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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
bayLength3.00 mIf 20% out: 1.80 mInterpolatedLength of one bay along the north–south axis.No source
bodyWidth4.20 mIf 20% out: 0.84 mInterpolatedWidth of the body, wall to wall.No source
postSection0.18 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedSection of an a'riri, the square underfloor post.No source
padHeight0.22 mIf 20% out: 0.04 mInterpolatedHeight of the pad stone a post stands on.No source
padDiameter0.42 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of the pad stone.No source
kolongHeight2.15 mIf 20% out: 0.43 mInterpolatedClear underfloor height — the sulluk banua — from the ground to the floor frame.No source
wallHeight1.95 mIf 20% out: 0.39 mInterpolatedHeight of the kale banua wall, from the deck to the wall plate.No source
floorFrameDepth0.24 mIf 20% out: 0.05 mInterpolatedDepth of the floor frame members.No source
deckThickness0.05 mIf 20% out: 0.01 mInterpolatedThickness of a floor board.No source
wallThickness0.06 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedThickness of a wall board.No source
ridgeRise2.95 mIf 20% out: 0.59 mInterpolatedHeight of the ridge above the wall plate, at mid-span.No source
ridgeSag0.55 mIf 20% out: 0.11 mInterpolatedHow far the ridge line sags at mid-span relative to its ends.No source
frontProwRise2.60 mIf 20% out: 0.52 mInterpolatedRise of the front prow above the lowest point of the ridge.No source
rearProwRise2.10 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRise of the rear prow; always lower than the front.No source
prowOverhang3.00 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHow far each prow projects beyond the end of the body.No source
eaveOversail1.50 mIf 20% out: 0.30 mInterpolatedHow far the eave oversails the outer post line, so the drip falls clear.No source
eaveDrop1.00 mIf 20% out: 0.20 mInterpolatedHow far the eave hangs below the wall plate.No source
roofKneeDrop0.70Moves no measurementInterpolatedThe share of the roof's total drop already reached at the wall line. This is where the roof breaks: steep above, shallower out to the eave.No source
plateDepth0.24 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedDepth of the wall plate the rafters bear on.No source
plateWidth0.16 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of the wall plate.No source
ijukCourseDepth0.34 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedExposed depth of one ijuk course.No source
ijukThickness0.11 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHow far a course stands proud of the one below it.No source
ijukLap0.40Moves no measurementInterpolatedThe share of a course that the course above laps over.No source
tulakSombaSection0.40 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedSection of the tulak somba, the post carrying the front prow.No source
hornSpacing0.42 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedVertical spacing between horns on the tulak somba.No source
hornSpread0.95 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedSpread of a buffalo horn, tip to tip. The previous figure, 0.62 m, sat at the small end of the range for a tedong and was too small to count from the courtyard — and being countable is the whole function. Still the author’s figure; what changed is the reasoning behind it.No source
rafterWidth0.07 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of a rafter in section.No source
rafterDepth0.11 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedDepth of a rafter in section.No source
raftersAtProws4Moves no measurementInterpolatedRafters added beyond the per-bay count, for the two prows.No source
ridgeBeamRadius0.07 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRadius of the ridge beam.No source
purlinRadius0.04 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRadius of a bamboo purlin.No source
purlinAboveKnee0.50Moves no measurementInterpolatedPosition of the upper purlin, as a share of the run from ridge to the roof break.No source
purlinBelowKnee0.55Moves no measurementInterpolatedPosition of the lower purlin, as a share of the run from the break to the eave.No source
sheathingOffset0.60Moves no measurementInterpolatedHow far the roof boarding sits above the rafter axis, as a share of rafter depth.No source
ijukBedClearance0.02 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedClearance between the roof boarding and the first ijuk course.No source
deckBoardWidth0.26 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of one floor board.No source
sillWidth0.90Moves no measurementInterpolatedWidth of a floor-frame member, as a share of the post section.No source
postSeat0.30Moves no measurementInterpolatedDepth of the dish in the pad stone that the post foot seats into, as a share of stone height.No source
tenonRun0.70Moves no measurementInterpolatedHow far a post head runs up into the floor frame, as a share of frame depth. The tenon has to run deep enough that the peg has timber on both sides of it.No source
jointEngagement0.30Moves no measurementInterpolatedDepth of the tested joint engagement, as a share of the smaller member.No source
ridgeUpsweep0.17Moves no measurementInterpolatedHow far the ridge curve overshoots its control point before rising to the prow. This is what makes the ridge line a curve rather than a kink.No source
tipFraction0.06Moves no measurementInterpolatedThe share of each prow that tapers into a blade.No source
tulakSombaSet0.45Moves no measurementInterpolatedWhere the tulak somba stands along the prow overhang. The post goes where the cantilever needs it, not at the tip.No source
hornColumnFoot0.60 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHow low the bottom horn hangs above the ground.No source
hornTaper0.78Moves no measurementInterpolatedSize of the lowest horn relative to the topmost; the oldest are at the top.No source
orientation0°Moves no measurementCanonThe house lies north–south; the front, ulunna banua, faces north.Nooy-Palm, H., The Sa'dan-Toraja: A Study of Their Social Life and Religion, Vol. 1 (Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, 1979).
bayCountCommon3Moves no measurementCanonThe common division of the body: tangdo', sali, sumbung.Waterson, R., The Living House: An Anthropology of Architecture in South-East Asia (Oxford University Press, Singapore, 1990).
ridgeSags1.00Moves no measurementCanonThe ridge line sags in the middle and both prows rise.Kis-Jovak, J. I., Nooy-Palm, H., Schefold, R. & Schulz-Dornburg, U., Banua Toraja: Changing Patterns in Architecture and Symbolism among the Sa'dan Toraja (Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, 1988).
frontHigher1.00Moves no measurementCanonThe front prow stands higher than the rear.Kis-Jovak, J. I., Nooy-Palm, H., Schefold, R. & Schulz-Dornburg, U., Banua Toraja: Changing Patterns in Architecture and Symbolism among the Sa'dan Toraja (Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, 1988).
hornsAreTally1Moves no measurementCanonThe buffalo horns are a record of how many rambu solo funerals have been held.Nooy-Palm, H., The Sa'dan-Toraja: A Study of Their Social Life and Religion, Vol. 1 (Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, 1979).
noNails1.00Moves no measurementCanonPegged joints; the frame goes up without nails.Schefold, R., Domenig, G. & Nas, P. (eds), Indonesian Houses Vol. 1: Tradition and Transformation in Vernacular Architecture (KITLV Press, Leiden, 2003).
raftersPerBay4Moves no measurementInterpolatedNumber of rafters per bay, per side.No source
postsPerRow2Moves no measurementCanonPosts stand in transverse pairs, symmetric about the ridge plane.Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Arsitektur Tradisional Daerah Sulawesi Selatan (Proyek Inventarisasi dan Dokumentasi Kebudayaan Daerah, Jakarta).
alangOpposite1Moves no measurementCanonThe alang — the rice barns — stand in a row facing the tongkonan across the yard, so house and barns face each other. The rule that the house faces north is not only a compass bearing: it says what stands in front of the house.Waterson, R., The Living House: An Anthropology of Architecture in South-East Asia (Oxford University Press, Singapore, 1990).
halamanDepth9.00 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedDistance from the front of the tongkonan to the row of alang. That the barns stand across the yard is canon; how wide the yard is is the author’s.No source
alangPlan3.00 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedPlan side of one alang. Only its footprint on the ground is drawn: an alang is a building in its own right, and a building this project does not model will not be raised from a guess.No source
alangFloorY1.90 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of the alang floor above the ground. An alang stands on six smooth round posts a rat cannot climb; only its massing is modelled here, and every figure is the author’s.No source
alangBodyHeight1.40 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedHeight of the alang body above its floor.No source
alangRoofRise2.90 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedRise of the alang ridge above its body. An alang’s roof is swept like the tongkonan’s; the massing drawn here is a straight gable and not that curve.No source
alangPostWidth0.32 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedDiameter of an alang post.No source
alangEave1.15 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedOverhang of the alang roof beyond its body, on the massing drawn here.No source
alangSpacing6.00 mMoves no measurementInterpolatedSpacing between alang along their row.No source

Bibliography

  • kis-jovak-1988 · survey

    Kis-Jovak, J. I., Nooy-Palm, H., Schefold, R. & Schulz-Dornburg, U., Banua Toraja: Changing Patterns in Architecture and Symbolism among the Sa'dan Toraja (Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, 1988).

  • waterson-1990 · ethnography

    Waterson, R., The Living House: An Anthropology of Architecture in South-East Asia (Oxford University Press, Singapore, 1990).

  • schefold-2003 · reference

    Schefold, R., Domenig, G. & Nas, P. (eds), Indonesian Houses Vol. 1: Tradition and Transformation in Vernacular Architecture (KITLV Press, Leiden, 2003).

  • nooy-palm-1979 · ethnography

    Nooy-Palm, H., The Sa'dan-Toraja: A Study of Their Social Life and Religion, Vol. 1 (Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, 1979).

  • depdikbud-sulsel · reference

    Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Arsitektur Tradisional Daerah Sulawesi Selatan (Proyek Inventarisasi dan Dokumentasi Kebudayaan Daerah, Jakarta).

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. 1bayLength1.80 mbody length
  2. 2bodyWidth0.84 mbody width
  3. 3ridgeRise0.59 mridge height
  4. 4frontProwRise0.52 mfront prow tip
  5. 5kolongHeight0.43 mridge height
  6. 6wallHeight0.39 mfront prow tip
  7. 7eaveOversail0.30 mroof reach
  8. 8eaveDrop0.20 meave height

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.

What being wrong looks like

Solid: bayLength as the pack sets it, 3.00 m. Dashed red: the same value pushed 20%, to 3.60 m. Both are drawn by the same generator on the same axes. There is no control here — bayLength is not a parameter and will not become one.

Invariants

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

  • pass
    Bilateral symmetry about the ridge plane

    29484 points; largest mirror deviation 0.00 mm.

  • pass
    Every tenon contained in its mortise

    33 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

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

  • pass
    Mesh integrity: indices, triangles, normals

    44400 triangles; indices in range, none degenerate, every normal unit length.

  • pass
    Ridge sags in the interior; both prows rise; the front prow is highest

    lowest point at s=0.53 (7.01 m); front prow 10.16 m, rear 9.66 m.

  • pass
    Ijuk courses lap with no bare strip; the ridge is covered

    25 courses; smallest lap 3.2% of the slope run.

  • pass
    The eave oversails the outer post line

    eave 3.60 m from the axis; outer post face 2.10 m; oversail 1.50 m.

  • pass
    The eave clears the wall plate

    roof at z=2.01 m sits at 4.63 m; top of the wall plate 4.73 m; eave 3.60 m.

  • pass
    Post count follows the declared bay count

    3 bays → 4 rows × 2 posts = 8 a'riri, 8 pad stones.

  • pass
    Every part declares the dimensions it came from

    155 parts, every one tagged. By least-sourced input: 0 measured, 0 canon, 155 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.

This check enforces something a source states rather than something the arithmetic already guarantees: the front prow stands higher than the rear. Raise the rear past the front and the house stops being able to say which end is its face.

The house as built

pass10.16 m / 9.66 mfront prow · rear prow

lowest point at s=0.53 (7.01 m); front prow 10.16 m, rear 9.66 m.

Rear prow raised to 2.73 m

fail10.16 m / 10.29 mfront prow · rear prow

lowest s 0.48, front 10.16, rear 10.29.

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.