MAKNA SIMBOLIK ARSITEKTUR GEDUNG CAPITOL AMERIKA DAN MESJID SONGKOK RECCA BUGIS : STUDI PERBANDINGAN BERDASARKAN MODEL TRIADIK PEIRCE = SYMBOLIC MEANING IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF AMERICAN CAPITOL BUILDING AND BUGINESE SONGKOK RECCA MOSQUE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BASED ON PEIRCE’S TRIADIC MODEL

This research is motivated by the rich symbolic meanings that are rarely explored in the architecture of two culturally and ideologically contrasting buildings: the United States Capitol Building, symbolizing Western democracy, and the Buginese Songkok Recca Mosque, representing the Buginese cultural identity. The main objective of this study is to explain the linguistic and cultural symbolic meanings embedded in the architecture of both buildings and to describe the application of Charles Sanders Peirce’s triadic model in comparing their architectural elements. This research employs a qualitative descriptive method with a semiotic approach, grounded in the theories of Charles Sanders Peirce and Ferdinand de Saussure, using data collected through observations, interviews, documentation, and library study. The results reveal that the architectural elements of the Capitol Building embody democracy, state power, and American national identity rooted in neoclassical aesthetics. In contrast, the Songkok Recca Mosque strongly expresses the Buginese Bone cultural identity, which is deeply integrated with Islamic values, as manifested in its dome and local wisdom ornaments. The comparison of the two architectures using Peirce’s Triadic Model demonstrates its effectiveness in analyzing the universal semiosis mechanism (Representamen-Object-Interpretant) while highlighting substantial differences in meaning, namely the representation of Western political ideology versus the harmony of culture and religion. This study concludes that architecture is not merely a physical structure but also a medium for conveying collective identity and meaning, offering an original contribution to the study of architectural semiotics across cultures and functions.