Vernacular Masjid as a Development of the Basic Archetype of the Punctured Pavilion: A Technological and Cultural Manifestation in the Southeast Asian Region

Vernacular Masjid in the Southeast Asian region started as a basic archetype that is square or rectangular in plan, open on all sides with a roof that provides shelter from the sun and rain but allows breeze and daylight. Abdul Majid and Jahn Kassim (Eco-Urbanism and the Southeast Asian City: climate, urban architectural form and heritage. Palgrave Macmillan, Springer Nature, Singapore, 2023) asserted the concept of a punctured pavilion as a basic archetype that later evolves into a complex articulation of forms in the tropical urban context. The paper presents the evolution of the basic archetypes into two basic masjid forms: pyramidal and long-roofed. The objective is to assess the vernacular masjid forms related to technological and cultural criteria in selected samples of masjid in the region. This paper is based on a qualitative analysis of the primary and secondary data sources compiled from field visits to selected masjid samples, followed by descriptive analysis to describe the evolvement of the masjid based on the basic archetype of a pavilion. The results outlined the basic form and manifestation of the masjid with technology to stay sustainable in the tropical climate and relate to the culture of the region.