Nagaland

NAGALAND

LOCATION….

NAGALAND IS LOCATED IN NORTH-EASTERN PART OF INDIA.

IT LIES BETWEEN THE PARALLELS OF 98 DEGREE AND 96 DEGREE EAST LONGITUDE AND,26.6 DEGREE AND 27.4 DEGREE LATTITUDES OF NORTH OF EQUATOR.

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES

THE STATE IS MOSTLY MOUNTANIOUS

EXCEPT THOSE AREAS BORDERING ASSAM VALLEY.

THE GATEWAY OF NAGALAND

IS SITUATED AT AN ALTITUDE OF 195Mts ABOVE SEA LEVEL .

CLIMATE…. NAGALAND HAS A LARGELY MONSOON

CLIMATE WITH HIGH HUMIDITY LEVELS. ANNUAL RAINFALL AVERAGES AROUND

1,800 – 2,500 mm AND CONCENTRATED IN THE MONTHS OF MAY TO SEPTEMBER.

THE TEMPERATURE RANGES FROM 21 ° C - 40 ° C . IN WINTER, THE TEMPERATURE

GENERALLY DO NOT DROP BELOW 4 °C AND FROST IS COMMON AT HIGH ELEVATIONS

INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE

BELOW 500 mt THE TEMPERATURE IS HOT AND UNHEALTHY .

ABOVE 1,500mt IT IS UNPLEASANT ,COLD IN WINTER.

DURING MONSOON THE CLOUD IS PERPETUAL.

WATER SCARCITY TENDS TO BE PRE DOMINANT ABOVE 1,500mt

DUE TO THESE CLIMATIC FACTORS MOST OF THE NAGALAND VILLAGES ARE LOCATED ALONG THE HILL SLOPE.

VILLAGE HOUSING PARTTERNS

NAGALAND VILLAGE PATTERN DIFFER FROM GROUP TO GROUP,

RANGING FROM DISPERSE , TERRACE TO LINEAR ARRANGEMENT OF HOUSES

IN SOME ,HOUSES ARE GROUPED IN COMPACT BLOCKS AND ARE ENCLOSED BY FENCE AND THE OTHER HOUSES ARE SCATTERED .

BUILDING MATERIALS

PRIMARY CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS WERE :

TIMBER FOR STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, LIKE POSTS. BAMBOO FOR WALLS AND OTHER STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS. THATCH AS THE ROOFING MATERIAL.

TYPES OF HOUSES ….

THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF HOUSES FOUND HERE :

EARTH FLOOR. EARTH AND RAISED FLOOR. ONLY RAISED FLOOR.

HOUSE DETAILS

MOST OF THE HOUSES IN NAGALAND COMPRISES OF A LIVING SPACE AND AN ENTERANCE AREA.PORCHES, ANTEROOMS AND STORAGE AREA SUPPLEMENT THE LIVING SPACE.

THE INTERIOR OF THE NAGA HOUSES IS 3-5 mts FROM FLOOR TO RIDGE.

A LARGE PART OF THIS HEIGHT IS USED FOR STORAGE PURPOSE – ESPECIALLY THE SPACE ABOVE THE FIRE

PLACE .

REQUIREMENTS VS RESPONSE

THESE DWELLINGS, LOCATED MAINLY IN THE HILLY REGIONS CAME UNDER COLD AND CLOUDY CLIMATIC CATEGORY .

THE PEOPLE THEN , RELIED MAINLY ON THEIR PHYSICAL ABILITY TO RESIST THE COLD .

THE HOUSES DID PROTECT THEM FROM COLD WINDS THAT BLEW BUT LITTLE TO RETAIN HEAT WITHIN THE HOUSE , OPENINGS WERE KEPT TO A MINIMUM.

THE FIRE PLACE WAS SITUATED IN THE LIVING AUSTERE WHICH HELPED IN RAISING COMFORT LEVELS WITHIN THESE SPACES.

THE SCALE OF THE PRIVATE SPACES WAS ALSO SMALLER WHICH MENT THAT A SMALLER HEAT SOURCE WAS REQUIRED TO HEAT THE ROOM .

THE SLOPED ROOFS WORKED BEAUTIFULLY IN KEEPING THE INTERIORS DRY .

THE STEEP SLOPE OF THE ROOF ENSURED THAT NO WATER COULD SEEP IN THROUGH THE GAPS BETWEEN THE THATCH AND ENTER THE HOUSE .

AS A RESULT THE OVERALL DESIGN WAS KEPT SIMPLE YET COMPLETELY FUNCTIONAL.

DEFECTS OF THE DESIGN

VENTILATION FOR KITCHEN. THE COOKING IS MADE USE

OF THE FIRE FROM BURNING WOOD, WHICH PRODUSES “CO’ CARBON MONOXIDE.

THE AIR MOVEMENT IN THE COOKING SPACE IS ZERO , WHICH MAKING THE PEOPLE OF NAGALAND REDUSE THE LIFE SPAN ,AS THEY ARE INHALING THE “CO” GAS DIRECTLY. AND EVEN THE MATERIALS OF THE INTERIORS GET

SPOILED .