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Sources

Every dimension the house is generated from is below, with its class and its citation. This is the project’s honesty layer, and it is given a room of its own because a smooth 3D render implies a precision the sources do not have.

The dimensions

DimensionValueClassWhat it means
baseRadius5.50 mIf 20% out: 1.23 mInterpolatedRadius where the thatch meets the ground. Because the roof comes all the way down, this figure is also the plan of the house: there is no wall outside the roof.No source
apexRise15.20 mIf 20% out: 3.40 mInterpolatedHeight of the cone’s apex above the ground. The form is far taller than it is wide, and that proportion is what makes it read from a distance.No source
coneBelly0.10If 20% out: 0.05 mInterpolatedHow far the cone’s side bellies outward from a straight line between the ground and the apex. The previous figure, 0.055, was barely visible and the form read as a geometric cone; thatch laid course on course bows the side out noticeably. The author’s reading of photographs, not anyone’s measurement.No source
coneShoulder0.94If 20% out: 0.41 mInterpolatedHow blunt the cone’s shoulder is near the top. A value of one gives a straight cone tapering to a mathematical point; less than one widens the upper part. Kept close to one: lower values fatten the whole upper half and the form reads as a bell rather than a cone.No source
bellyPeak0.30If 20% out: 0.09 mInterpolatedWhere the swell is greatest, as a share of the cone’s height. Not the middle: the courses low down are longer and there are more of them, so the material builds thickest in the lower third and the upper part stays nearly straight. Putting it at mid-height makes the building’s waist its fattest part and the silhouette reads as a bell.No source
bellySpread4.00If 20% out: 0.04 mInterpolatedHow concentrated the swell is about its peak. Larger values pull it into a narrow bulge; smaller ones spread it along the cone. It has to be large enough that the outline leaves the ground with its radius already shrinking — otherwise the roof widens before it narrows, and the lowest course is pushed below grade.No source
profileSteps24Moves no measurementInterpolatedPoints along the cone’s outline. This is drawing resolution rather than a dimension of the building.No source
facets48Moves no measurementInterpolatedTarget facets around the cone. Drawing resolution rather than a dimension of the building — but the actual count is rounded to a multiple of the household count, because a mesh that does not respect the building’s symmetry makes the model claim a symmetry it does not have.No source
luturRise1.25 mIf 20% out: 0.25 mInterpolatedHeight of the living floor above the ground. The house is raised, but the thatch closes the space beneath it, so from outside it does not read as a house on stilts.No source
storeyRise2.45 mIf 20% out: 1.96 mInterpolatedDistance between floors. The same for all four above the lutur, so each floor’s radius is set by the cone rather than declared on its own.No source
floorThickness0.07 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedThickness of a board floor.No source
floorBoardWidth0.22 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of one floor board.No source
centrePostSection0.30 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedSection of the centre post, which stands from the ground to the apex and is the axis the whole house is set out from.No source
postSection0.19 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedSection of a ring post.No source
postRadiusShare0.62If 20% out: 0.76 mInterpolatedWhere the ring of posts stands, as a share of the base radius.No source
stoneHeight0.24 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of the stone a post stands on.No source
stoneWidth0.40 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of the stone a post stands on.No source
ringDepth0.13 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedDepth of a tie ring, the hoop that holds the frame round.No source
ringWidth0.09 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of a tie ring.No source
raftersPerSegment4Moves no measurementInterpolatedRafters over each household’s segment. The total is this number times the household count rather than a figure of its own — so that every household stands under the same amount of roof, and so that the building actually repeats every one segment.No source
rafterRadius0.05 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRadius of a rafter.No source
partitionThickness0.06 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedThickness of a partition between households.No source
partitionHeight1.90 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of a partition on the lutur floor. It does not reach the floor above: the division marks each household’s place rather than shutting it in.No source
hearthRadius0.55 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRadius of the hearth at the centre of the lutur floor.No source
thatchCourseDepth0.30 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedExposed depth of one course of thatch.No source
thatchThickness0.10 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHow far a course stands proud of the one below it.No source
thatchLap0.40Moves no measurementInterpolatedThe share of a course that the course above laps over.No source
thatchBed0.05 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedClearance between the frame and the first course of thatch.No source
finialRise1.10 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of the apex ornament above the point of the cone. The object is real and has a name; the name is not printed here because the author is not confident enough of the word.No source
doorWidth0.95 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of the door. There is only one, and it is the only thing on this round building that fixes a direction.No source
doorHeight1.75 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of the door, measured from the ground.No source
jambSection0.13 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedSection of a door jamb.No source
finialWaist0.55Moves no measurementInterpolatedWaist of the apex ornament relative to its foot.No source
finialWaistRise0.45Moves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of that waist, as a share of the ornament’s height.No source
finialCollar0.12Moves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of the ring round the foot of the apex ornament.No source
centreStoneShare0.72Moves no measurementInterpolatedRadius of the centre post’s stone relative to the width of a ring post’s. Round rather than square, because a stone on the axis has to look the same after the house is turned by one segment.No source
hearthDepth1.40Moves no measurementInterpolatedDepth of the hearth relative to the thickness of a floor.No source
drumHang0.80Moves no measurementInterpolatedHow high the drum hangs, as a share of the partition height.No source
finialRadius0.34 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of the apex ornament.No source
gendangScale1.12Moves no measurementInterpolatedSize of the niang gendang relative to an ordinary house. That the drum house is the principal one in the village is canon; how much larger it is, is the author’s.No source
drumRadius0.42 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRadius of the drum hung in the drum house.No source
drumLength1.15 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedLength of the drum.No source
postSeat0.30Moves no measurementInterpolatedDepth of the dish in the stone that the post foot seats into, as a share of stone height.No source
jointEngagement0.30Moves no measurementInterpolatedDepth of the tested joint engagement, as a share of the smaller member.No source
oneDoor1Moves no measurementCanonOne door, facing the compang — the ceremonial stone at the centre of the village. A round form holds no direction in itself, so the only orientation this house has comes from where it stands, and the door is what states it.Erb, M., The Manggaraians: A Guide to Traditional Lifestyles (Times Editions, Singapore, 1999).
roundInPlan1.00Moves no measurementCanonThe plan is round and the roof is a cone. There is no ridge, no face and no corner — and so no orientation that can be read off the form itself.Antar, Y., Pesan dari Wae Rebo: Kelahiran Kembali Arsitektur Nusantara (Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, 2010).
thatchToGround1.00Moves no measurementCanonThe thatch comes down to the ground. From outside the whole building is roof: there is no wall and no eave standing above the ground.Antar, Y., Pesan dari Wae Rebo: Kelahiran Kembali Arsitektur Nusantara (Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, 2010).
fiveLevels5Moves no measurementCanonFive stacked floors, each named and each for something — from the living floor up to the loft where offerings are kept. It is not a choice, which is why this pack has only two rules.Erb, M., The Manggaraians: A Guide to Traditional Lifestyles (Times Editions, Singapore, 1999).
segmentPerHousehold1Moves no measurementCanonThe lutur floor is divided into segments, one for each household living in it. The number of households is read off that division.Erb, M., The Manggaraians: A Guide to Traditional Lifestyles (Times Editions, Singapore, 1999).
oneGendang1Moves no measurementCanonA village has one niang gendang. It holds the drum and the ceremonial life of the village; the rest are dwellings.Antar, Y., Pesan dari Wae Rebo: Kelahiran Kembali Arsitektur Nusantara (Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, 2010).
centrePostThrough1Moves no measurementCanonA single centre post stands from the ground to the apex and passes through all five floors. The whole house is set out from it.Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Arsitektur Tradisional Daerah Nusa Tenggara Timur (Proyek Inventarisasi dan Dokumentasi Kebudayaan Daerah, Jakarta).
noNails1.00Moves no measurementCanonPegged and lashed joints; the frame goes up without nails.UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2012, Award of Excellence: Wae Rebo Village, Flores.
seatedOnStone1Moves no measurementCanonThe posts stand on stones; they are not buried.UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2012, Award of Excellence: Wae Rebo Village, Flores.
villageCircle1Moves no measurementCanonMbaru niang stand around a circular plaza with the compang — a ceremonial stone platform — at its centre, and every house faces that centre. This house has no front until there is a circle to give it one.Erb, M., The Manggaraians: A Guide to Traditional Lifestyles (Times Editions, Singapore, 1999).
plazaRadius14.00 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRadius of the village plaza, measured from the compang.No source
compangHeight0.70 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of the stone platform at the centre of the village. A compang is a stone dais where offerings are made; that it exists and is central is canon, its height and shape are the author’s.No source
compangStoneWidth0.40 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of one upright stone on the compang.No source
compangStoneHeight1.10 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of an upright stone standing on it.No source
compangRadius2.20 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRadius of the stone platform at the centre. That it exists and is central is canon; its size is the author’s.No source

Bibliography

  • antar-2010 · reference

    Antar, Y., Pesan dari Wae Rebo: Kelahiran Kembali Arsitektur Nusantara (Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta, 2010).

  • erb-1999 · ethnography

    Erb, M., The Manggaraians: A Guide to Traditional Lifestyles (Times Editions, Singapore, 1999).

  • depdikbud-ntt · reference

    Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Arsitektur Tradisional Daerah Nusa Tenggara Timur (Proyek Inventarisasi dan Dokumentasi Kebudayaan Daerah, Jakarta).

  • unesco-2012 · reference

    UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2012, Award of Excellence: Wae Rebo Village, Flores.

Which of these matters most

Nearly every dimension on this page is the author’s own. What the provenance bar does not say is whether that matters. Each row below is computed by rebuilding the house: one dimension is pushed 20%, and the house is measured to see how far it follows. Nothing is estimated — the figures are the difference between two runs of the generator.

  1. 1apexRise3.40 mapex height
  2. 2storeyRise1.96 mtop floor height
  3. 3baseRadius1.23 mbase radius
  4. 4postRadiusShare0.76 mring of posts
  5. 5coneShoulder0.41 mtop floor radius
  6. 6luturRise0.25 mliving floor height
  7. 7bellyPeak0.09 mliving floor radius
  8. 8coneBelly0.05 mliving floor radius

If only one dimension could be surveyed, this is the one. This is sensitivity, not uncertainty: it shows what moves, not how likely the value is to be wrong. The 20% is itself the author’s choice.

Invariants

There is no measured drawing yet, so correctness rests on structural truth. These checks fail the build.

  • pass
    Bilateral symmetry about a vertical plane through the axis

    21374 points; largest mirror deviation 0.00 mm.

  • pass
    The house repeats every one segment, which is every 60°

    19903 points (145 of 161 parts); turned 60° the largest deviation is 0.00 mm.

  • pass
    Every tenon contained in its mortise

    31 pasak, takik and tumpu joints; every one engaged.

  • pass
    No joint spans more than one stage

    Every joint engages two parts from the same stage or from consecutive ones.

  • pass
    Stage ordering, and nothing below ground

    161 parts, every one bearing on something already standing or on the ground.

  • pass
    Mesh integrity: indices, triangles, normals

    28200 triangles; indices in range, none degenerate, every normal unit length.

  • pass
    The plan is round: as wide one way as the other

    12.42 m × 12.42 m, differing by 0 mm — as round as a 48-sided polygon can be (27 mm). No face, no corner and no ridge.

  • pass
    The thatch reaches the ground; the whole building is roof

    The lowest course meets the ground at 0.03 m. No wall, no eave, and nothing holding it up off the ground.

  • pass
    Nothing stands through the cone, at any height

    3577 points tested against the cone at each one's own height; the closest comes within 0.00 m of it.

  • pass
    Five named floors, each narrower than the last because the cone narrows

    lutur → lobo → lentar → lempa rae → hekang kode; from 5.98 m at 1.25 m to 2.53 m at 11.05 m.

  • pass
    One centre post runs through all five floors to the apex

    from 0.17 m to 17.02 m, passing through 5 of 5 floors. No single member in any other house here touches every storey.

  • pass
    One segment per household, and the whole house divides evenly by it

    6 households → 6 partitions, 6 ring posts, 24 rafters and 48 mesh facets — every one a multiple of 6.

  • pass
    Niang gendang: the drum hangs inside

    The drum is present, hung 2.77 m above the lutur floor.

  • pass
    One door that is actually open, and it is the only direction this building has

    0.95 m wide on a bearing of 0°, facing the compang; the thatch is cut back 1.20 m to a height of 1.88 m. A round form holds no direction; this door is what states it, and there is one.

  • pass
    Thatch courses lap with no bare ring, from the ground to the apex

    101 courses over 18.18 m of outline; smallest lap 0.8%.

  • pass
    Every part declares the dimensions it came from

    161 parts, every one tagged. By least-sourced input: 0 measured, 0 canon, 161 interpolated.

  • skipped
    Checked against a measured drawing of a real house

    Skipped. No measured drawing has been wired in, so there is nothing to compare against. This check will not be made to pass by weakening it.

What a check is preventing

Ten green rows are not a reason to believe anything. So one check is run against a house built to break it, and what is printed below is that check’s own verdict rather than a description of it.

Five floors is canon, and the cone is where all five of them stand — so the two are not independent. Space the storeys further apart and the topmost climbs into a part of the building too narrow to be a floor, or past the point of the cone altogether. Nothing is zeroed and nothing collapses: the building runs out before the floors do. A rule that cannot be carried out rather than a rule disobeyed — and after four houses, that appears to be how these buildings actually fail.

The house as built

pass2.53 m / 17.02 mtop floor radius · apex

lutur → lobo → lentar → lempa rae → hekang kode; from 5.98 m at 1.25 m to 2.53 m at 11.05 m.

Rear prow raised to 4.17 m

fail0.00 m / 17.02 mtop floor radius · apex

the hekang kode sits at 17.91 m, at or above the point of a cone that ends at 17.02 m — there is no building left at that height to be a floor

The second house is never rendered. It is built during the build, failed, and thrown away.

This bar moves as real surveys are wired in. That movement is the project's progress metric.