107
Y O U R E Y E S O N L Y
adapted to the island’s climate. Unlike concrete
and steel, which generate significant carbon
emissions, these natural materials work with the
environment rather than against it. Additionally,
the spatial arrangement of a compound allows
for passive cooling, reducing the need for energy-
intensive air conditioning.
Landscape design plays a crucial role as well.
Gardens are not mere ornamentation but integral
to the home’s function. The greenery absorbs heat,
mitigates noise pollution, and provides a calming
visual connection to nature. Studies show that even
brief exposure to green spaces can lower cortisol
levels and enhance overall well-being. The Balinese
understood this intuitively, incorporating lush
gardens into their homes not as an afterthought,
but as an essential element of life.
Privacy and Connection in Balance
One might assume that the openness of Balinese
homes compromises privacy, but the design
ensures a delicate balance. Screens of intricately
carved teak create semi-private enclosures,
offering solitude without complete isolation. The
compound layout allows multiple generations to
live together while maintaining personal space. This
inter-generational living model has been shown
to improve mental health, reduce loneliness,
and strengthen family bonds—an antidote to the
fragmented, individualistic lifestyles common in
many urban societies.
Modern wellness architecture increasingly
emphasizes biophilic design, the idea that
integrating
natural
elements
into
built
environments enhances human well-being.
The Balinese compound is a living testament
to this principle. It does not separate humans
from nature—it places them in direct dialogue
with it. Water features provide soothing
ambient sound, courtyards frame the sky,
and pavilions dissolve the boundary between
indoors and outdoors. While people spend
a fortune on wellness retreats promising
reconnection with nature, the Balinese have
embraced this way of life for generations.
Lessons for the Future
Architects
and
urban
planners
around
the world are beginning to take note. The
principles that govern Balinese homes are
now influencing contemporary design, from
luxury resorts to urban co-living spaces.
Geoffrey Bawa, the Sri Lankan pioneer of
Tropical Modernism, was deeply inspired
by Balinese architecture, crafting spaces
where
walls
disappeared
into
gardens,
where buildings felt less like structures and
more like extensions of the landscape. More
recently, firms focused on sustainable design
have looked to the Balinese model as a
guide for creating spaces that promote both
environmental and human health.
The global wellness industry, now worth over
$6 trillion, has recognized the importance of
architecture in shaping well-being. Open-air
yoga pavilions, mindfulness retreats, and eco-
resorts all draw from the principles embedded
in Balinese design. But the real lesson lies not
in imitation, but in understanding: the way we
design our spaces shapes our lives. A home
is not just a structure; it is an experience, a
philosophy, a way of being in the world.
The Enduring Wisdom of the Balinese Home
To wake in a Balinese compound is to rise
with the rhythms of the natural world. To walk
barefoot from bedroom to courtyard is to feel
the earth beneath you, to be reminded of your
place in something larger. To sit in the open-
air pavilion, watching the sky shift from blue to
gold, is to understand that architecture is not
about enclosure—it is about expansion.
As we continue to search for new ways to build,
to live, to find balance, perhaps the answer is
not in the future, but in the past. The Balinese
have long known what modern society is just
beginning to rediscover: that the spaces we
inhabit are not separate from us—they shape
us. And when those spaces are designed with
care, with reverence, with an understanding of
our fundamental need for connection, they do
more than shelter us. They make us whole.