Local Wisdom in Coffee House Design to Promote Gayo Culture and Tourism

Despite being the fourth largest coffee producing country, Indonesia has low domestic coffee consumption. Recent growing trend of coffee house may help increase the consumption. Gayo Highlands as the origin of a specialty grade coffee may also be benefitted from the growing trend. Coffee house culture in Gayo has also been growing recently. Coffee as the main commodity in Gayo Highlands has influenced the Gayo culture. Coffee culture can help preserve and promote Gayo culture. This paper explains how philosophical design of traditional Gayo architecture as Gayo local wisdom can be adopted into coffee house design in Gayo Highlands. It discusses some elements of traditional Gayo house which can be adopted to the design of Gayonese coffee house. This article shows that the implementation of traditional Gayo house elements such as pëpantarën, kërawang and këlélékën can help preserve Gayo culture and promote cultural tourism. Keyword: architecture, coffee house, gayo lut


Introduction
Coffee has become one of the most important commodities in Indonesia. It ranked fifth in terms of export value of estate crop commodities [1]. Despite being the fourth largest coffee producing country, Indonesia's coffee consumption per capita is still low [2]. Out of five biggest producing countries, e.g. Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia, only Brazil and Colombia listed among the top fifty of coffee consumption per capita, both ranked tenth and 44 th respectively. Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands are the top three of coffee consumption per capita [3]. Government has set a target to increase domestic consumption. The growing trend of coffee house lately may help increase the consumption.
One of the biggest coffee producing provinces in Indonesia is Aceh. It is the fourth largest coffee producing province in Indonesia, behind Sumatera Selatan, Lampung, and Sumatera Utara provinces. It produced 7.83% of the country's 632,460 tons of coffee production in 2015 [1]. Around 91.50 % of the province's coffee production is produced in the Gayo Highlands area which comprises Aceh Tengah (the Gayo Lut regions), Bener Meriah, and Gayo Lues regencies. Gayo is a tribe in the highland region of Aceh Province which reside in the side of Bukit Barisan mountain range and a lake called Lut Tawar. As a mountainous area with altitude of 600-1,800 meters above sea level, Gayo Highlands has been well-known worldwide for its high quality coffee. However, less is known about Gayo culture and its abundant tourism potential.
Propelled mainly by coffee commodity, Takéngën as the main city for Gayo people has experienced rapid change in the past fifty or so years which affects its architectural face. In contrast with traditional Gayo houses which spirit was centered on paddy farming, rituals, gender boundaries, and local wooden materials, the contemporary Gayo houses have developed based on practical activity as it is changed to coffee farming, gender generalization, and modern materials. Nevertheless, coffee culture in Gayo is not as well-known as their coffee itself. Only recently coffee houses have become a growing trend like in many other regions in Indonesia.
Quality coffee has been one of the biggest attractions for tourists to come to the region. Coffee house can play a role in preserving culture and promoting tourism in Gayo. Coffee house as part of coffee culture can be an attraction for tourists to come to Gayo. As coffee smallholders are usually not gaining much from the commodity, the development of coffee-related tourism in Gayo may improve their livelihood. This paper aims to show how coffee as an important commodity in Gayo Highlands can help preserve Gayo culture and promote cultural tourism in the Highlands by implementing local wisdom in coffee house design. It shows that there are some elements of traditional Gayo architecture especially Gayo house that can be implemented in the design of Gayo coffee house.

Traditional Architecture Gayo Lut Loacal Wisdom
Traditional Gayo Lut architecture is divided into three building types based on its function.
Those are places of worship, buildings for storage, and dwelling houses. Common kampöng (village) in the Highlands have at least one from each of those three building types to support them in carrying out day-to-day tradition.

The Place of Worship
The place of worship is a place for conducting congregational prayers and reciting holy Qur'ān in accordance with Islamic guidance. It appears in the form of buildings, such as mësëgit (masjid), mërsah (mësëgit in a simpler form specifically for men), and döyah (mërsah's counterpart which is reserved for women) as shown in Figure 1 [4]. Mërsah used to serve as a 'second home' for traditional Gayo men. Boys over the age of 8 years, men who are not yet married, widower or traveler commonly spent more time to pray, socialize, and even stayed at mërsah. According to the Gayo ëdët (local custom), it is këmél (such an embarrassment) for men to spend more time at their houses than at the mërsah ( Figure 1).

Storage Buildings
Storage buildings were another important architectural object owned by each household inside a kampöng (village). They were a manifestation of the Gayo livelihoods because they had a primary function of storing paddy grain. There were three types of traditional storage buildings according to its size, called bëranang, manah and këben as shown in Figure. 2 [4]. The size of a storage to be built depended on the amount of rice its owner could produce. Since the storage buildings were standalone buildings outside the house, obviously it became a visible indicator of a household prosperity seen by general public (Figure 2).

Dwellings
Dwelling houses in local term is called umah. The Gayo Lut traditional house was a longhouse that served as home to several families belonged to the same paternal lineage living under one roof. Currently, there is only one authentic traditional house of Gayo Lut survives. It is estimated that the house which located in kampöng Toweren was built before 1930s. The facade and house plan reportedly still retain its original form even though the condition of the house is increasingly deteriorating with age as shown in Figure 3. The Gayo Lut traditional house is an elevated-typed of house with the floor (tele) raised on posts 2 to 2.5 meters above the ground. According to Hurgronje [5] and Kreemer [6], raising the floor so as to create a section under the house (këlétén) was an act of imitation by the Gayo from traditional Aceh house. Research reports and cultural inventory project of the province of Aceh explain that the raising of the floor above ground level was done with the intention to avoid wild animal attacks such as tigers, snakes, and centipedes, as well as to facilitate bathing elderly and also those who passed away [4]. There is no evidence found with regard of the association between the chosen vertical section designs of the house with mystical or spiritual meanings.
The wooden posts (suyön) which supported the house were made of pine wood (uyëm) or other types of local woods. Under a normal circumstance, lengthwise the house was oriented eastwest in which the staircase located on the east or north side of the house. The orientation was chosen due to the Highlands climate where wind strongly blew from the northwest, so it was expected to be able to avoid it from damaging the roof [4]. Short sides of the house consisted of 3-4 posts that generated 2-3 room partitions. While the long sides consisted of 6-9 posts that generated 5-8 room partitions. The distance between two posts is about 3 meters. The illustration of the house exterior can be seen in Figure 4.  The spaces of traditional Gayo Lut house consisted of stairs in front of the house which usually had an odd step numbers. Climbing up through the stairs, one would find an entry leading to lëpo. Lëpo was a transitional terrace towards the house interior and also used as a sitting room when family members wanted to sunbathe or weave mats. Lëpo had a direct access that was commonly not separated by wall to the room on the left side of the house called sërambi rawan (men gallery). On the opposite, lëpo was separated by a wall in the right side of the house with anyōng and also sërambi banan (women gallery). The wall had a door that was closed at night called pintu kaol (the great door). The space elements of traditional Gayo Lut house are illustrated as in Figure 5.  be an attraction of cultural tourism, since coffee as part of food and beverage tourism is a cultural experience [7]. Coffee is experienced through travel and besides collecting coffee experiences, travelers may collect objects related to coffee as souvenirs or may purchase coffee beans as a souvenir.
The spreading of coffee initiated the emergence of coffee culture in many parts of the world. As one of the most important beverage commodities, many cultures have been evolved surrounding coffee. As the drinking of coffee became popular, countries formed their own rituals around coffee, each region's coffee taste acknowledged as being related to its history, work habits and style [8]. Around the world, coffee houses have evolved as social meeting places, or third place for meeting away from home and work [7]. Coffee is associated with various forms of food service outlets, such as coffee houses, coffee shops, coffee bars and cafés. Each types of these establishments has different levels of informality in settings where coffee and food are served [7]. While coffee houses share common aspects, i.e. coffee and sociality, they vary in the customers they attract through unique atmospheres, a variety of services and ancillary products (books, music, art work), and different qualities, origins, blends, or preparations of coffee [9].
Davids argued that coffee houses are seen as a place to relax, discuss, socialize and study [10].
In Vienna, coffee house culture is acknowledged as having played a critical part in a vibrant intellectual and artistic activity at the beginning of the 20 th century. In Paris, such coffee house culture is acknowledged to have contributed to modernity [11].
Coffee culture has been better recorded in consuming countries than producing countries. Even now, the consumption of coffee in Indonesia is much less compared to that in consuming countries such as the United States. Coffee house has been evolved as an institution in Gayo Highlands and many other places in Indonesia. The words have been associated with chatting between visitors, from local issues to the politics of the country. "Obrolan warung kopi" (coffee house chat) has been a common culture in many regions in Indonesia even since 1970's when a popular comedy group Warkop DKI was named after it. Recently coffee drinking has become more popular, perhaps due to the promotion of coffee drinking and socializing through media such as movies and travel documentaries.

Coffee in Gayo Highlands
Coffee is one of the world's important beverage commodities. Along with cocoa and tea, it is included in World Bank's beverage price index. According to Tannahill, as cited by Jolliffe, cultivation of the wild Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) may have begun in the sixth century, although the first written reference is attributed to a tenth-century Arab physician [12].
Originated from Ethiopia, there is the common assumption that European merchants and bureaucrats were the engine that powered the growth of the world coffee economy. However, the assumption may have neglected the role of Muslims in spreading the crop. It is said that by 1438 or so Sufis in Yemen were using a newly discovered stimulant to keep awake and alert during their religious exercises and devotions. Coffee and the first coffee houses worried Islamic rulers, jurists, and market inspectors from the outset. In 1511 in Mecca, Islamic jurists decreed that although some places that served the beverage might pose a threat to public morality, the drink itself could not be outlawed simply on the supposition of its evil effects without just proof. This principle became part of Islamic law and ensured that coffee houses, although often shut, were never banned-as was the sale and consumption of alcohol.
Wherever coffee and coffee houses spread in the Muslim world, whether to Cairo or Istanbul by 1600 or so, similar fears arose alongside the use of the beverage by Sufis and writers. The first book to document the effects of caffeine was Abdalcader Alanzar's treatise (1587) concerning coffee that it is lawful for a Moslem to drink it. This Muslim writer discussed the origins, effects, diffusion, and disputes at Mecca over cahouah (coffee). This is one of the first publications reflecting the intellectual life of coffee and coffee house [13].
Ottoman Turks brought coffee to Constantinople in the mid fifteenth century and the first coffee house, Kiva Han, was opened in 1457. However, it was not until the 17th and 18th centuries that coffee moved from a novel to a popular drink [14]. In both London and Paris, coffee houses became centers for coffee consumption and discussion [15]. Civitello argued that the emergence of these coffee houses as public meeting places has change social and political habits [16].
Arabica beans were planted in India by Muslim pilgrims in the seventeenth century, long before the British took any interest in the crop. Dutch imports of seedlings into Java in the 1690s have been said as the "origins" of coffee cultivation in monsoon Asia, but the seedlings came from India via Muslim traders. Moreover, Dutch efforts at growing coffee in Indonesia may well have been preceded by those of Muslim travelers, especially in Sumatra. An Islamic expertise in early coffee cultivation ran parallel to that of Europeans [17]. Since the pilgrimage to Mecca was also an opportunity for trading commodities, coffee might have been traded in the Holy City and brought to Indonesia by pilgrims. Gayo people have been exposed to Islam as early as 1000 BC when Linge kingdom was founded, even though some argue that the Gayo converted to Islam under Sultan Iskandar Muda (r. 1607-36) of Pasai kingdom [18]. Thus, it is possible that coffee was introduced to Gayo long before the Dutch grew it as an export commodity.

Implemening Local Wisdom in Gayonese Coffee House Design
There are basically two types of coffee houses which are common in Gayo, e.g. keude kupi (coffee shop) and café. Although most coffee produced in the Highlands is Arabica (Coffea arabica), local people usually drink Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora). The design of a coffee house may determine cultural and tourism influences of the coffee house. Gayonese traditional architecture can be implemented in the design of Gayo coffee houses. Even though as described before that traditional Gayonese architecture were centered on traditional commodity, which was paddy, the shifting of main local commodity to coffee does not mean the Gayonese should lost value of their traditional architecture. Designing coffeeehouses based on traditional architecture will help preserve and promote Gayo decent culture.
Gayo coffee houses may combine traditional and contemporary architecture styles in their design. A traditional Gayo house might consist of four to nine private rooms called umah rinung depending on the number of families occupying the house. Umah rinung were located in the central part of the house and served as a bedroom for a couple. Each room had a fireplace (dapōr këlélékën) which was fueled by firewood or pine seed (galih) and used for keeping the body warm (bëdiang, muniru). As common weather in Gayo Highlands is relatively cool (in certain season could reach 14 Celsius degrees), coffee houses can use fireplace to make costumers feel warm and comfortable during cold days as how traditional people used dapōr këlélékën inside the house.
Traditional Gayo houses had male-and female-only spaces, separated from common area.
Sërambi rawan (men gallery) was a long single room used mainly for male activity and receiving male guests. Sërambi banan (women gallery) was a place devoted to the activities of female family members such as cooking, weaving and also welcoming female guests. Gayo coffee houses can implement this feature by creating male-and female-only spaces in addition to the common area which is accessible for both gender. Such design will represent Gayo ëdët of sumang (appropriateness) and këmél. Sumang appeared in the form of traditional rule on how to interact between men and women.
In terms of building types, traditional Gayo house was an elevated house in which the phrase "entah ku atas" which means "please come upstairs" was commonly used to invite someone into the house (by going up to the elevated floor) as a form of hospitality [19]. Currently, when the type of house has been turned into a ground-level single house, the same phrase is still often used to invite someone up onto pëpantarën. Pëpantarën is a kind of raised surface for seating and is generally found in the family room or kitchen. In this case, it can be said that the existence of pëpantarën is a transformation of an elevated traditional Gayo house and a symbol of hospitality as well as to accommodate social activity. Gayo coffee houses can use pëpantarën as part of their seating area instead of using general chair and coffee table as in the western tradition.
In the contemporary Gayo society, male family members are no longer making mërsah as their second home [20]. This situation, and the findings that one of the best moments for family communication happens when the family has finished praying together at home, has led to the emergence of the need for a special room for worship in the house to accommodate both activities. As Gayo ëdët is strongly tied to Islamic law, it is also important for Gayo coffee houses to provide space to offer Salah (Islamic daily prayer).
Another element of traditional Gayo houses that can be used for the design of Gayo coffee houses is the application of decorative elements. Decorative elements of traditional Gayo houses were woodcarvings inspired by nature. Gayo art is famous for its spiral-shaped carving, i.e. the kërawang. The use of kërawang as contemporary building ornament in Takéngën is very rare except in government buildings.