PLEA2012 - 28th Conference, Opportunities, Limits & Needs Towards an environmentally responsible architecture Lima, Perú 7-9 November 2012 Assessment of the Behaviour of ‘Courtyards’ as a Design Element in India and its Implication as an Environmental Solution MOHAMMED PATHERYA 1 , BENSON LAU 1 1 Department of Architecture & Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom ABSTRACT: The modern and contemporary architecture in India consists of elements that are derived of ancient cultural values and built forms. Courtyard as being one of these elements, through its multifaceted characteristics maintains the fine balance of the humane facet, poetic expression and environmental delight. These attribute and advantages of the courtyards help in ensuring the socio-cultural and spatial order of the built-form. Apart from these, this paper aims to investigate the real need of incorporating the courtyard as a design element in modern architecture by bringing out its importance as a microclimate modifier, environmental comfort provider and as an economic solution to the high density housing needs in an urban context. Designed by Charles Correa, two case study buildings which the courtyard is exploited as a key environmental design element have been studied in detail. Based on the findings from this study, this paper further explores the potential of achieving an optimum courtyard with desirable height to width ratios for housing design. As a conclusion, guidelines for designing a courtyard building in a warm climate of India have been proposed. Keywords: Courtyard, spatial delight, environmental comfort, climate responsive architecture INTRODUCTION India being a source of infinite cultural significance, the modern architecture of India lays its roots deep into the ancient cultural values. The socio cultural, historical, spatial and environmental contexts of those times are reflected in these spaces that tend to evolve with time. Again, as India is a home of diverse climatic variations, these spaces vary in terms of their physical attributes and hence the fine balance of the humane facet, poetic expression and performance of these spaces becomes inevitable. Indian architecture has developed with time absorbing many aspects which were a result of the global dialogue with many other regions throughout its enriched old past. The contemporary architecture in itself has a growing realization, that just to build visually beautiful buildings would be useless, unless it has a backed inclusion of concern towards its climatic context and human comfort. Among these architectural elements, the courtyards have been known to be used for centuries, from the vernacular house forms to the traditional palaces, in different forms and for different purposes. A courtyard on a micro and a more domestic scale can provide privacy, a change from the ruptured pace of the everyday life, have a societal impact as a meeting space in an urban context, and also have an environmental impact on the internal conditions in a hot and humid climate. Moreover housing that consists of a significant proportion of national investment in India, plays an important role in the economic development plans. In the sector of housing, the courtyard typology is widely accepted to be responsive to low-rise high density urban housing and is an appropriate form within contemporary mixed use sustainable development. But nowadays, the building regulations and planning laws are greatly influenced and modelled on the Western practice with scant regards to the social and environmental aspirations or to climate. Hence the courtyard typology that was maintained throughout the traditions, found itself contravening the modern regulations. The study undertaken here is to take issue with these controversial ‘Westernized’ modern regulations by pointing out the benefits of the courtyard in a dwelling as well as in a housing scheme. By addressing themes such as environmental performance, societal behavior, gender and privacy (in case of Muslims), religious importance, economic viability, the paper altogether with a theoretical framework and investigative analysis hopes to present the inclusion of courtyards as representing a better model for sustainable development in India than ‘imported’ housing typologies, aspiring for the betterment of the architecture to be approached in a more environmentally holistic manner, making the buildings
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PLEA2012 - 28th Conference, Opportunities, Limits & Needs Towards an environmentally responsible architecture Lima, Perú 7-9 November 2012
Assessment of the Behaviour of ‘Courtyards’ as a Design
Element in India and its Implication as an Environmental
Solution
MOHAMMED PATHERYA1, BENSON LAU
1
1Department of Architecture & Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT: The modern and contemporary architecture in India consists of elements that are derived of ancient
cultural values and built forms. Courtyard as being one of these elements, through its multifaceted characteristics
maintains the fine balance of the humane facet, poetic expression and environmental delight. These attribute and
advantages of the courtyards help in ensuring the socio-cultural and spatial order of the built-form. Apart from these,
this paper aims to investigate the real need of incorporating the courtyard as a design element in modern architecture
by bringing out its importance as a microclimate modifier, environmental comfort provider and as an economic
solution to the high density housing needs in an urban context. Designed by Charles Correa, two case study buildings
which the courtyard is exploited as a key environmental design element have been studied in detail. Based on the
findings from this study, this paper further explores the potential of achieving an optimum courtyard with desirable
height to width ratios for housing design. As a conclusion, guidelines for designing a courtyard building in a warm