UNIT I:VERNACULAR

ARCHITECTURE - INTRODUCTION
• Definition and classification of Vernacular architecture
• Vernacular architecture as a process
• Survey and study of vernacular architecture:
methodology
• Cultural and contextual responsiveness of vernacular
architecture: an overview

CONTENT
“When the full power of human imagination is backed up
by the weight of a living tradition, the resulting work of art
is far greater than any artist can achieve when he has no
tradition to work in or when he willfully abandons his
tradition.”
- Hassan Fathy
• In general, vernacular architecture can be defined as architecture
without architects.
• Architecture then was a solution to the basic needs of individuals or
society as a whole.
• It was a response to the climatic, functional, cultural, aesthetic and
sociological needs of the individual or society and the construction
methods had been perfected over a period of time through trial-and-
error.
• As the individual/family living in the structure were the people who
were involved in the construction of the structure, the design revolved
around their necessities and needs.
• The simple techniques and methods that have been used in the buildings
to make it suit the climate and respond to the needs of the user may
seem like a simple solution at the outset but it is quite complex as it has
been tested and developed over a period of time.

W H AT IS V E R N A C U L A R
ARCHITECTURE?
• One of the main factors defining the vernacular
architecture of a place was the availability of local
materials in that area.
• The local craftsmen building the houses were fully aware
of the structural capacity of the raw materials and knew
how to treat the materials to overcome its limitations
and use it to their advantage.
• Vernacular buildings used to perform well because they
applied construction techniques and local materials to
create buildings that function in the way they were
intended to.

W H AT IS V E R N A C U L A R
ARCHITECTURE?
• The aim of the vernacular structures was never to stand alone as
individual design statements like in todays architecture.
• Their objective was to be part of the environment in which they live.
The basic forms of the house were a result of their geographical
environment. For example: a circular house was built to fight against
the strong winds, a sloped roof for coping with the rainfall, a thick
mud envelope to keep the heat out, inner courtyard for better
ventilation,etc.
• The problem with contemporary buildings is that at times it
compromises on essential aspects like function, form, response to
climate and environment and comfort to achieve some aesthetic
quality or sometimes even for the personal choice of the architect
or client.
• This may not essentially fit the context of the building in any way.

W H AT IS V E R N A C U L A R
ARCHITECTURE?
• In today’s world, the buildings necessarily do not depend on the materials available
locally.
• The construction industry is continuously flooded with the availability of many
new materials that are largely untested.
• The architects/builders do not fully understand the properties and implications of
the new materials that they make use of unlike the vernacular builders who were
fully aware of the limitations of the materials they worked with.
• Also there is the problem of embodied energy as materials are transferred from
distant places and this can also result in the depletion of resources.
• Most of the buildings built in the warm climates of India are not responsive to the
climate.
• It is a given for most of the structures to use mechanical means of ventilation.
• This poor design of buildings that are inappropriate to the climate has given rise
to increased electrical equipment to maintain the thermal comfort.This has
resulted in high energy use.
• It becomes increasingly difficult to live in buildings were the airconditioning fails
even for a few hours during summers.This is a result of using materials that
makes the internal temperatures rise high.
• Most architects today have very little knowledge about the traditional architecture
as there is very limited research in this field.This knowledge is not used for reviving
the traditional solutions in new buildings.

PROBLEMS FACED
TODAY
• Resisting heat gain
• Promoting heat loss

DESIGN
C O N S I D E R AT I O N S I N
WA R M – H U M I D CLIMATE
• Landform
• Water bodies
• Open spaces and built form
• Street width and orientation
• Colour and texture of surfaces

RESISTING HEAT GAIN

PROMOTING HEAT
LOSS
 OPEN SPACESA N D
LA N DFO RM BUILT FORM

RESISTING HEAT GAIN

PROMOTING HEAT
LOSS
DESIGN OF ROOFS DESIGN OF WALLS

PROMOTING HEAT
LOSS
DESIGN OF FENESTRATION

PROMOTING HEAT
LOSS
DESIGN OF FENESTRATION

PROMOTING HEAT
LOSS
• Domestic
• Houses
• Cottages
• Wayside halts
• Inns
• Brew House
• Bake House
• Kitchen
• Wash House
• Agricultural
• Barn
• Cow-House
• Stable
• Granary
• Cart Shed
• Pig-sty
• Industrial
• Wind and
water mills
• Kilns
• Potteries

TYPES OF VERNACULAR
ARCHITECTURE
• K A C C H A (SEMI-PERMANENT)
• SEMI-PUKKA
• P U K K A (PERMANENT)

CATEGORIZATION OF
HOUSES IN INDIA
• These are the economical basic structures with a specific
form that are built using naturally available local
perishable substances like wattle-and daub (cow-dung
paste over a wood or grass frame), cardboard, grass and
plastic were other materials that were used.
• These houses required constant maintenance and some
components needed to be replaced periodically.
• The advantage of this type is the availability of cheap
materials and very little need for labour.

KACCHA (SEMI-
PERMANENT)
• These structures are intermediate and are a combination
of pukka and kachcha buildings.
• It evolved mainly when people started using durable
materials in their construction.
• When the materials of a pukka house are used in a
kachcha house, the category can be termed as semi-
pukka.

SEMI-PUKKA
• These are the expensive structures built with processed
materials like bricks, tiles, stones, metal and mortar for
binding.
• The construction materials though very durable and
need no replacement, are expensive and these structures
need more skilled labour to construct.
• In terms of ornamentation, it is more decorated than a
kaccha house.

PUKKA (PERMANENT)
• AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL MATERIALS
• LAYOUT OFTHE BUILDING
• SIZE OF THE BUILDING

FACTORS INFLUENCING
VERNACULAR CONSTRUCTION
• Vernacular construction practices revolved around the
availability of local building materials.
• In most cases, materials like adobe, stone, clay, timber,
etc., have been used as building materials merely for this
reason.
• Sometimes, a combination of these locally available
materials has also been used as main building materials.
• For example, a combination of timber framing and mud
construction has been used in certain parts of India.

AVAILABILITY OF
LOCAL MATERIALS
• The layout of the building is another important factor in
determining the vernacular construction.
• The shape maybe influenced by a number of cultural or
climatic factors.
• Overall, three main shapes of houses have been
identified- Rectangular, linear and circular.

LAYOUT OF THE
BUILDING
• The third factor is the size of the building and this factor results in
the building being classified as a single storey or multistorey dwelling.
• This is defined by the use of the building.
• For example, some houses were specifically designed as sleeping
quarters, some were designed for cooking, eating and sleeping and
some included spaces for work.
• These factors determined the size of the buildings.
• The houses in which a number of activities took place needed more
space and this resulted in an additional floor.
• The number of people in the household also determined the need
for another floor.
• It is also to be noted that single storey dwellings were common in
the rural areas and multistorey buildings in the urban areas.

SIZE OF THE BUILDING

H O W TO STUDY VERNACULAR
ARCHITECTURE
1. DEFINE THE SURVEYAREA – Area /Extent of the study is
defined - Survey maps used
2. ASSEMBLE MATERIALS – Ordnance Survey maps, a field
notebook, ball- point pens, separate colours for separate sets
of notes, pencils for diagrams, camera, field-glasses for reading
datestones – method of transport preferred is pedestrian but
bicycle, motor scooter, motor car can be used.
3. DECIDE O N THE RELEVANT PERIOD OF THE BUILDING –
Additions of the building at different stages usually –
Important to decide which is significant period – note
variations separately

1. EXTENSIVE RECORDING -
PROCEDURE
4.DECIDE O N SIZE-TYPE – Distinguish between small,large
and great house – also to be noted that what is small house
maybe considered large in a poor district
5.IDENTIFY THE BUILDING – Street address if available
(Houses in villages sometimes do not have permanent addresses)
6.NOTE D O W N THE ASPECT – Orientation/ direction the
front door is facing - Compass or Ordnance Survey Map can be
used for this purpose
7.NOTE D O W N THE PRINCIPAL WALLING MATERIAL – i.e.
Stone, flint,cobble, brick, clay,timber-frame etc.

1. EXTENSIVE RECORDING -
PROCEDURE
 8.NOTE D O W N ANY RELIABLY DATED FEATURE – Inscriptions on
stone/brick/timber buildings
9.NOTE D O W N SALIENT FEATURES ACCORDING TO THE CODE
– From each line of code sheet, select the appropriate type
1 0 . A D D A PHOTOGRAPH A N D DIAGRAMMATIC SKETCHES –
Photograph is an inadequate record of a building – Diagrammatic
sketches always to be added
11.NOTE D O W N INITIALS A N D DATE OF SURVEY – The date at
which the record is made is significant – important for historical
record

1. EXTENSIVE RECORDING -
PROCEDURE
• MEASURING
1. Personnel
2. Equipment
3. Procedure (Having obtained all necessary permissions)
4. Taking and Noting Dimensions
5. Assembling the Survey Notes

• D R AW I N G
1. Personnel
2. Equipment
3. Procedure
4. Draughtsmanship

2. INTENSIVE SURVEY -
PROCEDURE
• Title deeds of the property
• Taxation records
• County Directories
• Reports and Surveys
• Building accounts
• Contemporary drawings and photographs

3.DOCUMENTARY
INVESTIGATION