jismart2019029: Vernacular Architecture Transformations of Coastal Labuan Bajo

Abstract

Vernacular architecture has always been in a constant state of change, and the transformations in developing rural touristic areas are catalyzed even further with modernization brought by the tourism industry. The town of Labuan Bajo in Indonesia was formerly a small trading port, mostly facilitating people of neighboring islands and mountainous areas of mainland Flores. Continuing the nature of being a melting pot of many cultural backgrounds, the town now has been open to tourists and also business owners from all around the world for decades. Most of the buildings on the coastal areas near the port have adapted to new functions to provide tourist facilities. The
adaptations can also be seen by the variety of buildings’ shapes and sizes, from simple stilt wooden houses to four- story concrete buildings. This paper will give a perspective of how Labuan Bajo as a rural coastal town in Indonesia adjusts to the booming tourism industry. The transformation can also be analyzed as to how the owners tailor their buildings to the tourists’ preferences yet still working within the limited context of the developing coastal town.