MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE

AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

UNIT – II – STUDY OF VERNACULAR/REGIONAL ARCHITECTURE

Vernacular architecture can perhaps be defined as architecture born out of

local building materials and technologies, an architecture that is climate-
responsive and a reflection of the customs and lifestyles of a community.

It refers to that type of architecture which is indigenous to a specific time or place

(not imported or copied from elsewhere).

F.L Wright described Vernacular architecture as folk building growing in response

to actual needs, fitted into environment by people who knew no better than to fit
them with native feeling.

Developing concepts and innovative technologies for an energy conscious and

comfortable built environment with reference to residential buildings through the
study of vernacular buildings.

Processes & Responsive

Need for the study of Vernacular Architecture:

• It is based on knowledge of traditional practices and techniques.

• It is usually self-built, easy to learn and understand.

• The purpose of the study is to discover potential strategies for contemporary

buildings that passively promote thermal comfort in these buildings, thereby
reducing the need for external energy inputs and increasing the quality of life for
occupants.

• It reveals a high regard for craftsmanship and quality.

Most of the buildings which is constructed today had not taken in to account of
the green concepts used in traditional buildings. There is a need for studying the
green concepts used in vernacular buildings and adopting the same in our design.

Factors determining the character of Vernacular Architecture:

Vernacular architecture is influenced by a great range of different aspects of

human behaviour and environment, leading to differing building forms for almost
every different context:

AR. POOJA KRIPANITHI

 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

• Climate
• Religion
• Community
• Geographical
• Socio-Economic Considerations
• Culture
• Local environment and materials
• Construction techniques

Case study - Responsive

• In Ladakh, the form of traditional buildings

has been transformed increasingly by the
use of sheet glass to provide sun rooms
for winter and plastic pipes have been
incorporated into the water supply and
drainage systems of the vernacular buildings.

• Vernacular buildings used lime as a building material instead of cement. But in

reality, lime is not readily available and has to be prepared by a tedious process
while cement is available off the counter in the remotest of villages.

A similar situation comes to the forefront with the use of stone. For environmental
reasons, the quarrying of stones has been banned in many regions and thus with no
locally available stone, the common resorts to the use of brick or imports stone from
another place.

Approaches & Concepts

• Aesthetic Approach

• Anthropological Approach

• Architectural Approach

• Ecological Approach

• Behavioral Approach

• Geographical Approach

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 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

• Spatial Approach

Aesthetic Approach:

There are two distinct approaches to architecture.

• Ethnographic

• Responsive

Ethnographic - to understand the aesthetic

dimensions in the culture of the builders and users
of traditional architecture

Responsive - the effort is to select neglected buildings and to bring them into the circle
of consideration.

• Color

• Scale

• Proportion

• Rhythm

• Harmony

• Developmental Approach

The idea of aesthetic approach

 Enlivens feeling, exciting the pleasure

 Architectural communications are divided into two

• Utilitarian - Historical, Religious & Social relation that becomes a point of reference
in the building

• Aesthetic Component - Appearance and occupation contains aesthetic potential.

The building explains architectural creation, technology and form

• Gujarat - Decorations in the interiors and exteriors

• English - Finishes reveals use of structural materials

• Japan - Art dominates the decorative elements

AR. POOJA KRIPANITHI

 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

Anthropological Approach: Anthropology is the branch of science which deals with

the study of culture or a society.

• Interest in vernacular architecture was mainly focused on

• Documentation

Classification of traditional houses: The scientific study of the origin, the behaviour, and
the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.

• Family system
• Life style
• Customs and attitude
• Economic activity
• Caste
• Society and community
• Religion
• Rituals and ceremonies and role
of men and women

• Anthropological Approach:

Anthropology deals with functionalism - more interested in social organisms than in

decoration

• Built forms are closely interrelated with behavioural patterns and cultural values

• In 1970 - the concept of house has attained additional significance in

anthropological research.

In view of all the various ways in which both architects and anthropologists have
begun to discover vernacular architecture as a promising field of study. Architects
especially from developing countries increasingly aware of

• Values of old craftsmanship

• Riches of their cultural heritage

The construction of a building requires good importance to be attached which would

not force in any conventional drawing.

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 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

It would be the anthropologist task to point out the importance of making it visible.

• Architectural Approach:

The types of architecture derived from vernacular sources can be broadly classified
as follows –

Architecture as an iconic picturesque evocation of symbolic identity:

These types are seen as pure and wholesome and are contrasted with imported
architecture which are bought off as unsuited to local needs, conditions, identity The
focus of research based on these
assumptions is to discover locally
derived pure forms without impurities of
distant influences Regional architecture
typologies were constructed in the
belief of that vernacular architecture
reflects the character and soul of a
group people.

Architecture as determined by climate, material

Behavioural Approach:

Environment behaviour study in relation to

buildings and their personal and community
rural or urban settings. Understanding of the
individual and how the building and its
environment are mentally mapped. It focuses
on the behavioural patterns in relation to
buildings and their personal and community in
rural and urban settings

• TYPES: Behaviours involved in creating

vernacular environment as a process, and
as a product of vernacular environment

• The behaviour pattern occurring within the

environment as a product

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 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

• CONSERVATIONIST: Protection and preservation of the fabric of old vernacular

buildings.

Ecological Approach:

Habitat as a part of total environmental

systems, both natural and nurtured.

Science of the habitat It focuses on the

habitat as part of the total environmental
systems both natural and nurtured science of
the habitat

Vernacular settlements and buildings reflect the conscious and unconscious know
how of the local craftsman and the inhabitants.

Developmental Approach:

Development is expressed in

• Economic growth
• Jobs
• Better shelter
• Health
• Ecological sustainability

Development is the process of achieving above all being and the product which
comes out by achieving the above well beings.

It views vernacular architecture as part of one aspect of development such that better
shelter, settlement built environment among several others.

These characteristics can make a developmental vernacular cost effective and

therefore economically visible, labour intensive and therefore job creating, local
resource using and therefore local income generating renewable resource using and
therefore ecologically sound

Geographical Approach:

While many approaches are concentrated on localized traditions, the geographical

approach considers the pattern of settlement and building in their environmental,

AR. POOJA KRIPANITHI

 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

topographical, spatial economic locations at scales

ranging from the regional to continental.

The geographers survey the topography of the land and

prepare the topographical maps to locate different
landmarks on the surface of the earth and different types
of soils, the vegetation and the raw materials obtained
from the nature to the people who built their houses.

The data collected by the geographers about the soil gives a clear idea about the
vegetation and the approaches of the people to establish their own territories

• Recording and Documentation - The systematic recording of building

form, materials and details
• Preservation
• Photographs
• Architectural drawing

Spatial Approach:

• Organization and articulation of volumes and spaces

• The analysis of which being an architectural preoccupation

• Approach - Observation of buildings and understand experience of the builders

• Dimensions - Orientation is the inspiration of the built area

• Dimension indicates directions such as Mecca or Jerusalem

• Laterality refers to the distribution of the foci on the right and left hand according
to the main direction of the built space

• Frontality is the relation between the

front and rear side of the built space

• Centrally is the central hearth of the

house

• Axis and symmetry are permanent for

some cultures

AR. POOJA KRIPANITHI

 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

Using the characteristics of vernacular architecture to achieve better shelter and

settlement and broader development objectives:

• It uses and develops local cultural and material resources

• It is small scale technology and inexpensive

• It expresses the values and needs of the local especially poorer, communities and
not least to survive. It is continuity with change remaining rooted in the past and the
local while incorporating the new and the external to meet contemporary needs.

General Aspects

Vernacular Architecture is characterized by its response to the specific needs of a

particular society. This is done by constructing shelters that adapt to the climate and
geographic location with the use of local materials and traditional building
techniques.

Climate-Specific

One of the main factors that define vernacular

architecture is its adaptability to the local
climate. Some notable examples include the
Eskimos’ igloos that provide great insulation
against the cold weather and the Middle
Eastern beehive dwellings that provide
protection against the blazing heat of the
desert.

Another great example is the local bahay kubo which addresses the tropical
climate of the Philippines. Its bamboo flooring allows wind to enter, its thatch roof is
basically watertight while also providing deep overhangs to shade the sun, and its
overall construction gives way for passive cooling.

Adapts To Geographical Location

An example would be the Ivatan houses which are constructed using lime and
stones in order to create thicker walls so that they can withstand earthquakes and
typhoons prevalent in their region.

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 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

Another great example are the Tagbanua

houses in Palawan. Since their main form of
livelihood is fishing, the people constructed near
the shores by elevating their houses on 8’ stilts.

Use of Local Materials

Since vernacular structures are heavily dependent on the local materials found in
these places. In the Philippines, the local materials often used for the main structure of
the bahay kubo are wood and bamboo while the roof is often made up of palm
leaves, grass thatch, and other plant fibers.

Built Using Traditional Techniques

The construction techniques used in building

vernacular structures differ per culture. In the
Philippines, the post and beam method is used
wherein the joints are assembled and secured
without the use of nails.

This is done by pegging, wedging or binding. In

China, there is a traditional method called
dougong wherein a series of wooden brackets are interlocked to support
overhanging roofs.

Culture Based

Their way of living shape the way they construct their buildings. One example would
be the ancient pit houses constructed in China designed in a way that they can
hold their rituals communally. Another are the early Hindu settlements which are built
using mud brick. These structures were found to be granaries that resemble the
modern silo which perfectly adapts to the
needs of the society whose livelihood
mainly revolves around grain cultivation.

Locally, the bahay kubo often has an

underfloor space that is often used for
stabling domestic animals which reflects

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 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

the livelihood of the people. It is also used for storage and a space for doing
housework like weaving and basketry which are mostly reserved for women.

In the bahay na bato, similar features can also be seen like the zaguan in the ground
floor used as a place for keeping carriages seeing as how this is their main form of
transportation, the cuadra for keeping horses, and the bodega for storage. The altar
in the house also reflects how the elite Filipinos of that time where deeply immense in
religion and rituals.

Design Considerations in Tropical Design

The tropical climate is characterized by its hot and humid weather. Tropical design
provides ingenious strategies that help minimize the peoples’ discomfort brought on
by the specific conditions of the tropics.

Passive Design

Passive design is design that takes

advantage of the sun and wind in
order to create a building that has
minimal need for mechanical
heating or cooling. By making most
out of the natural sun and wind,
passive design results to a more
energy-efficient and cost-saving
building.

Site Planning for Orientation

It is very important to take in to

account the site of the building
because it will dictate its
orientation based on the sun and
wind path. Knowing these factors
will affect how the openings, like
doors and windows, will be placed
as well as the position of the
rooms.

AR. POOJA KRIPANITHI

 MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE
AR3401 REGIONAL AND VERNACULAR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS IN INDIA

Ventilation

Natural ventilation is preferable

and can either be done through
cross ventilation or stack
ventilation. Cross Ventilation is a
process where the air crosses
horizontally through the space
while stack ventilation is a
vertical process wherein the air enters one side and exits the other. Natural ventilation
requires windows to be oriented towards prevailing winds.

Lighting & Shading

Avoiding excessive heat gain will help provide a

more thermally comfortable space. This can be
done by using materials with low thermal mass,
orienting the building to reduce exposure to the
midday sun, installing skylights and glazed
windows. In the example below, see-through sun
shades were used in order to block the harsh sun
while still allowing the breeze to pass through.
Landscaping can also help provide shade and
reduce heat gain.

Rainwater Management

Since tropical areas experience high precipitation, having good drainage is essential.
Managing rainwater efficiently will help prevent flooding especially in low-lying areas.
Making the most of rainwater through various recycling applications is also favoured.

AR. POOJA KRIPANITHI