Opening impression: Gates a stylish entry point

Opening impression: Gates a stylish entry point

Nirwono Joga, Contributor, Jakarta

The gate still plays an important role in a modern house,
accentuating the house's style and beauty. But the first
impression of a gate is usually little changed from that of
yesteryear -- robust, symmetrical and formal.

Basically, a house gate and gateway have a unique and easily
recognized shape -- two large columns, either separated from each
other or combined to form an upside down U-shape, a number of
cascading steps, and with or without door bars.

With its prominent location, the gate assumes a strong and
central position as part of the fence in the front yard of a
house.

In traditional buildings, like those found in Java and Bali,
one would have to enter through a gate before stepping into a
house yard. In simple terms, a gate is meant as a transition
space before entering the holy domain of the house, as the
dwelling place of a sacred personality.

The inner sanctum of a house is considered sacred since not
everyone can enter it. It is also the reason why a gate is
usually built using space that only allows one person to pass
through at a time, which is also an indication that queuing has
long been practiced here.

The cascading steps that one has to tread on to get to the
gate symbolize achievement in life. For instance, house ownership
is a social status that can be achieved only through tiring
stages that require great patience. Philosophically, it tells
that nothing can be obtained instantly in life in the pursuit of
happiness.

In medium and large houses in big cities today, the basic
shape of a gate is maintained but the material to create it has
been adjusted to the house owner's taste, building's style and
availability of building materials.

Typical features of a gate as a focal point of a house -- to
allow everyone to find out where the main entrance of the house
is located -- also remain. For security reasons, the doorway is
provided with door bars made out of plain or carved durable wood
that can withstand all types of weather.

For some people, in order to present a strong traditional
impression, a gate may also be made of a coarse-textured slabs of
stone usually found in an old temple, a reminder of the gate in
Javanese Hindu temples.

Gates in some housing complexes in Bali are frequently made of
ancient bricks from the Majapahit kingdom era. But limited
availability of this particular stone has inspired the use of
other materials which give a similar impression.

For some people, a gate is complete only with the presence of
two Dwarapala statues holding their cudgels as guards of the
house. The presence of the statues reinforces the impression of
fearsomeness, a warning that trespassers should stay out. Others,
however, prefer to place two statues of goddesses to give the
impression of sweetness, beauty and exoticism.

In many gateways, the steps tend to narrow as they lead to the
main door and then they broaden again. The material, however,
must be adjusted to those used for the gate: slabs of stones used
in a temple, river stones or other motifs.

While in the past torches were placed at a gate, today
artistic lamps are used symmetrically on the wall of the gate or
slightly inside the wall, creating a solemn and tranquil
atmosphere when one enters the gate at night.

When a house is provided with a gate, it means it has quite a
spacious yard. The presence of a gate in a medium or large sized
house will create a cluttered, smothering impression if there is
only a short distance between the front terrace and the pathway
leading to it. But in a smaller house, the presence of a gate
will become an identifying landmark if the front yard is spacious
enough.

As a gate serves as a partition and links the outer and the
inner part of a house, if it is specially designed, it adds an
artistic nuance and lends beauty to the house, especially if it
is in harmony with the entire building in terms of structure,
building materials and colors. For the gate, and the initial
impression it makes, should never be taken for granted.

-- The writer is a landscape architect.