Conservation and Restoration Guidelines for the Omo Sebua in Bawömataluo Village, South Nias, Indonesia

Abstract

In recent years, wooden structures have been being gradually replaced by reinforced concrete and brick buildings. Although a conservation system has been established in Indonesia, specific conservation and repair guidelines for traditional wooden buildings have not been well-regulated. This paper takes the omo sebua as a research subject, aims to clarify the deterioration, deformation and their causes, and to propose guidelines for its conservation.The results of the deterioration and deformation investigation are as following: the maximum inclination of the short pillars is 5/100, and the most common inclination is 2/100. The significant sinkage of the foundation stones reaches 56 cm and the average sinkage is 20~30 cm. The maximum inclination of side pillars is 4/100, and the most common inclination is 2/100. Besides, the corruptions of the roof frame concentrate on the gable wall and termite damages can be seen in the whole building.Basing on the investigation result, our proposals are as following: 1) conduct a dismantling restoration; 2) recycle the used materials as much as possible to maintain the authenticity of the building; 3) use new materials that are the same as the original ones; 4) rethatch the roofing by sago palm leaf; 5) conduct a structural diagnose, reinforce the structure against an earthquake; 6) include electrical equipment and disaster management in a restoration.

Conservation Identifications on Wooden Structures of the Traditional Dwellings in West Kalimantan

“…The nature of the beauty of wood is the appearance characteristics, which are related to the configuration of the colour, pattern, and texture [16]. Wood conservation practices are carried out to restore and preserve the beautiful nature of wood, such as when these cultural heritage buildings were built in their time [3]. The treatment of furnishing a polychromatic layer to the wooden structure is also one way of conserving material.…”

“…The polychromatic surface treatment is a popular technique by utilizing pigments in a layer of soil, which is made up of various materials. This method of conservation could be an alternative to maintain the value of historical buildings according to the need to preserve and present their aesthetic intentions [3,4,25]. This effort could be implemented on the wood carving as the ornaments of a traditional house of West Kalimantan.…”

“…Cultural heritage buildings made of wood have natural preservation properties that decrease due to age and environmental factors. One principle is to reuse the former materials, including the damaged ones, as much as possible to secure the guarantee for preserving authenticity [3,4,25]. For wooden structures in the traditional houses of West Kalimantan, recycling old materials is the most significant principle by providing a damage investigation, and figuring out the types, scope, and extent of these damages is essential to understand their causes.…”

“…As it is a legacy product from the past, preserving traditional architecture to maintain the authenticity of architectural materials as they were in the past is very challenging to fulfil due to the limitations of certain materials at the time. Additionally, it is also impossible if we only consider maintaining the authenticity of all architectural elements since the construction and architectural materials have been damaged and do not meet current architectural safety requirements [3,4].…”

“…Wooden building structures in Indonesia, as masterpieces rooted in the nature of the multiple ethnic cultures, show diversified architectural features rich in local identity. The abundance and the high cultural value of the historical wooden buildings with unique structures and plans should be well protected by the activity of conservation [3,4].…”