Experiencing Sundanese Saung Architecture

Most people like to visit a restaurant because its food but for me food is always secondary to my curiosity. I enjoy visiting a new eatery in new city because that's where I can experience vernacular architecture. In West Java especially, you can experience "Saung", a vernacular building unique to the region. Its build around the idea of harmony between Sundanese and its nature. Typically saung exist in the fields but in recent years, saung is being brought to commercial spaces.A study finds that it adds unique touch to the landscape of modern living ₁.This is something that architecture and builders need to take into consideration; rather than replacing all building into following western aestheticism, why not integrating vernacular designs into our living spaces?

This place is located in Tasikmalaya, west java and nestled inside a teak forest where the “Saung” is integrated into it. Once I arrived after a 25 minute drive from where I stayed, I suddenly felt more inspired to build a modern space combining vernacular architecture with modern architecture.

Coming from Java, the Sundanese vernacular architecture was different from ours. They use special roofing and the bamboo details are quite intricate. As it is a restaurant, rather than combining it into a big hall/pavilion, they have smaller songs scattered all around connected by pathways and bridges. They have a massive koi pond surrounding the area where we can dine and enjoy the view of the fishes but also the surrounding area.

The surrounding area feels quite open and though there are less boundaries between each other it still feels private with the divider around the “Saung”. When I was there, I didn’t want to leave because it was a comfortable place to work from, lounge and simply chat with friends or colleagues. This place is an example where biophilic done right especially with its arrangements. So, again the menu was secondary to me but it was surprisingly good.

I would say that Saung definitely needs to be studied. There is something fascinating about the way it's being created and architected. If you have a farm, you can create a hut-like such as this one where you can oversee your own property.