SUSTAINABILITY AND VERNACULAR

DWELLINGS
As has been already described, vernacular dwellings are inherently
sustainable in design and are responsive to the climate, culture, and
socio-economic conditions of the area. As per the BIS, the country has
been divided into five major climatic zones: Hot and dry, warm and
humid, temperate, cold, and composite. The typical vernacular
dwellings of three climatic zones, namely hot and dry, warm and
humid, and cold were compared to understand the sustainability of
each prototype.
CLIMATE ZONE 1 – Hot and Dry
Situated in the north western part of the country, the Thar desert
covers the states of Rajasthan and partly Gujarat. The vernacular
architecture of the desert is an artistic expression of the climate and
the culture of Rajasthan. The people of the region have evolved a
lifestyle with the judicious use of the available natural resources. There
is a distinct divide between the kuccha and pukka vernacular
architecture of Rajasthan. The Kuccha is defined by the dhani in
Rajasthan and the boonga in the Kutch region, while the pukka
architecture is dominated by the haveli kind of architecture prevailing
mainly in Jaisalmer district.
Vernacular Prototype - Haveli
• Narrow meandering streets negotiating the topography of the
settlement, with dense tightly packed havelis built around a courtyard
with exquisite carved stone facades.
• Pols- urban neighbourhoods segregated on the basis of caste
• Two-three storeys high, with a rectangular deep plan and a very
narrow frontage on the street, built around a courtyard or a series of
courtyards.
• Raised platform on either side of the main entrance gate along the
streets known as otla or basali – semi private zone and an extension
of the house in the street.
Vernacular Prototype - Haveli
• The courtyard – nucleus of the house
• Use changes with time of the day and season of the year
• Primary source of light and ventilation
• Multifunctional rooms
• For example: the kitchen spills out into the angaan or sal which is also used as
the family area in the day and for sleeping at night.
• Jharokhas on first floor with intricate jaali work
Vernacular Prototype - Haveli
• Construction –
• Thick and solid load bearing masonry walls, mostly made of random rubble with lime
plaster
• Timber used as structural component to span roofs, doors and windows
• Stone slabs used for flooring
• Climate responsive factors –
• Passive cooling due to courtyard
• Self shading due to narrow streets with tall buildings around it
• Insulating roof
• Convective cooling due to the jharokhas
• External surface painted in light colors to reflect light
• Time lag created due to stone as the building material
Shekhawati Haveli - Rajasthan
• Shekhawati means the land of Shekha’s clan derive its
name from Rao Shekha (1422 AD – 1488 AD, a king).
• Sustainable factors:
• Society- male dominated
• Economy- rich traders
• Resources- stone, lime, sand, mud and clay
• Climate- hot and dry
• Primeval physiological objective
• Reduction of intense solar radiation on external surfaces
• Lowering down of internal temperatures
• Sufficient air ventilation
• Maintaining the privacy of women
 Shekhawati Haveli - Rajasthan

Inner main courtyard

Entrance court

Basali

Ground floor and first floor plan of a small Shekhawati haveli

Shekhawati Haveli - Rajasthan

Longitudinal section Traverse section

 Shekhawati Haveli - Rajasthan

Compact
planning to
Inner courtyard with semi open spaces around it reduce solar
radiation
 Shekhawati Haveli - Rajasthan

Street façade
showing elaborate
paintings

External view – jharokhas on upper floor

Udaipur Haveli
• Location: Rajasthan, Situated in a
valley , surrounded by the Aravalis
• Climate: Largely hot and arid
• Time of construction: approx. 200 yrs
ago , i.e. 1800s
Udaipur Haveli
The haveli consists of 3 courtyards, viz,
• One outside the haveli - Meant for
tying domestic animals, evening
walks, celebrating special occasions.
• Central courtyard - For family get-
togethers, children playing, offering
morning prayer, holding feasts.
• Within the zenana(females) –
crushing spices, drying masalas,
grinding wheat, get together of the
women.
Udaipur Haveli
Udaipur Haveli
Bikaner
• The district of Bikaner lies almost at
the northern most edge of the
desert.
• The surface is for the most part
covered with undulating sand hills,
varying in height from 10m to over
30m.
• The land is as dry as a desert can
possibly be, with no perennial rivers
or streams.
Bikaner
• The houses are constructed out of
stone as well as mud.
• Rectangular rooms arranged in
geometric pattern around the
courtyard
constitute the basic plan form.
• All major spaces are rectangular, with
flat stone slabs or rough wood roofs,
except for one’s that are circular which
are either kitchen or store with a
conical thatched roof.
Bikaner

Exterior Mud wall Small

construction openings

Roof material

Conical thatch roof

Interior yard
Jaisalmer- haveli
• The most complex and interesting
residential buildings in Jaisalmer are
the havelis built by the rich merchants
or courtiers.
• There are underground rooms as well,
sometimes at two levels one below the
other.
• The uppermost storey comprises
terraces enclosed by wind pavillions
and high parapet walls.
• In some cases, the house is built
around two courtyards.
Jaisalmer- haveli

Nathmalji’s Haveli, Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer- haveli

Nathmalji’s Haveli, Jaisalmer

Vernacular prototype- Bhunga House of
Jaisalmer
• The villagers of Jaisalmer build circular
houses of mud, roofed with thatch –
materials eminently suited to their
hostile desert environment.
• The clustering of huts and the
arrangement of open spaces reflect
their life-styles and social structure.
• Bhungas are built on a raised platform
and circulation is carried out on it.
• A cluster of bhunga built on the plinth
contains settlements of one whole
family.
Vernacular prototype- Bhunga House of
Jaisalmer
• Enclosed by a mud wall, diameter of a
bhunga house varies from 3 to 5 m
• In places which are likely to face
inundation during the rains, the walls
are made up of sun dried clay blocks
and finished with mud plaster
• These walls cannot carry the load of
the roof and they are not rigid enough
to hold it.
Vernacular prototype- Bhunga House of
Jaisalmer
• Construction Details
• For the roof, a conical
wooden frame is made of
sticks which rise from the
wall and are tied at crown to
create the cone.
• The cone is surfaced
externally with thatch.
• A wooden prop placed in the
centre of the beam supports
the conical roof and helps
transfer the load to the post
through the beam.
Vernacular prototype- Bhunga House of
Jaisalmer
Vernacular prototype- Bhunga House of
Jaisalmer

Bhunga settlement of a family

Vernacular prototype- Bhunga House of
Jaisalmer
Mirror-studded clay decoration,
embroidered cloths and painted
earthenware contribute to the rich
ambience of a bhunga interior.
References
• Gupta, V. Indigenous architecture and natural cooling. Energy and resources, 41. Retrieved from
http://space-design.com/upload/RS0005.pdf
• Gupta, V. (1985) . Natural cooling systems of Jaisalmer. Architectural science review, 58. Retrieved
from
http://www.space-design.com/upload/rs0007.pdf
• Agarwal, A. , Ahuja, R., & Jain, R. K., (2006) . Shekhawati: urbanism in the semi-desert of India A
climatic study . PLEA2006 - The 23rd Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture.
Retrieved from http://www.unige.ch/cuepe/html/plea2006/Vol1/PLEA2006_PAPER978.pdf
• Tipnis, A. , Sustainability and vernacular dwellings. Vernacular Traditions: Contemporary
Architecture, 41-44.
• Rappoport, A. , House Form and Culture.