TRANSFORMASI ARSITEKTUR BALE DAJA

Bale Daja is a building sited in kaja (northerly) direction which is defined in accordance to local terms. Kaja or Daja has been tied with a hilly (mountainous) area, lining along Bali’s east to west axis. To those reside on the southern part of this line, northerly is insequence with the actual north direction. However, those stand on the opposite side have their notherly pointing to the actual south direction. Bale Daja has various inherent functions. These include its usages as a sleeping area, space for giving birth, quarantine area for female teenagers, and storage for valuable family belongings. In a long run, these usages have been expanded to incorporate further functions of a building for sleeping, numerous domestic activities, chatting, offering preparation, reading and writing manuscripts, welcoming guests, and meeting with both local and government officers. According to a thorough investigation, there are seven types of Bale Daja found. In several cases within its development, a Bale Daja has been completed with one or more additional uses of a toilet, a modern working space, and a room dedicated for watching television. Such type of a Bale Daja is usually accessed through its sides with windows and wide openings attached. These changes are also accompanied by the use of newly available building materials. This writing examines the development of Bale Daja viewed from Balinese Traditional Architecture principles through transformation, both-and phenomenon and resultant of complexity. The recent transformation of a Bale Daja shows a trend in which traditional value systems and architectural guidelines remain highly regarded in practice. Thus, such an architectural development demonstrates a capacity to accommodate social development taking place within its society in Bahasa Indonesia: Bale daja merupakan bale yang mengikuti perletakan sesuai dengan arah mata angin dalam penyebutan masyarakat setempat. Kaja atau daja merupakan daerah yang lebih tinggi (baca: gunung); untuk Bali Selatan merupakan sebutan bagi arah utara dan untuk Bali Utara merupakan sebutan bagi arah selatan. Fungsi tradisi bale daja adalah fungsi awal yang merupakan bale tempat tidur saja. Fungsi tradisi lainnya juga ditemukan sebagai ruang melahirkan, ruang tidur untuk anak gadis serta ruang tempat penyimpanan benda-benda pusaka (gedong simpan). Namun perkembangan fungsi tradisinya juga ditemukan yaitu sebagai ruang tidur yang juga berfungsi sebagai ruang untuk aktivitas domestik seperti mencari kutu, ngobrol, majejahitan (membuat bahan persiapan upacara), membaca dan menuli