SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

Vernacular Architecture - I
DR AVLOKITA AGRAWAL
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

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 Vernacular Architecture
Latin word Vernaculus means domestic, native, indigenous.

Vernacular architecture is a category of architecture based on localized

needs and construction materials, and reflecting local traditions.

Vernacular architecture is influenced by:

• Localized needs
• Local construction material
• Local traditions
• Hence, varies from area to area.

It is an epitome of place to which it belongs. Can not be imported

from elsewhere.

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 Vernacular Architecture
The vernacular…… is it sustainable ………?
• Vernacular architecture-what it is?
•The “vernacular architecture” could be understood as the building traditions which have been
developed by people over generations and often built by themselves.
•These are tried and tested practices which have actually sustained the ravages of time; they have
been handed down through generations. They rely on passive measures, by and large and respond
to the context.

Basically, it is “architecture without architects”.

The basis of vernacular is that it responds to several contextual aspects :
•Climate, Place, Culture, Materials, Local skills and also
•Maintenance, Durability and Metaphysical aspects
•The premise is that the vernacular tradition was extremely sustainable in every sense of the
word… let us see how through some examples

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 Characteristics of Sustainable
Architecture
Resource Equity - Green National Product

Embodied Energy - Of materials and resources

Global community - Think global but act local

Economics - Larger socio-economic awareness

Renewability - New way of looking at materials

Traditional Wisdom - Changed view towards traditional architecture

Institutional change - Beyond design of buildings

Technology - Appropriate technology

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 Traditional Thai House

Traditional Thai house of Yisan Village

Because of the tides, the Thai people

construct their houses with living
spaces on the first floor and use the
ground floor spaces for storage and
daytime activities.
House in Yisan Village and concrete jars for storing water

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 Traditional Thai House

Thai lifestyle and houses along waterways Traditional Thai lord’s houses
Columns are tapered and canted inward for rain and wind resistance, allowing to be transferred loads from the walls to columns.

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 Traditional Thai House
• Thai houses usually feature a
bamboo or wooden structure,
raised on stilts and topped with a
steep gabled roof.
• The area beneath the house is
used for storage, crafts, lounging
in the daytime, and sometimes
for livestock.

Thai houses along waterways

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 Sirince Village, Turkey

Detached House

The Street Made of Rubble Stone and Built

with Stairs in order to Reduce the Pitch Contiguous Houses

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 Sirince Village, Turkey

Different View of
Façades due to
Topography

Eaves Covered with Wood Lath

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 Sirince Village, Turkey

Construction Technique: Rubble Stone Masonry on the Ground Floor and

Rubble Stone Wall Timber Frame on the Upper Floor

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BHOONGA, RAJASTHAN

•It can even withstand earthquakes

•The circular form ensures minimum exposure to the external
elements which are extreme; a hot and dry desert climate.
•They are all built around open courtyard like spaces forming
clusters
•Smaller openings control entry of light, heat and winds

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 BHOONGA, RAJASTHAN

•The building materials are mud for the walls and thatch for the
roof.
•The interiors are beautifully embellished with local mirror work
patterns.

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 Jubbal - Shimla

Small Opening

Central Chulha In each level of the house and in each season of the year,
spaces are used in a way to make it a cohesive unit

Ground Floor (Cattle Shed)

Entertainm Kitchen Living

ent Area Area

Similar Buildings,

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 Arched Balconies :A way of
bringing nature inside the
built form

Functional Usage of Spaces

Alternate layer of wooden Lap Joint in the wooden Compactness of spaces:
reinforcement members Trap door for vertical
circulation

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 Kullu
Slope of the roof
allows snow to
fall off whereas
the flatter part
holds some
snow which act
as an insulation
layer.
Cattle are kept at the ground floor

Slate Roof Cold Winds

Attic Timber Boarding

Timber Floor
Kitchen Fodder Storage
Stone Wall
Animals Timber Storage

Cuboidal stacking along contours for maximum sunlight

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 Typical houses in Dharamshala

Daylighting in the Attic area

Courtyards in two levels to utilize the existing slope

Dhajji Deewar construction technique which

Intricately carved walls of Drawing Room with special focus on fireplace
is visible in attic

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Thank you

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