The rapid growth of contemporary-styled buildings in Denpasar and other cities in Bali has threatened the existence of traditional buildings, an expert says.

I Ketut Rana Wiarcha, chairperson of Bali chapter of the Indonesian Architects Association, explained Bali used to have strict regulations concerning the construction of buildings on the island.

"In the past, the local authority insisted that any building must be designed adopting traditional Balinese architectural elements to adjust to the island's cultural landscape," he said.

Nowadays, Denpasar is reportedly like an urban city without proper planning and regulation. I Gusti Putu Anindya Putra, head of the provincial planning agency, admitted that such a chaotic situation was due to a lack of proper city planning and regulation.

"Hundreds of buildings in Denpasar and surrounding areas do not refl ect Balinese culture. This might have happened because of a lack coordination between the authority, architects, developers and investors."

Denpasar Mayor I. B. Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra complained that those involved in the construction of buildings had ignored existing bylaw No. 5 issued in 2005.

"They *developers/architects* actually know that regulation. They were just pretending it did not exist," the mayor said.

Based on the bylaw, any building constructed in Bali province must bear Balinese traditional architectural elements.

The mushrooming contemporary buildings with minimalist architectural styles had changed the face of Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak, Jimbaran, Canggu areas mostly in Badung regency.

"Most of the buildings were constructed without necessary permits," the mayor said.

The mayor also urged local architects to preserve local culture by not violating the regulation for the sake of projects.

"*The architects* must have their own code of ethics. They must be in the front-run in preservation and conservation of old-age Balinese traditional architectures," Mantra said.

Wiarcha commented that the existing bylaw No 5 only regulates the physical buildings and end products.

"There is no article in the by law that touches the roles of architects in properly implementing the rule."

The association has 500 members out of more than 2,000 architects in Bali. Not to mention, numerous architects from Jakarta and other cities even from other countries are also practicing and opening architectural bureaus here in Bali.

The flood of foreign investors had changed property business in Bali. Many have sourced architects from their home countries.

Wasti Atmodjo, THE JAKARTA POST, DENPASAR