“STUDY ON A NATIVE BUILT-

FORM”

Course title: VERNACULAR

Submitted by :
Fatema Tuz Zohora Moumita
Reg no. :2017345026

An Archetypical Example of Vernacular

The purest definition of vernacular architecture is – A pure response to a particular person’s society. The
example that is going to be described here is an existing model of vernacular architecture of sonargoan
from a long time ago. The model has changed a lot with the time since 1944. In 1944 people used to live
in colony and thus there is some of the remaining belongings around the model. There is a branch goes so
near to the model that in rainy season it was possible for the boats to be set at personal ghat of the house,
during winter season there was barren land surrounded the house and used for agriculture. In 1944
agriculture is understood as a socio economic culture phenomenon rather than a static and inert object that
can be studied only in term of its malistic charecteristics.
So, even the materials used to build this house and the usable space of the house more like to be
agriculture supported. At first the whole building was made with earth, bamboo, wood and straws. But as
the time changed the used material improved and now the most part of the house is made with local
materials like tin and cement.
Formal expression:
In 1944 the house was not more different in looking than other houses of that era. As I heard the the roof
was made of straws or coconut leaves and the wall was made of earth. The space was so simple .
Work space—living space—service
There was a detached bathroom at a distance at the back of the house.

There still exists a mud house , mostly used as a barn or storage room.
Plans , section:
A plan of the existing house and surroundings .
 From the plan we can see that there was a bunch of houses were built together to live as a colony.
The houses were built at the high ground where the crops field were built at the low ground for the
easy availability of water from the river. There was a wide road beside the river which connects the
entry to the yard.
There was a personal ghat attached to a pond with every houses . and in the rainy season it was
used for boats to bring crops directly to the barn. And in winter season as a pond.

Material:
In 1944 mostly used coconut leaves, mud and woods and bamboos to build the house
1n 1958 it was rebuilt on the existing skeleton and used woods , mud and tin.
In 1978 the tins were used to build the wall as well as the roof.
In 1998 the whole house was renovated and my grandparents used local materials like cement and tin to
build the wall and roof as well the plinth. The plinth’s height was 4’ as there was a possibility of flood
with the extended water of every rainy season.
Culture:
The main culture that inspires the vernacular architecture of the house was mainly cultivation. My
grandfather was a businessmen but his father and others were mainly farmers. They used to grow crops
and then store them to the house. So the barn or store house had to be situated near the crop fields. These
barn was used as a store house of jutes during my grandfather’s time. Not only the space but also the
materials used to build the house were based pn cultivation. Besides as we know that sonargoan was
famous for jamdani at that time, there was a certain space of the house which was used as to place the
jamdani cart. It was removed years ago and now it is used as prayer room. So the muslim culture as well
as agriculture greatly effected the architecture.
Building and finishing materials:
For building and finishing these materials were used:
1.tin
2.wood
3.bamboo
4.mud
5.cement

1.while there was mud wall , mud was pressed on the structure and left a smooth finishing. The plinth was
made with earth. They mixed soil with water to transform it to a more liquid form and used as cement to
smooth the surface. The roof was completely built on basic structure of bamboos , with coconut leaves.
2.while there was tin , the main material was tin to build the wall on the existing structure. The plinth was
made of mud.
3.when the wall was needed to be more solid cement was used and bricks. The foundation was built
according to the local building ideas. the plinths was also rebuild in cement.
Construction techniques and details:
To build the mud house:
First they had to make a basic structure with bamboo and thatchet and then they have to put earth on it
and press it to solidify.
Building process of mud house.
The had to build the plinth higher than the ground to avoid flood. With time the building has
changed its form and even the materials used were changed too.
The pictures shows the changing from to 1944 to present.
The basic structure has changed time to time. The present structure is made with bricks and stones and
was solidified with cement. The foundation is strong enough to hold 2 floors. So there is a extended floor.
The present structure is not replace able. But it was in past while wood was used as the basic foundation
and structure.
The technologies was used to build this house was mainly man power. As they had to rely on local
architectural ideas or the vernacular architecture. Local builders and their experience made this happen.
The recent transformation is more formal than the previous.
The longevity of present house more than 25 years yet it is pretty much same as the time it was built.it is
expected to be okay for the next 50 years.
The recent transformation cost a handful of money.as most of the materials like iron and tin had to
brought from a distant area and was not available at local it also cost the transport fee. Besides,
solidification, foundation cost a lot. But if we look before, most of the materials used in the old house
were available at local and was cheap and moreover ecofriendly. They did not much skill or manpower to
build that house. They made their house themselves. But it is different now, though the present house is
much more stronger than before and standard as formal architecture thoughts were applied.

The End