VERNACULARARCHITECTUREININDIA

Indianvernaculararchitecture istheinformal functionalarchitectureof structures ofteninruralareasofIndia builtoflocalmaterialsand designedtomeettheneedsof thelocalpeople. people Thebuildersofthesestructures havent learnedformal architect raldesignand architectural theirworkreflectstherich diversityofIndia'sclimate locallyavailablebuilding materialsand theintricatevariationsinlocal socialcustomsand craftsmanship.

RURALHOUSEATMANALI

CHETTINADHOUSEOFTAMILNADU

 Theterm"vernacular architecture"ingeneral architecture referstotheinformal buildingofstructures throughtraditional buildingmethodsby localbuilderswithout usingtheservicesofa professionalarchitect.It isthemostwidespread formofbuilding

TODAHUT

VILLAGEHUTOFWESTBENGAL

 Theart,architectureandoraltraditionsoftribal g areindigenous g vernacularexpressions p of villages diversecultureofIndia Allritualistic,artistic,sacredandprofane expressionsoftheirlifearedistinctlyreflected Theirlandscapewithcoveredwithtraditional sacredsites,mounds,burialgrounds,pathways, festivespacesallhistoricallysignificantintribal mythology

FactorsofVernacularArchitectureinIndia
Climate VariesfromscorchingsuninGangetic plainsto thetropicalconditionsofthesouth FromdrycoldclimatesinLeh tothe perennially i ll d dampconditions di i i inthe h north heast ofthecountry Variationinclimatespawnsadiverseformof vernaculararchitecture

FactorsofVernacularArchitectureinIndia
Geography VaryfromhillyterrainoftheHimalayasand KashmirtotheflatsoftheDeccanandthe South From F the h d dampground dof fA Assamand d B Bengal l tothedryearthofPunjab

FactorsofVernacularArchitectureinIndia
Availability yofLocalmaterials Anabundanceofredlaterite stonemakesGoa andKarnatakathemediumchoiceofvernacular constructions NorthIndiaclayeysoilmakessunburntbricks andmudmortaracommonlyusedmedium BambooconstructioncanbefoundinNorthEast Mangalore g rooftilesinsouth PlethoraofSandstonemademedievalJaipur PINK CITY

FactorsofVernacularArchitectureinIndia
Anthropology Thecomparativestudyofthephysicalandsocial characteristicsofhumanitythroughtheexaminationof historicalandpresentgeographicaldistribution, culturalhistory,acculturationandcultural relationships Culture SocialOrganisation ofaparticularpeople:language, economicandpoliticalorganisation ,lawandconflict resolution, l i patternsof fconsumption i and dexchange h , kinshipandfamilystructure,genderrelations, religion,mythologyetc

RegionalVariation
Buildingmaterialdependsonlocation. Inhillycountrywhererockyrubble, ashlar,andpieces ofstoneareavailable,thesecanbepatchedtogether withamudmortartoformwalls. Finerstoneworkveneercoverstheoutside.Sometimes woodbeamsandraftersareusedwithslatetilesfor roofing f if favailable. l bl Housesonhillsusuallyhavetwostories,withthe livestocklivingonthegroundfloor.Oftena verandah runsalongthesideofthehouse.Theroofispitchedto d lwith deal iththe th monsoonseasonand dthe th house h maysit it onraisedplinthsorbamboopolestocopewithfloods.

RegionalVariation
On O t the eflat atlands, a ds,adobesa are eusua usually ymade adeo ofmud udo or sunbakedbricks,thenplasteredinsideandout, sometimeswithmudmixedwithhayorevencowdung and dwhitewashed h h dwith hlime. l Wherebambooisavailable(mainlyinthenorthand northeastern th t states) t t )iti iswidely id l used df forall llparts t of fthe th homeasitisflexibleandresilient. Alsowidelyusedis thatchfromplantssuchaselephant grass,paddy,andcoconut.Inthesouth,claytilesare usedfor p pakka roofing gwhilevariousp plantmaterial suchascoconutpalmiscommonfor kacha.

Categories
Indianvernaculararchitecturehasevolved organicallyovertimethroughtheskillful craftsmanshipofthelocalpeople people.Despitethe diversity,thisarchitecturecanbebroadly dividedintothreecategories. categories Kacha Pakka P kk SemiPukka

Kacha
Kacha type isbuildingmadeofnaturalmaterials suchas mud, ,g grass, , bamboo, , thatch orsticksandis thereforeashortlivedstructure. Itisnotmadeforendurance Itrequiresconstantmaintenanceand dreplacement. l Thepracticallimitationsofthebuildingmaterials availabledictatethespecificformwhichcanhavea simplebeauty. g ofa kacha isthatconstruction Theadvantage materialsarecheapandeasilyavailableand relativelylittlelaborisrequired.

Pakka
Pakka a a typeis sst structure uctu emade adefrom o materials ate a s resistanttowear,suchasformsofstoneorbrick, claytiles,metalorotherdurablematerials, sometimesusing mortar tobind, b d that h does d not needtobeconstantlymaintainedorreplaced Iti isexpensive i to t construct t tasthe th materials t i l are costlyandmorelaborisrequired. A pakka maybeelaboratelydecoratedincontrast toa kacha.

Semi Pakka
Acombinationofthe kacha and pakka style, style thesemipakka,hasevolvedasvillagershave acquiredtheresourcestoaddelements constructedofthedurablematerials characteristicofa pakka. Architectureasalwaysevolvesorganicallyas theneedsandresourcesofpeoplechange change.

HIGHLIGHTINGFEATURESININDIAN VERNACULARARCHITECTURE
RAJASTHANIARCHITECTURE Jharokha g gbalcony y Overhanging Intrinsicallyworkedout Oftenusedforceremonial appearances Severaljharokhas seen juttingoutfromthefaadeof typicalhavelis ofRajasthan

 KERALAARCHITECTURE Mangaloretiledsloping roof sloperoofedMangalore tilesandthatchtodraw offandchannelrain

 VILLAGESETTLEMENTSIN UTTARANCHAL Characterised byhousesof stones,timberandmud mortaronslopeswiththick wallsofrubblemasonary designedtowardoffcold withashelterforanimals belowthemainhouse Theheatgivenoffbymulch animalsheatsthehouse above

 HOUSESINASSAM Builtonsilts Tocounterthedampground

HOUSESINPUNJAB Whitewashontheoutside wallshelpstocooldownthe summerheat h t

 KASHMIRHOUSEBOATS Madeofintrically carvedcedar woodenpaneling Largewindowstoprovideviews ofsnowcoveredpeaksof HimalayanMountains

COURTYARDOFCHETTINAD HOUSES Courtyardwithpillaredcorridors thatleadtoindividualrooms Courtyardisthemainactivity space

VernacularArchitectureofGujarat

VernacularArchitectureofGujarat

ArchitectureofKutch
TheBhonga isatraditional constructiontypeinthe KutchdistrictoftheGujarat stateinIndia,whichhasa veryhighearthquakerisk. ABhonga consistsofasingle cylindricallyshapedroom. TheBhonga hasaconical roofsupportedbycylindrical walls.Bhonga construction hasexistedforseveral h d dyears.Thi hundred Thistype t of f houseisquitedurableand appropriateforprevalent d desert tconditions. diti

ArchitectureofKutch
Duetoitsrobustnessagainstnatural hazardsaswellasitspleasant aesthetics,thishousingisalsoknown as"Architecture ArchitecturewithoutArchitects. Architects " ItperformedverywellintherecentM 7.6Bhuj earthquakein2001. Very yfewBhongas g experienced p significantdamageintheepicentral region,andthedamagethatdidoccur canbemainlyattributedtopoor qualityoftheconstructionmaterials orimpropermaintenanceofthe structure. Ithasalsobeenobservedthatthe failureofBhongas inthelast earthquakecausedveryfewinjuries totheoccupantsduetothetypeof collapse. collapse

ArchitectureofKutch

Bohra Housesof Gujarat

Thetraditionalhabitatsof theIslamiccommunityofthe B h (generally Bohras ( ll referred f dto t Daudi Bohras)inGujarat, foundincitiesandtowns suchasSurat,Siddhpur, Dahod,Godhra,Kapadvanj, Khambhat Ahmedabad, Khambhat, Ahmedabad Palanpur,Bhavnagar,Dholka, Surendranagar,Morbi and J Jamnagar, etc. t areexcellent ll t examplesoftraditional architecturerootedinthe regionallandscape

Bohra HousesofGujarat
TherearetwobroadcategoriesofBohrwads: onehasanorganiclayout whiletheotherisstrictlygeometricallylaidout. ThestructureofatypicalorganicBohrwad isinwardly oriented, i t d where h the th houses h arearranged din i an introvertedneighborhoodform. MostBohrwads haveaformalentrancewheregates usedtobeclosedatnightinthepast. ThehousesinaBohrwad aretypicallygroupedaround astreetand dthese h form f amohalla; h ll several lmohallas h ll formaBohrwad. Eachmohalla isanexogamousunitandmayhavefifty toahundredhouses.

Bohra HousesofGujarat
Theseneighborhoodshaveastructuralunityand giveageneralimpressionofrelativeorderlinessand homogeneity. Ithasawellknitanddenseurbancharacter character. Besidesthehouses,alargeBohrwad generally contains t i amosque,aMadressa, M d aJamat J t Khana, Kh and d otherbuildingsforcollectivefunctions. IntheBohrwads,theneighborhoodmosqueisthe mostimportantinstitutionasthecentralpublic spaceforreligiousrituals.

Bohra HousesofGujarat
TheBohrwad streetsstandapartbecauseofasense oforder,extremecleanliness,welldesigned drainagesystemandtheelementofvisualsurprise. Thecloselypackedhouses, houses siteconstraintsand absenceofstandardizedbuildingcontrolsresultin anorganicgrowthandarelativelyirregularstreet pattern. The Th meandering d i passagewaywith ithapedestrian d ti senseofscalecreatesaseriesofvistasasonewalks d down the th street. t t

Bohra HousesofGujarat
Thehousecanalmostbeconsideredametaphorfor thesocialsystem. y Maledominanceisstrongandwomenarecommonly segregated g g frommennotbelonging g gtotheirimmediate families. Genderisimportantasanorganizingthemeindwelling layoutsanduseofspaces.FortheBohras,religionisa way yoflifethatalsop providesaciviccode, ,influencing g socialbehaviorandinteractions. TheBohra houseisusually yalways y orientedaccording gto thecardinaldirectionsasperthepracticeintheregion.

Bohra HousesofGujarat
Theurbanhousehasatitscoreasetofspaces, whichintheirsequenceandproportionsare identicaltothoseoftheruraldwelling. Itisbasicallyadeephouseplanwiththree(orfour) sequentialroomsonebehindtheother. Certainconceptslikeclearseparationbetweenthe publicandprivate,thenecessityforaninbetween zoneattheentrancelevel,themale/femaledivide, seclusion l i of fwomen,the h i intenseneed d f forprivacy, i etc.havebroughtaboutspecificdevicesandspatial configurationsthatreflectthetenetsofthereligion religion.

Bohra HousesofGujarat
Generallyajointfamilysystemisfollowed. Thekitcheniscommontoallanditbecomescentralto the h f family. l ThespatialhierarchyinthetypicalBohra househasa sequenceofotla (entranceplatform), platform) deli(arrival space),avas (courtyard),parsalli andtheordo (room). Theupperfloorsmainlyhousethebedroomsandthe agashi hi (terrace). (t ) TheBohrwad ismadeupofthreetofourstoreyedhigh housesarrangedinahighdensitylayout layout.Theindividual courtyardbecomesanairandalightshaftwherethe coolerairsinksbelowandthehotterairescapesoutof theroof. roof

Facades
TheBohras haveadoptedtheregional traditionofGujaratofmakingfacadeswith intricatedetailsinwood wood. Theyaccommodatedawholerangeof styles,buildingmaterialsanddecorative treatmentsresultinginattractivefacades (andstreets)thathavebecomethe hallmarkoftheirvernaculararchitecture. IncontrasttoIslamicphilosophy,thereis exteriordisplayandfrontalexposureasthe facadesarerichinvarietyandaesthetic expression. They ycreateasenseofenclosureandap play y oflightandshadowsbyusingofsolidsand voids.

 Throughthedisplayofseveraltexturesand patterns,theyexpressbalanceandharmony withinapredominantlysymmetricalcomposition. Thesurfaceofthefacadeisvisuallybrokenby ornamentedcolumns,bracketsandmouldings,at timesbringingmulticoloredcohesiontothe streets. t t Thefacadesenhancethetotalityofthephysical ambienceofthebuiltenvironment. Builtbycraftsmen,theyrevealtheir comprehensiveunderstandingoftheelementsof design,thenatureofthebuildingmaterialsand versatilityofcraftsmanship. Theunity yoffacadeshasbeenachievedby y similarityofbuildingtypes,materialsof constructionandcommonalityofadesign vocabulary.

Entrance

ArchitectureofRajasthan
.The ThearchitectureofRajasthanismainlybased ontheRajput architecturewhichwasablend oftheHinduandMughal structuraldesign. design Thestupendousforts,theintricatelycarved templesandthegrandhavelis ofthestateare integralpartsofthearchitecturalheritageof thestate. state TheRajputs wereprolificbuilders.

Havelis ofRajasthan
Between1830and1930 1930,the affluentMarwaris constructedhuge mansionsintheShekhawati and Marwar region. g Thesebuildings g werecalledHavelis. The architecturalfeaturesof havelis of Rajasthan responsetothe statesdiversecultureandclimate. Theywereheavilyinfluencedbythe Mughal architectureintheir construction. Thehavelis alsosportedbeautiful andappealingfrescoesandwere closedfromallsideswithonelarge maingate. Thisprovidedsecurityandcomfort inseclusionfromtheoutsideworld

ResponsetoClimate
Th Thearchitectural hit t lbuilt b iltform f of fth thesehavelis h li has h evolvedinresponsetotheclimate,lifestyleand availability il bilit of fmaterial. t i l Inhotclimateswherecoolingisanecessity, buildingswithinternalcourtyardswereconsidered themostappropriate. Itactedasaperfectshadingtechnique,whilealso allowinglightinside.Thearcadealongthecourt,or thehighwallaroundit,kepttheinteriorscool. y havelis areexcellentexamples p of courtyard sustainabilityinthehotanddryclimate.

Havelis ofRajasthan
Thereweretwocourtyardsina t i lShekhawati typical Sh kh ti haveli. h li Theoutercourtyardwasmainly inhabitedbymenandtheinner onewasthedomainofwomen. A courtyarddefine the perfect spatial organisation of thosetimes,beingtheheart of thehaveli,italsoservedasa microclimatemodifier.

CourtyardsofHaveli
Courtyardshaveservedmanypurposes: SocioCulturalAspects: Thechowk servedasthecentreforvariousceremoniesandtherituals.The tulsi p plantwasp placedhereandworshipped pp daily ytobring gp prosperity p ytothe house. SecurityandPrivacy: Thechowk,attimes,separated areasformenandwomen,andprovided themwithprivacy. Climate:Thecourtyardservedasamicroclimatemodifier. DifferentActivitiesAtDifferentTimes: Theuseofthecourtinthedaytime,mostlybywomentocarryouttheir work,talkandinteractwithotherwomenisoneoftheuses. ArticulationOfSpace: InMor chowk,CityPalace,Udaipur,thereistheconceptofcourtyardasa dancinghall.Itwellexplains,howitcanbeusedinarticulatingspace. Similarly,inhavelis,acourtyardhasseveralfunctions.Someminiature paintingsalsoexplainthis.

FloorPlan&SectionofHaveli

Floorplanandthesectionofatypicalcourtyardhaveli, showingtheairflowandthecoolingbyconvectioncurrents formed.Airmovementcausedbytemperaturedifferencesis utilizedinthenaturalventilationofbuilding.