ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION : THE ARCHITECTURE OF RUMAH KAPITAN AND MUSI

[1] Abstract Palembang’s Chinese community began inhabiting Kampung Kapitan 7 Ulu following the issuance of a mandate by Sultan Abdurrahman, granting the Chinese the privilege to inhabit the dry lands by the Musi River. Following the migration to the dry lands, the Chinese community implemented different forms of adaptation to the natural and sociocultural environment to survive on the Musi Riverside, including in the form of residential architectures. This research is a case study, aiming to explore, examine and discuss the process of environmental adaptation and the different aspects that affect the residential architectures on the Musi Riverside. Analysis is done on the architecture of Rumah Kapitan, studying from the morphological and typological point of view, consisting of its positioning and orientation against the Musi River, spatial order, architectural form, and tectonics system, all of which are the manifestation of adaptation to the natural and socio-cultural environment of the Musi Riverside.


Introduction
Rumah Kapitan was occupied by a Captain, ("Kapitan" in the local language, hence the name), in the 18 th century during the Dutch colonial era [1].The Captain was of Chinese descent and was appointed by the Dutch colonial government and was in charge of collecting taxes from the native Indonesians and the Chinese merchants in Seberang Ulu, Palembang, as well as to maintain security and regulate the opium trades [2].
The architecture of Rumah Kapitan is a result of adaptation to the physical and non-physical aspects of the environment surrounding the Musi riverside.The physical aspects refer to the geographical and natural conditions on the Musi riverside, whereas the non-physical aspects refer to the political, economic, and socio-cultural influences that affect the architecture of Rumah Kapitan.This

Theory of Adaptation
In the context of architectures, adaptation refers to any intervention effort to adjust, reuse, or improve the built environment to suit to a new condition or environment [3].
The human presence is interrelated with the condition of its surrounding environment as it determines the human behavior in order to survive.When the environmental condition is more dominant than humans, humans will adapt to achieve the harmony.However, when humans are more dominant than environment, humans will change the environment so that harmony can be achieved.

The
Chinese community relocated from the raft house on the Musi River to the dry lands by the riverside following the mandate by Sultan Abdurrahman in 17 th century.The mandate was issued by the Sultan as a privilege due to the contribution of the Chinese merchants to the Palembang economy.The Chinese community proceeded to establish residence by the riverside, one of which has become a landmark in the present day, named Rumah Kapitan, located in Kampung Kapitan 7 Ulu, Palembang.
research examines both the physical and non-physical aspects through a study of the morphology and the typology of Rumah Kapitan.Morphology refers to the position and orientation of Rumah Kapitan against the Musi River, whereas typology refers to the physical appearance of Rumah Kapitan.The research framework can be found in Diagram 1. Diagram 1. Research Framework Methodology This research paper is a case study, in which an in-depth examination is conducted using systematic observation, data collection, and information analysis.This study begins with collecting primary data (field data) and secondary data (literature study).The primary data is collected through surveys, mapping, sketches, photographs, and interviews with the locals, resulting in field data containing the position and orientation of Rumah Kapitan against the Musi River, the physical form of Rumah Kapitan, the spatial order, form / type of the building, and the tectonics system.The secondary data contains literature on architectural adaptations to the environment of Musi riverside within the scope of morphology and typology.The analysis is made through a comparison and interpretation between the primary data and secondary data.The stages of research are reflected in Diagram 2. Diagram 2. Research Stage LivaS -International Journal on Livable Space | Vol.02, No. 1, February 2017: 1 -13 ISSN: 2548-7515 (online) [3]

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to the main occupations of the Musi Riverside community, which are mainly fishermen, traders, and rock and sand miners.The Musi River became the primary means of water transportation for ships carrying commodities.The livelihood of the community was highly dependent on the Musi River, therefore the residential area was established within the shortest possible distance to the river, further supplied with the pier and the port.The residential buildings were also constructed with the orientation facing toward the Musi River.Spiritual aspects relate to the spiritual views and beliefs of the native people of Palembang.The Musi River was viewed as a mystical element and was central to the local beliefs Pancalang Lima and Batanghari Sembilan, which were used as guidelines in the construction of the Rumah Limas, the traditional house of Palembang.Further discussion on the influence of Pancalang Lima and Batanghari Sembilan on the Rumah Limas can be found on sub-chapter 3.3 and sub-chapter 3.4.LivaS -International Journal on Livable Space | Vol.02, No. 1, February 2017: 1 -13 ISSN: 2548-7515 (online) [Pancalang Lima and Batanghari Sembilan The native people of Palembang view the river and the sun as the two natural elements influencing the human life.The Musi River provides water as a source of life, and the sun is a source of light for daily activities.The flow of the river and the movement of the sun are so significant to the Palembang natives that they became guidelines in determining the morphology of the settlement, as seen in the position and orientation of the Rumah Limas.According to a study conducted by Dadang Hikmah Purnama, titled Rumah Limas dan Struktur Pemikiran Orang Palembang (Rumah Limas and the Thought Structures of the Palembang People), Pancalang Lima dictates that the position of a Rumah Limas should be on the intersection of the imaginary flow line of the river, head to mouth, and the axis of the sun's movement from east to west.Thus, the position of a Rumah Limas has five points of reference: riverhead, rivermouth, east (sunrise), west (sunset), and Rumah Limas in the center symbolizing the center of activity of the human life.