KERRY HILL �S ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS IN BALI : INTERPRETING THE BALINESE CONTEXT

Abstract

Since the start of civilization, Bali’s society and architecture has been strongly tied with the principles of Hindu order. With the explosion of tourism in the last two decades, Bali has undergone a rapid change in its society and architecture. Tourism has made Bali flourish. However, the irony is that this growth has begun to destroy the Balinese-ness of the local architecture (Goad, 2000). Hence, this has resulted in the need to study the notion of “regionalism” in South-East Asia, most notably Bali. The study of the topic is focused on the thinking of tectonic detailing, appropriate and excellent details are fundamental in creating the greater sum of its parts, and eventually architecture itself. “Tectonic” is defined as “the art of joining” that not only involves “construction” or “structure”, but also requires “aesthetic judgment”. This paper examines the detail design of Kerry Hill’s resort architecture in Bali. Hill’s three Balinese resorts will be used as a platform to understand the architectural strategies and design intentions that organizes and determines the detail design outcome. It will also be used to establish the influences of local craft, technique, material, industry, culture and climate that shaped the design thinking in his architectural details. The resorts are: a) Amanusa Hotel, Nusa Dua (1989-92) b) Alila (The Serai), Manggis (1994) c) Alila (The Chedi), Ubud (1996) The investigation concludes with an argument on how much Kerry Hill has contributed (or lack thereof) to the “regionalism” of resort architecture in Bali.