SUSTAINABLE

ARCHITECTURE
Elaborating on some vernacular hill
buildings as per different climatic zones of
India.
Climatic Zones of India are as follows:-

1) Hot and Dry

2) Hot and Humid
3) Composite
4) Cold
5) Moderate
Vernacular Hill Buildings in Hot and
Humid Climatic Zone Of India
 The warm and humid zone covers the coastal
parts of the country, such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu
& Goa.
 The main design criteria in the warm and humid
region are to reduce heat gain by providing
shading, and promote heat loss by maximizing
cross ventilation.
 Characteristics of Warm and Humid region- High
humidity, strong sun, glare from the sky and
horizon, long monsoon periods with heavy rain.
Design Objectives (Hot and Humid
Climate)
 ResistingHeat Gain: Decreasing surface area of
building exposed to outside.
 Using that material that take longer time to heat
up.
 Increasing shading of the building in general.
 Using material that reflect heat.
 Promoting Heat Loss: Proper ventilation should
occur throughout the day.
General recommendations for Building
Design in Hot and Humid Climatic Zone Of
India
 Site: Landform
 For flat sites, for
design consideration
for the landform is
immaterial.
 In case of slopes and
depressions, the
building should be
located on windward
side or crest to take
advantage of cool
breeze.
General recommendations for Building Design in
Hot and Humid Climatic Zone Of India
 Open Spaces & Build
Form: Buildings should be
spread out with large
open spaces in between
for unrestricted air
movement.
 In cities, buildings on stilts
can promote ventilation
and cause cooling at
ground level.
 Water bodies : Water
bodies are not essential
as they would tend to
further increase the
humidity.
Vernacular Hill Buildings in Hot and
Humid Climatic Zone Of India
 Street width & orientation: A north-south direction is
ideal from the point of view of blocking solar
radiation.
 The width of street should be such that the intense
solar radiation during late morning and early
afternoon is avoid during the summers.
 Street width & orientation: As temperature is not very
high, free plants can evolve as long as house is under
protective shade.
 An obstructed air path through the interiors ate
important to ensure proper ventilation.
 The buildings could be long and narrow to allow
cross-ventilation. For Eg :A singly loaded corridor plan.
Vernacular Hill Buildings in Hot and Humid
Climatic Zone Of India
 Heat and moisture
producing areas like
toilets and kitchens must
be ventilated and
separated from the rest
of structure.
 Semi open spaces such
as balconies & porches
can be used
advantageously for day
time activity.
 In multi-storeyed
building a central
courtyard can be
provided with vents at
higher level to draw
away rising hot air.
Building Envelope
 Roof: In addition to
provide shelter from rain
and heat, the form of
roof should be planned
to promote air flow.
 Vents at the rooftop
effectively induce
ventilation and draw hot
air out.
 Insulation doesn’t
provide any additional
benefit.
 A double roof with a
ventilated space in
between can also be
used to promote air flow.
Building Envelope
 Walls: The walls must also
be designed to promote
air flow so as to counter
the prevalent humidity.
 Baffle walls, both inside
and outside the building
can help to divert the
flow of wind inside.
 They should be
protected from the
heavy rainfall prevalent
in such areas.
Building Envelope
 Fenestration: Cross
ventilation is of utmost
importance in warm and
humid climatic regions.
 All doors & windows should
preferably be kept open for
maximum ventilation for
most of years.
 These must be provided
with venetian blinds to
shelter the rooms from the
sun and rain, as well as for
control of movement.
 The opening should be
shaded by external
overhangs.
 Outlets at higher level serve
to vent hot air.
Air Movement Within a Room
Design for a Hot- Humid Climate
Vernacular Architecture of Arunachal Pradesh
 The Adi Tribe: Adi, meaning “hill
man” or “man of hill”, is a large tribe
inhabiting the unspoiled valleys of
the Brahmaputra River during its
course in South Tibet.
 The Adis show a remarkable sense
of artistry and proficiency in
weaving.
 Kebang, meaning ‘village council’,
is the important political institution of
the tribe, and works on a highly
developed system of democracy.
 The Adis too have dormitory systems
for young males and females.
 The religion of the Adi is centered on
Donyi-Polo, the Sun-Moon god, who
is regarded as the eye of the world.
 The Adi are also noteworthy for their
bridges, cane suspension bridges
are quite a showcase of native
ingenuity.
Vernacular Architecture of Arunachal Pradesh
 Houses Of Adi Tribe : size of the house depends on the
family
 Traditional houses are constructed with bamboos,
woods, canes, leaves.
 House raised well above the grounds with the help of
stilts.
 On theses stilts are tied wooden beams and thus the
level floor is made.
 Roof is made by dry paddy straws, dry Tokow leaves or
thatch grass .
 No nail is used in their construction .
 Construct their houses either on the plain-level ground or
on the sloping ground.
 Adi house has no windows and there are two doors, one
in the front for male members and the other at the back
for women
Vernacular Architecture of Arunachal Pradesh
House of the Adi Tribe
The Nyishi Tribe
 The indigenous house is constructed with Wooden &
Bamboo using (Thatch, Chinese Palm leaves, Cane leaves
and Jungle Banana Leaves) as roofing materials whichever
is locally available.
 The entire Joints are bind with cane ropes
 The Houses floor level is raised to 2.50 mtr from the ground
level and ceiling level to 2.50 mtr from the floor level.
 The plan consists of rear verandah, Common room with fire
place, bed room, Guest room, Front Verandah & side
verandah.
 The reinforcement nodes (diaphragms) prevent the
emerging longitudinal cracks from spreading over the
entire tube length.
 The kitchen cum fire place “emmi” -the base is constructed
with four bamboo support and on the surface of the room
4 1 foot wooden blocks on a banana leaf and then soil is
applied upto the height of the blocks , thus the stove can
be laid for kitchen purpose.
Vernacular Hill of Arunachal Pradesh
Vernacular Architecture of Arunachal
Pradesh
 Structural properties of
bamboo:-
 fibres run parallel to the
axis of the culm (stem).
 not continuous along
the length, they bend
towards the inside of
the nodes.
 no radial fibres exist.
 the more the fibres , it
becomes more difficult
to fracture the
material.
Vernacular Architecture of Arunachal
Pradesh
Advantages
 The Nyishi typology is
very flexible and light
structure thus resistant to
earthquake because of
its light weight
construction. Also If
damaged in case of
devastating earthquake
rector scale there will be
less casualty or zero
casualty because it will
not collapse like rigidly
built brick walling and
heavy and rigid building.
Disadvantages
 The longitivity of this type
of house is 10 to 12 Years
by replacing roofing
materials after every 3 to 5
years. The wooden
foundation used gets rut
due to bacterial action
and there is danger of
structure collapsing. During
very heavy rainfall the roof
starts leaking because of
which the local people
have sorted out the
modified type of house
construction.