ALTERNATIVE

THEORIES OF HOUSE
FORM
 INTRODUCTION

IN THIS CHAPTER IT IS BEING DISCUSSED

ABOUT THE PROCESSES INVOLVED IN THE
FORMATION OF A BUILDING .

THE FORM OF THE DWELLING S ARE HIGHLY

DEPENDANT ON DIFFERENT FACTORS MAKING
IT A COMPLEX PROCESS
 TWO IMPORTANT FACTORS
FACTORS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE FORM OF HE DWELLINGS
ARE ;
1 PHYSICAL FACTORS
2 SOCIAL FACTORS
PHYSICAL FACTORS

1 CLIMATE AND THE NEED FOR SHELTER

2 MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

3 SITE
CLIMATE AND NEED FOR SHELTER

EXAMINATION OF EXTREME DIFFERENCES IN URBAN

PATTERN AND HOUSE TYPES WITHIN ONE AREA
SUCH AS OLD AND NEW DELHI SHOWS THEM TO BE
MUCH MORE RELATED TO CULTURE THAN TO
CLIMATE

PRIMITIVE MAN IS CONCERNED WITH SHELTER

WE BUILD HOUSES TO KEEP IN A CONSISTENT

CLIMATE AND TO KEEP OUT PREDATORS
SHELTER IS OF SUPREME IMPORTANCE TO MAN IN HIS
EFFORTS TO SHELTER HIMSELF AGAINST TH EXTREMES
OF WEATHER AND CLMATE HE HAS EVOLVED MANY
TYPES OF DWELLINGS ONE OF WHICH IS THE COURT
HOUSE

IN CASE OF GREECE BOTH COUT FORM AND

MEGARON FORMWERE FOUND OR IN LATIN AMERICA
COURT HOUSES ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO CULTURAL
FACTORS

HOUSE BUILDING IS NOT A NATURAL ACT AND IT IS

NOT UNIVERSAL
IN SEVERE CLIMATES SUCH AS THE ARTICS THE FORM OF
DWELLINGS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE MAY BE VERY
DIFFERENT eg ESKIMO SUMMER AND WINTER
DWELLING HAVE A SIMILAR PLAN CONSISTNG OF A
CENTRAL SPACE WITH ROOMS ARRANGED RADIALLY
OFF IT

ROUND HOUSE TYPICAL OF LOYALTY ISLANDS AND

NEW CALIDONIA IS USED BECAUSE IT ETAINS THE HEAT
OF QUITE SMALL FIRE AT NIGHT WITHOUT HE NEED FOR
COVERINGS
THERE ARE CASES IN WHICH THE WAY OF LIFE MAY
LEAD TO ALMOST ANTICLIMATE SOLUTIONS eg
HIDATSA OF THE MISU=OURI VALLEY WERE
AGRICULTURISTS FROM APRIL TO NOVEMBER THEY
LIVED IN CIRCULAR WOODEN HOUSES 30 TO 40 FEET
IN DIAMETER WITH FIVE FOOT HIGH WALLS MADE OF
TREE TRUNKS AND FOR CENTRAL COLUMNS 14 FEET
HIGH SUPPORTING RAFTERS CARRYING BRANCHES ,
EARTH AND GRASS ROOFING
 AMONG SOUTHWEST POMO INDIANS OF
CALIFORNIA THE LOCATION OF VILLAGES
CHANGED BEING ON THE COAST IN SUMMER
AND IN THE RIDGES OF THE HILLS IN WINTER
BUT FORM OF HOUSE DID NOT CHANGE THE
MAIN EFFECT OF THE CLIMATIC IFLUENCE WAS
THE HOUSE DOOR FACED AWAY FROM THE
WIND
BORO OF THE WESTERN AMAZON LIVE IN LARGE
COMMUNAL HOUSES WITH THICKLY THACHED ROOFS
AND WALLS WITHOUT PROVISION FOR CROSS
VENTILATION

ANTI CLIMATIC SOLUTIONS CAN BE FOUND IN MANY

PARTS OF THE WORLD eg CHINESE HOUSE IN MALAYA
IT IS BETTER SUITED TO CLIMATE BUT THE COURTYARD
PLAN AND HEAVY MASONRY CONSTRUCTION OF THE
CHINESE HOUSE MAKE LITTLE SENSC IN HOT HUMID
AREA

IN JAPAN TATCH IS REPLACED BY SHETH METAL

IT IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF PRIMITIVE AND

VERNACULAR BUILDING THAT THEY TIPICALLY
RESPOND TO CLIMATE
MATERIAL CONSTRUCTION AND
TECHNOLOGY

FOR THOSANDS OF YEARS WOOD AND STONE HAVE

DETERMINED THE CHARACTEROF BUILDINGS

THERE ARE SITUATIONS WHERE SOCIAL VALUES TAKE

PRECEDENCE OVER TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCE

IN NORTH AFRICA FRENCH PIPED WATER TO ASERIES OF

VILLAGE CAUSED SERIOUS DISSATISFACTION.
THE CHANGE OF FORM MAY BE RELATED TO THE
SYMBOLIC NATURE OF TWO FORMS eg IN NICOBAR
ISLANDS BOTH ROUND AND RECTANGULAR FORMS ARE
FOUND,INCHINA ,EGYPTH AND MESOPPOTAMIA
RECTANGULAR HOUSES ARE BUILT OF STONE MUD OR
OTHER MATERIAL

MATERIALS CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY ARE

BEST TREATED AS MODIFYING FACTORS

ALL HOUSES IN SOUTH SEAS USE SAME BASIC

TECHNOLOGIES- POLISHED STONE AND SHELL ADZES
AND MATERIALS eg IN PAPUA, NEW GUINEA SAME
MATERIALS AD TECHNOLOGIES HAVE PRODUCED VERY
DIFFERENT ROOMS
CHANGE OF MATERIALS DOES NOT NECESSARLY
CHANGE THE FORM OF THE HOUSE eg GREEK ISLAND
OF SANTORIN-ROOF MATERIAL WAS CHANGED BUT
THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN FORM
URU DWELLING
MARSH ARAB DWELLING
PUEBLOS
ARAB TENT
MONGOL YURT
MASAI DWELLING
YAGUA DWELLING
SITE
THE HOGAKU SYSTEM OF ORIENTATION IN JAPA
DETERMINES THE LOCATION OF JAPANESE HOUSE
WITHOUT REGARD TO TOPOGRAPHY

IN INDIA HOUSES ON STEEP HILL SIDE ARE STRICTLY

OORIENTED TO THE EAST THAT THE DOORS FACE UP
THE SLOPE

IN GILBERT AND ELLICE ISLANDS HOUSES ARE

ORIENTED TO THE FORCES OF UNIVERSE RATHER THAN
TO THE TOPOGRAPHY

WATER AS A SITE CAN BE HANDLED BY BUILDING OVER

WATER ON PILOTIS , BUILDING IN THE SHORE OR USING
A FLOATING HOUSE
SOCIAL FACTORS

1 DEFENCE

2 ECONOMICS

3 RELIGION
DEFENCES

MAINLY ACCOUNTS FOR TIGHT URBAN PATTERN BUT

NOT ALWAYS

PREHISTORIC CRETE
Eg OF AN AREA WHERE DEFENCE IS NOT THE REASON

COMPACT TOWNS IN GREEK ISLANDS ATTRIBUTE TO

NEEDS OF DEFENCES
BUT DUE TO LACK OF MONEY AND LACK OF LAND AND
RESOURCES THE HOUSES THREMSELVES HAD TO FORM
THE CITY WALL

DEFENCE ALSO PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN

DECIDING HOUSE FORM
THE USE OF STOCKADES PALICADES AND FENCES ARE
EXAMPLES

HOWEVER IT DOES NOT FULLY ACCOUNT FOR FORM

AND OTHER ASPECTS CAN CHANGE THE FORM NOT
FAVOURABLE FOR DEFENCE eg MARAI WARRIORS KROD
INCAMEROONA DEFENCE HAVELLED DIFFERENTLY
BECAUSE GRANARIES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN
CATTLE WITHIN THE CAMEROONS WHERE DA OF
ATTACK IS RELATIVELY FAMILY IS POLYGAMOUS /
MONOGAMOUS

ACCESS IS CONTROLLED BY USE OF A SIMPLE ENTRY

BUT SPATIAL ARRANGEMENTS VARY ACCORDING TO
VARIOUS REASONS
COMMUNIAL DWELLINGS HAS ALSO BEEN LINKED TO
DEFENCE PURPOSE
Eg SPARTA AND ATHENS AND VENICES HAVE WALLED
TONINS

COMMUNIAL DWELLINGS TAKE ON CONTRASTING

FORMS AND VARY IN SHAPE SIZE AND INTERNAL
ARRANGEMENTS

SOCIAL EXPLANATIONS OF HOUSE FORM IS DEFENCE

AND ECONOMICS
PILE DWELLINGS OBVIOUS DEFENSIVE COMPONENT
AGAINST ANIMALS AND SNAKES

ACCESS TO PILE DWELLINGS VARIES LIKE BOAT/

BRIDGES WHEN OVER WATER

WITHDRAWABLE LADDERS OR NOTCHED TREE TRUNKS

etc………………

SOME VILLAGES IN SOLOVAKIA HAVE A DEFENCE FORM

TOWERS OF SAN GIMINIANO BOLOGNR

PALAZZI OF FLORENCE eg OF DEFENSIVE FORM

 ECONOMICS

IN SEDENTARY AGRICULTURAL VILLAGES, GRANARIES

STILL PLAY CENTRAL ROLE IN CONSERVING
ECONOMICAL ASSETS BUT WELL SUPPORTED BY
DESIGNED FEATURES SUCH AS WATER
RESERVOIRS ,WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND
PROPERTY MANAGEMENTS THAT IS CONDUCTED BY
CHIEFTAINS OF THE VILLAGES
SOUTH EAST ASIAN VERNACULAR VILLAGES
ACKNOWLEDGE CONCEPT OF WEEKLY MARKET
CONCEPT. THEREFORE IN ONE DAY EVERY WEEK,
PEOPLE OF FIVE VILLAGES COULD GATHER IN ONE
VILLAGE FOR SHOPPING

KAUTILYA IN ARTHARASHTRA PLANFORTS , TRESURIES

OFFICIALS GOVERNMENTS AND POPULATIONS IN
ARRANGING THE SPACIAL DISTRIBUTION OF CITY .
HIERARCHIAL AND SYSTEMATIC ZONING FOR
HETEROGENEOUS CLASSE OF SOCIETY BASED ON
WEALTH WHICH COINCIDED WITH CASTE IS WELL
PRESCRIBED IN MAYAMATA AS GEOMETRIC,
CONCENTRIC AND HIERARCHIAL SCHEME IN SREE
RANGGAM, KANCHIPURAM,CITY OF ANGKOR
ANOTHER WAY TO VALUE ECONOMY IS ACCORDING TO
RAPAPORT IS LIFESTYLE. IN ANNAM , VIETNAM PEASANT
BUILT HOUSE AS SOON AS HAVING MONEY
RELIGION

RELIGION AFFECTS THE FORM, PLAN ,SPACIAL

ARRANGEMENTS AND ORIENTATION OF THE HOUSE
RELIGION ALSO DEFINE IF ONE SHOULD NEED THEIR
OWN SHELTERS

IN SOUTHEAST ASIA HOUSE IS NOT ONLY A PLACE FOR

HABITATION BUT PLACE OF ORIGIN OF THE KIN
GROUPS ANCESTRAL HOUSE SOMETIME IT IS LEFT
INHIBITED , WHILE THE REAL RESIDENT LEAVS
SOMEWHERE NEARBY OR ADJACENT TO IT THEREFORE
THE HOUSE ITSELF APPEAR MORE LIKE ATEMPLE AND IS
CONSIDERED SACRED
MOSTLY THE ANCESTORS HOUSE STILL
OCCASIONALLY VISITED FOR CONDUCTING POOJA

ARRANGEMENT OF HOUSEPLAN IN MINANGKABAU,

WESTSUMETRA FOLLOWS RITES OF THE PASSAGES OF
FAMILY

s
 THANK YOU

PRESENTED BY

ALEXANDER G ALOSHIOUS - 303

APARNA JOY - 306
GOPIKA REMANAN - 315