Vernacular Architecture

Guided by:Ar. S. BanerjeeAr. Ehteshamuddin KhanAr. Mahfooz Akhtar

Submitted by:Sakshi Aggarwal

Prashant ShishodiaVaibhav Mudgal(B.arch II Year)

The Kendra accommodates a varied range of activities

connected with art and culture both in traditional and the

contemporary sense.

The buildings are semi rustic in appearance, with ample

space between them for strolling or catching a breath of

fresh air.

Ar. Upal Ghosh: planned sanskriti

kendra with his team

Ar. Prof. Mohammad Shaheer: landscape

architect.

Established: 1993

Area: It is spread over 3 hectares

on the foothills of Aravali range.

Curator: O. P. Jain

AR. UPAL GHOSH

AR. PROF. MOHAMMAD

SHAHEER

Anandagram, Mehrauli Gurgaon Road, New Delhi

SOURCE: GOOGLE MAPS SOURCE:

WIKIMAPIA

KEY PLAN

BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF SANKRITI KENDRAN

BANYAN COURTYARDBAITHAK

CHAR BAGHTERRA COTTA TERRACE

MUSEUM OF EVERYDAY ARTTEXTILE MUSEUM

KUNDGAON

ARTIST STUDIO

BARAKHAMBA

MANCH/AMPHITHEATRE

NATURE’S WALK

Vernacular architecture is a type of architecture based on

local needs and construction materials, which reflects the

traditions of a particular region.

MUD HUT

IN RAJASTHAN

HOUSES IN

KERALA

SOURCE:SLIDESHARE

Localized needs

Local construction material

Local traditions

Hence, varies from area to area.

Climate

• Season wise: The material should remain hot in winter and cold

in summer.

• Rainfall: Slanting roof and construct dwelling on stilts in areas

with high level of rainfall.

• Winds: Orientation of buildings such that they have minimal area

to the direction of prevailing winds.

Culture

• Kitchen away and treated as temple and should not wear slipper

while entering kitchen.

• A place away from house for guests.

• People have a common temple or temple in every house.

Materials• Availability of materials effects the architecture of a particular area.

Kachcha: short-lived structure made with mud, grass,

bamboo thatch or sticks.

Materials are cheap & less labor is required.

Pukka: made from materials resistant to wear, such as

forms of stone or brick, clay tiles, metal or other durable

materials.

Materials are costly and more labor is required.

Semi-pukka: combination of the kachcha and pukka

style.

The semi-pukka, has evolved as villagers have acquired

the resources to add elements constructed of the durable

materials characteristic of a pukka.

Frequent and Seismic Tremors.

Problems of soil erosion and land slides.

Suitable orientation on the hill slopes.

Existence of tall shady trees and dense forest area,

which obstruct the winter sun required for the buildings.

Limitations on the height of the building due to

earthquake risk.

Non-availability and transportation problems of

construction materials.

Deodar Wood

• Easily available, one of the strongest

Indian conifers.

• Imparts stability to tall structures.

• This wood is insect and termite resistant

and even when untreated, can withstand

long periods of weather corrosion.

• Used in making posts, beams, window

and door frames, shutters, roofs etc.

• Soft wood, easy to work in absence of

high tech tools.

• Its properties were understood early and

its texture and scent have been prized for

ages.

Mud & Stone

• Easy availability.

• Good insulators.

• Good binding properties.

• Hard Stone: Obtained from local

quarries and used in building

foundation and walls.

• Slate Tiles: Metamorphic rock.

Used in roofs of buildings. Has

high quartz content, frost

resistant, absorbs heat and

provides moisture barrier.

To counter the seismic forces, the traditional structures usually stand

on a solid plinth, made up of dry dressed stone masonry. The dry

construction allows for vibration and hence faster dissipation of the

energy.

In higher levels layers of wood

are constructed with rubble in

between. It is non rigid and allows the

building to flex with seismic waves and

quickly dissipate destructive energy

of earthquake.

Slope of the ground should not be more than 30º as far

as possible even in rocky reaches to avoid instability

problems.

Plan

• Ground floor: Cattle shed and storage area are provided.

• First Floor: Living Area along with kitchen.

• Low Height of the rooms (2.1 – 2.4 m), keeps interiors warmer

from heat released by individuals.

• Plinth area is 5m x (13.8+0.45)m

• Inner walls thickness is 4 inch

and outer wall thickness

is 9 inch.

Walls• Made of alternate courses of

dry stone masonry and wood

without any cementing mortar.

• This Kath-khuni style of layering

and inter locking timber and

stone provides strength,

stability and flexibility

(Earthquake resistant).

• These heavy walls allow

a very good thermal insulation

by providing high time period of

more than 8 hours. This makes

the interior of the house

cooler in summer and

warm in winter for maximum

part of the year.

Above the plinth walls are strong with alternating stone layer, as the

wall rises up it is only the wood frame that is stacked above another

wood frame. This distributes mass optimally.

Interiors of wall are finished with mud plaster and lined with wood on

account of its good insulation and binding properties.

Resist sliding or overturning during land movement.

Dry masonry construction allow stones to undulate within a flexible

wooden frame work to allow energy of earthquake to disperse.

Flooring

• In the ground level mud & cow-dung were used for flooring above

the plinth made of random rubble masonry. The upper floors are

made of timber planks and timber-joists.

Roofing

• Pitched roof with locally available timber. Slate used for roof

covering. Below the roof a ceiling is constructed with timber. This

attic is used as a storage space.

• The light-weight roof construction and the air between the roofing

and attic-floor provided a very good thermal insulation against the

passage of heat.

• Low pitched roof provides a good solution to drain off the rain-

water from the dwellings.

Balconies: provide a good sun-space.

Sunny courtyard to perform various activities during day

time.

Kitchen made of mud, placed at center which helps in

keeping the indoor warm.

Typical components of kath-khuni building:

• Shows a typical house with gaushala(cowshed) at

bottom & living area on the top capped off by pent &

gable roof.

• Temple features similar elements but different

proportions.

Stone plinth is filled up to a meter from the ground level.

The trench is relative to height of structure.

• For a two-storey house, depth is 0.6-1 meter.

• In case of tower temple, its as deep as 3 meters.

The walls are constructed with alternate courses of dry

masonry & wood without any cement mortar.

Wall courses:

• Two wooden wall beams are laid longitudinally parallel to each

other with a gap in between.

• The space b/w two members is filled with rubble stone & edge is

secured with kadil(wooden nail).

WALL JUNCTION SHOWING THE

KATH-KHUNI ARCHITECTURE

WALLS IN KATH-KHUNI

Windows are provided in walls with solid plank shutters

on 4 sides & are usually very small.

The same window has floral carvings on outer face with

small opening.

WALL STORAGE UNITS

Ground floor is raised above the stone plinth & finished

with adobe(clay). It functions as an insulating at the same

time remains warmer than stone finished surface.

Roof is constructed out of wooden beams followed by

purlins & rafters, topped with slates or wooden shingles.

Slate stones also weighs down the structure against

strong winds.

WOODEN SHINGLES

Sanskriti Kendra: The materials used in sanskriti kendra are R.C.C.,

Bricks, Mangalore tiles, Cow dung, Mud, Husk, Clay, Steel, Timber,

Bamboo thatch etc.

Roof at different units are made up of different material – steel frame,

Mangalore tiles & bamboo.

Mud, Clay, Cow Dung are used in flooring & plastering on walls.

Timber is used in doors.

Techniques used in Sanskriti Kendra are modern and the

vernacular architecture is only depicted as follows:

• Walls: Walls are made up of bricks plastered to give mud texture.

Doors : They are made of timber. And thresholds are

provided.

Roof: Roofs are made by steel angles & sections topped

by network of bamboos & covered with Mangalore tiles.