Conservation of Ndalem As Part of Sustainability Efforts - Case Study: Ndalem Tedjokusuman

The Conservation process of a traditional building usually experiences several problems relevant to the responsibility, the ownership, the maintenance, and eventually the financial support. These also apply to the case of ndalems as Yogyakarta’s traditional heritage in which Yogyakarta Special Region declares its important cultural characteristics for the territorial local identity of this special region. The important role of ndalem should be supported by the policy of conservation and sustainability. However, in fact, it is difficult to find harmony between conservation and sustainability, because people usually evoke any tangible relevant matters. This paper discuss ndalem, in particularly by taking the case of Ndalem Tedjokusuman as the main case study, in giving the idea of conservation as a part sustainability effort. The research methods of this paper employ observation, surveys of physical identification, and interview. The analysis applies 3 dimensions visualization to show the category of spaces and building condition. The heirs described the spaces and activities during their past livelihood. The process of 3 D refinements was developed according to this long term memory. Sustainability, within its three pillars, which are social, economy, and environment, can be conducted to ndalems by adding culture. Ndalems embrace the core of a community. They support each other in term of tangible and intangible contribution. The process revealed that the problem of inheritance will affect the sustainability of ndalem as cultural heritage. Problems happen when the community experiences transformation and changes in terms of way of life, relationship, and ownership, which influence the intensive relationship between ndalem and its immediate community. Their intensive relationship may experiences either gradual or extreme decrease. However, the public space of a ndalem, namely pendopo, tends to have stronger sustainable capacity and longer existence. Therefore, conservation attempt shall include a certain radius or area of surrounding periphery of a ndalem to be included in conservation process in order to ensure the sustainable goal of a ndalem can be fulfilled. The sustainability of cultural heritage, neighborhood, and environment will address the sustainability of activity that involving the immediate community who supported the existence of the aforementioned cultural heritage. Keywords—Ndalem, Tedjokusuman, conservation, preservation, cultural heritage, sustainability, tangible, intangible