All posts by : Kairana Gassani

As a Bali based design consultant, SHL Asia committed to staying true to its roots while at the same embrace the inevitable changes in the island, thus SHL Asia humbly presents personalized design through Desa Kala Patra Philosophy.

Over the years, the tales of the island have spread across the ocean and as the words have reached the shores of other countries, more people are coming and falling over this island, calling it their home. While Bali is indeed a home to many, it is also a sanctuary, a safe space, and a creative ground where people are excited and inspired in some way yet well-suited and humbled in others. Even with numerous people and foreign influences, the island manages to keep their ground steady and their hundred years of culture flows deep within their vein to this day all thanks to one of their ancient philosophies, Desa Kala Patra.

Desa Kala Patra philosophy is an ancient belief system that holds profound wisdom and symbolism. The literal meaning of each word is Desa means ‘place’, Kala signifies ‘time,’ and Patra represents ‘situation.’ Together, they embody the cyclical relationship between space, time and situation. Desa Kala Patra is the unwritten inheritance, without doctrine and without the truest form. It is deeply ingrained in the daily lives of Balinese people which some may or may not realize.

The idea of this concept is the discretion to continuously improvise and re- interpret, to embed the tradition as something flexible without losing the sense of its heritage, to constantly respond to the needs of time and place without losing its essence. Back in the days, the Balinese believed that Desa Kala Patra served as a guideline to carry out good deeds.The recent interpretation, however, shows that the philosophy could be applied to almost every aspect in the society—religious activities, art performance, to the local custom and even the design approach of SHL Asia.

A quick example would be pelinggih (or the altar) in Balinese family house. Over the years the numbers are the same but the design, the carving and the material could be different every time it undergoes renovation, it all goes to the improvisation of each generation with the tend of fashion or trend influence that is happening in the certain area (place), in the particular time and situation. When it is implemented on the design, SHL Asia realizes that each client is unique, they have their own perspective on beauty and function thus SHL Asia responds to each place, time, and condition that combines into the dreams and needs of the client, as it is called personalized design.

Through Desa Kala Patra as the main guide, SHL Asia creates spaces that not only please the eye but also evoke the sense of balance, harmony, and spiritual connectedness with each client. The integration of Desa Kala Patra philosophy enables a profound exploration of the cyclical nature of time, emphasizing the importance of the preservation of cultural heritage and most importantly a personalized design practice that is unique and personal on so many levels.

Behind every well-executed project, there are strong and diligent leaders with outstanding collaboration and dedication. Introducing the leaders of the production team, the leaders that make every project of SHL Asia possible, Vika Hartawan, Chandra Apsari, and Kadek Arimbawa. Each of them specializes and leads their own division with Vika Hartawan as the Head of Research and Development, Chandra Apsari as the Head of Engineering Division, and Kadek Arimbawa as the Head of Conceptual Division. The trio has been collaborating to powers the production house of SHL Asia that delivers top quality designs and products to our valuable clients.

Turning a dream into a design needs a whole lot of imagination and a sense of art, just like how the Conceptual Division team needs to have strong visualization to create the dream design of the client. They are catching dreams and telling story for SHL Asia and client to have mutual understanding on the project. This division responsible for vision and scenario stage of the production system and headed by Kadek Arimbawa.

Despite being the youngest, Kadek, has been with SHL Asia the longest. He started out as a junior architect and has always been actively contributing ideas in the designing process with the principals. His passion in creating design have very much influenced by his idol and the local culture. He enjoys outdoor and traveling to new places for architecture sightseeing and keep updated with the trend.

After it is approved, the design is handed over to Engineering Division team where they would go into the technical matter in exploration and detail drawing stage. In this stage of the production system, the team is responsible for the technical drawing down to every detail, from the material, structure, to coordination. They carry huge accountability as the execution on site is based on these drawings. Being the only woman as a head, Chandra Apsari is able to be assertive yet easy going at the same time. With the biggest team out of all divisions, Chandra ensures effective communication and time management for each member. She makes sure the drawings are being delivered on-time according to time schedule while supervising their quality. Dealing with details and technical every day, she enjoys doing sketch outdoor to refresh her mind and stay creative with her work.

Lats but not least, the whole designing and production process would not be complete without Research and Development Division that helps not only with finding new materials and experimenting new systems but also developing the right mindset and operation standards for the company. R&D Division collects data from various resources that might be needed by both Conceptual and Engineering Divisions, and we are currently expanding to softscape research.

They need to stay up to date with the latest materials and plants that are suitable from design and cost-wise. Headed by Vika Hartawan, a high curiosity individual, R&D divisions continuously analyses and evaluating development. With his experience working systematically, Vika manages to create system and SOP that powers the production system of SHL Asia. He is fascinated to meet new people and enjoys his external interaction. On his free time, Vika can be found experimenting his carpentry skill or visiting projects.

Lead by exceptional individual, the three divisions in SHL Asia production system are working closely together to produce a grade-A quality products for our valuable clients. Each head of the division excels with their own characteristic making them a brilliant leader on their field. SHL Asia is super excited in promoting the three young and driven heads leading the production divisions of the company. Once again, the team has greatly shown one of the most essential cultures of SHL Asia, which is a collaborative individual.

Cheers,

SHL Asia Team