is precisely why the building was later named Sumarah, a Javanese word that translates to surrender.
The subsequent decisions took a more organic turn: we temporarily set aside rigid standards of building precision. We re-enlisted the craftsmen from the Guha Bambu project—individuals who already deeply understood our rhythm and way of thinking. The idea at the time was simple: rather than incurring extra costs for off-site accommodation, why not construct a more decent shack so we could all live, learn, and work under the same roof? The building was then designed as a stilted structure; its base floats lightly to support the two main floors above, utilizing 6-meter-long sympodial bamboo.
Although the site was quite spacious and elongated, we chose not to expand the building horizontally—a tactical decision made in response to pressing time constraints. To allow the craftsmen to work swiftly within a perimeter easily reached by hand, this combined house and workspace was instead pushed upward, forming a compact tubular box based on a 3 x 3-meter grid. Its presence was never meant as an aesthetic flex, but rather as an honest, unassuming communal living space.
Naturally, initial plans are always tested by nature. The rather strong gusts of wind at higher elevations forced us to think on our feet, leading to the implementation of a diagonal grid system to tie the foundational structure together with pegs. As the budget began to dwindle, the manual ingenuity of the craftsmen truly shone. Door hinges, locking mechanisms, and even ornamental details were ultimately crafted purely out of bamboo. We also assembled hundreds of leftover plastic installation panels, measuring 300 x 600 millimeters, to serve as the enclosing facade. This facade functions like a giant raincoat, intentionally leaving an 800-millimeter-wide service corridor to keep the air flowing and prevent heat from being trapped. At the rear, a river stone structure was firmly planted as a counterweight—serving as a functional anchor to house the toilet facilities on every floor.
Today, Sumarah stands quietly in the Piyandeling complex, accompanying Kujang and Saderhana. It is no longer just a relic of a workers’ shack, but a home and a spatial experiment that grew from an extended dialogue between its builders and the surrounding natural conditions. Carved into its doors are images of the sun, the moon, and constellations—a cosmic memory from Mang Uyu, reflecting on his childhood spent playing in the bamboo forests of Sumedang. Sumarah’s stilted structure reminds us that architecture is not merely about the architect showing off; it is about the humility to continuously learn, adapt, and be slowly assembled by time.
(IDN)
Proyek Piyandeling di Desa Mekarwangi, Bandung Utara, tidak bermula dari mimpi besar yang muluk-muluk. Ia lahir dari keterbatasan yang justru menantang kami untuk lebih kreatif. Awalnya, rencana membangun sebuah rumah singgah sekaligus workshop ketukangan pribadi terasa cukup berat. Lokasinya jauh, biayanya lumayan menguras kantong, dan teman-teman pekerja beton perlahan angkat tangan setelah berbulan-bulan hanya sanggup mendirikan pagar. Momen yang paling menyadarkan adalah ketika menatap bedeng pertama kami: kondisinya kurang ideal, dengan atap yang hanya setinggi 1,9 meter. Di titik itulah desain di atas kertas harus mengalah, sebuah pengingat bahwa ego kita perlu berkompromi dengan kenyataan di lapangan. Barangkali karena itu pula bangunan ini kelak dinamai Sumarah, kata Jawa untuk berserah.
Keputusannya lalu berubah menjadi lebih organik: lupakan sejenak standar presisi bangunan yang kaku. Kami mengajak kembali teman-teman pengrajin dari proyek Guha Bambu, mereka yang sudah sangat paham ritme dan cara pikir kami. Idenya waktu itu sederhana: daripada keluar biaya ekstra untuk penginapan, kenapa tidak merakit bedeng yang lebih layak agar kita semua bisa tinggal, belajar, dan bekerja di bawah atap yang sama? Bangunan ini kemudian dirancang sebagai struktur panggung; bagian bawahnya mengambang ringan untuk menyokong dua lantai utama di atasnya menggunakan bambu simpodial berukuran panjang 6 meter.
Meski lahannya cukup luas dan memanjang, kami tidak melebarkan bangunan ke samping, sebuah keputusan taktis untuk merespons desakan waktu. Agar para tukang bisa bekerja gesit dalam perimeter yang mudah dijangkau tangan, rumah merangkap tempat kerja ini justru didorong ke atas, membentuk kotak tubular yang ringkas dengan grid 3 x 3 meter. Ia sama sekali tidak hadir untuk pamer estetika, melainkan sebagai ruang hidup bersama yang jujur dan bersahaja.
Tentu saja, rencana awal selalu diuji oleh alam. Hembusan angin yang lumayan kencang di elevasi atas memaksa kami memutar otak, menerapkan sistem grid diagonal untuk mengikat struktur dasarnya dengan pasak. Ketika anggaran mulai menipis, di situlah kecerdasan tangan para tukang justru bersinar terang. Engsel pintu, sistem pengunci, sampai detail ornamen pada akhirnya bisa diciptakan murni dari bambu. Kami juga merakit ratusan panel plastik sisa instalasi berukuran 300 x 600 milimeter menjadi fasad penutup. Fasad ini berfungsi layaknya jas hujan raksasa yang sengaja menyisakan koridor servis selebar 800 milimeter, menjaga udara tetap mengalir dan hawa panas tidak terperangkap. Di bagian belakang, sebuah struktur batu kali ditanam kuat sebagai konde penyeimbang, area yang menjadi jangkar fungsional untuk menampung fasilitas toilet di setiap lantainya.
Hari ini, Sumarah berdiri tenang di kompleks Piyandeling menemani Kujang dan Saderhana. Ia bukan sekadar bedeng masa lalu, melainkan rumah dan ruang eksperimen yang tumbuh dari percakapan panjang antara perakitnya dan kondisi alam sekitar. Di pintu-pintunya terpahat gambar matahari, bulan, dan rasi bintang, sebuah memori kosmik dari Mang Uyu tentang masa kecilnya bermain di hutan bambu Sumedang. Struktur panggung Sumarah mengingatkan kami bahwa arsitektur tidak melulu soal unjuk gigi sang arsitek, melainkan tentang kerendahan hati untuk terus belajar, beradaptasi, dan dirakit perlahan oleh waktu.
May 13, 2025
