Building documentation Booklet: volume i by DICRC

Research and Documentation

Building Documentation Volume - I

Traditional and Vernacular Building

About Traditional and Vernacular Buildings The traditional and vernacular buildings constitute a major section of built heritage in India. They are the ones which highlight the empirical knowledge of the materials and construction techniques. Moreover, these buildings form a physical compendium of the rituals and culture of a civilization and its people. Vernacular buildings consist of all the buildings which use locally available materials to address the local needs and surroundings. These materials range from stone to bamboo, earth and wood; helping create a region responsive architecture. These buildings are constructed by local craftspeople, using indigenous technologies which have evolved over the years. The principles of indigenous building knowledge gradually evolved into more refined systems which, over time, have resulted into the development of various traditional building typologies. The traditional buildings show enhanced use of the locally available materials and are an embodiment of the social systems. While the vernacular buildings show a simplistic construction system with minimal expressions of the society, the traditional buildings show a developed style of construction and expression. Both the building typologies represent the prevailing social and cultural systems.

Building Documentation Volume-I

Research and Documentation Traditional and Vernacular Buildings

Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India

List of other TVB projects: The Building Documentation - II (Locus) The Building Mapping - I (Overview) The Building Mapping - II (Locus) The Building Interactive Kit

Funded by:

ÂŠ 2014 Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC) CEPT University , Ahmedabad, India.

Government of Gujarat

iNDEXT-c Government of Gujarat

Table of Contents 01) About Building Documentation

Overview

The Rationale

02) The Documentation Categories

03) Modus Operandi

Primary Research

Research and Data Collection

Primary Field Visit

08 10 12

Field Work

Field Drawings

Photography

Discussions

Post Fieldwork

Data Cataloguing and Digitization

Preparation of Technical Drawings

Research and Analysis

05) Dissemination

Traditional Building Portfolio

Building Element Manual

Building Interactive Kit

TVB Lab

Building Map

Publications

Media

Website

Exhibition

About Building Documentation

Overview The Building Documentation is a process of recording, categorizing and dissemination of information, through graphical tools, for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings along with their Elements that include Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories. The Building mapping process is largely segregated into four major components, namely: Primary Research and Data Collection; Field Work; Data Cataloguing and Digitisation; and Dissemination.

The Building Documentation is a first of its kind documentation technique in India, which involves the in-depth recording of the building along with it interior architecture and furniture elements. The examples for the Building Documentation are selected from the houses identified during the Building Mapping process. The primary research involves gathering information about the building to be recorded. This step usually involves collecting data from existing archival records. This is then followed by recording through field drawings and photographic documentation, which culminates with the preparation of an in-depth Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP). This portfolio comprises of meticulous two dimensional (plan, section and elevation), three dimensional and exploded drawings of the architecture, interior architecture and furniture elements as well as smallest details from the hardware to surface ornamentation. This recorded data is further used to prepare the Building Element Manual and Building Interactive Kit. 2

The Rationale The Traditional and Vernacular Buildings in India are embedded with empirical knowledge systems, apart from there magnificence. These buildings are in harmony with the local surrounds, and showcase an optimum use of local materials; making them congruous to the natural topography. The empirical knowledge systems, developed by local craftspeople through frugal innovations, have generated indigenous construction techniques and innovative material usage. These buildings are also a manifestation of the society which constructs it. They highlight the behaviour and beliefs of the residents occupying it, which comes out through spatial planning and expressions. Until recently, the documentations conducted for comprehending the Traditional and Vernacular Buildings have not been very exhaustive in nature and does not cover all the typologies of Traditional Vernacular Buildings. This creates an imperative need of recording and creating a detailed analysis of the prime specimens of the Traditional and Vernacular Buildings of India. With this intention at the forefront, DICRC gave rise to the Building Documentation project. The main intention is to create a comprehensive data bank about various Buildings, Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) related to the Traditional and Vernacular Buildings of India. This resource material will act as a valuable educational data to various students, craftspeople, educators, design professionals, conservationist, and all those related to the field of Art, Craft, Design and Architecture. 3

The Documentation Categories

Documentation Categories India has a rich repository of cultural heritage which lends a distinct identity to the community and the place. DICRC tries to identify and document examples which showcase the essence and highest point achieved in our Traditional and Vernacular Buildings as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMCs) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNCs) integrated within it. These vibrant buildings, combined with the rich splendour of the interiors, demonstrate and exemplify the magnificence of the built form and extreme qualities of the craftsmanship achieved within our built heritage. The documentation categories are: Traditional and Vernacular Buildings Although there are a varied categories of traditional and vernacular buildings, the emphasis of documentation at DICRC lies with the domestic architecture. These type of architecture include local houses, palaces, havelis and bunglows amongst many. The research and survey also encompasses the buildings with religious importance, apart from public and commercial buildings. The buildings which are selected for documentation showcase the highest point achieved in the building crafts. An effort is also made to identify buildings which show the varied construction techniques along the primary material of construction like wood, stone and earth.

Interior Architecture Elements The significant interior building elements like walls, floor, ceiling and roof, doors, windows, stair, balcony, bracket, column, parapet and entablature are documented and described in detail.

Furniture The furniture is a reflection of the culture and life of a particular group or community of society. It showcases the crafts at the different level and scale. Within this category bed, table, storage, chair, sofa, bench, stool, partition, swing are studied in detail.

Objects and Accessories Apart from interior architecture and furniture elements, various objects like carpets and light fixtures, frame and hardware depicting the material culture of a region are documented. It represents various associated craft practices with building sector.

Traditional and Vernacular Buildings

Interior Architecture Elements

Furniture

Objects and Accessories

Modus Operandi

Primary Research Research and Data Collection Before commencing on the actual field work, the documentation team gathers basic information on existing records related to the building to be documented. This essentially helps in identifying existing archives of the building to be documented, along with information on the historic development of the area, significant events and the important associated persons to the building. In well documented places, distinctive physical characteristics of design, construction or form of building resource can also be identified. The existing documents may be in the form of drawings, photographs, literary accounts of its descriptions and documents related to its history, ownership etc. These records are generally searched and procured from archives, local municipalities, research institutions, architectural colleges, museums, libraries or private collections. Based on the background research, the next stage of field work is planned, determining the most appropriate level and the scope for the required purpose.

Before commencing on the actual field work, one should gather basic information from: 1. Publications like gazetteers, travel books, and through specialised books containing information about the architecture and history of the area research publications. 2. Institutes like Libraries of various universities, Archaeological Survey of India, National Museum, Central Secretariat and the respective State Secretariats, Schools of Planning and Architecture, and National & State Archives. 3. Resource persons like local experts, university scholars , local governing officers, historians, and designers.

Archival Documents

Primary Field Visit Before initiating the actual field work, the research also does a primary field trip to do the reconnaissance survey of the house to be documented. This primary field visit forms part of the Building Mapping survey. The team collects various information pertaining to the building; like name, location, its typology and construction techniques. The primary field trip also involves collecting all the relevant images from the building which highlight the architecture and style, interior spaces and its elements; along with the furniture elements existing in the house. The team also maintains a field trip diary, which acts as a reference point to keep an account of the fieldwork. It is a day-to-day follow up of schedule to keep a track of the time and to collect the data within a limited period. The diary, or a sketchbook, helps keep a tentative itinerary for areas and building identified, based on which the significant buildings are shortlisted in the background research for the documentation process. The itinerary also help identify specific buildings or places that are expected to be traveled for documentation purpose in the future.

Itinerary

Fieldwork Planning Diary

Field Work Field Drawings Field drawings are a valuable primary resource, containing all the detailed information on construction methodology, dimensions, and field notes made at the time of documentation. The quality of the field work has a considerable impact on the quality of the completed documentation. Therefore, field work must be thought out in advance to organize recording efficiently and to minimize mistakes. Field notes must be comprehensive as well as indicate information neatly so that others can understand them.

During fieldwork, dimensions are generally obtained from two sources: 1. On-field Measurements: These are produced by surveying and measuring angles and distances manually or by electronic survey instruments. The tools for measurement may vary in their sophistication depending upon and individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skill and the accuracy of the equipment. 2. Historic Documents: These can serve as useful resource data for documentation. Measurements in this case may come from original drawings, old views, published accounts, previous surveys, specifications, etc. One must verify the accuracy of the information against the structure itself.

Architectural Field Drawing Set

Photography Like drawings, photographs amplify and illuminate the recordings. In many cases they are more efficient in capturing data than either drawing or written description, but they also supplement and verify drawn or written records. The texture of materials is difficult to depict by drawing or writing. A single photograph, taken from the right vantage point, establishes the environmental setting for a building or structure to be studied. To achieve the same result with drawing would require too much effort on a secondary aspect of the subject being documented. Streets and Surroundings

Context

Street

Spaces

Internal Spaces

Elevations

Panorama

Elements and Details Interior Architecture

Element

Details

Furniture

Element

Details

Objects and Accessories

Discussions They are a medium to explore and know about the history of the houses and the families inhabiting them. They are also useful in understanding the details of construction of buildings and all other interior elements and furniture. Discussions provide insights about how each space works, and has there been any change in the usage. It is also important to understand the local rituals and practices of a place, as they are reflected through the building and its elements. A talk with the locals can reveal the belief systems, myths, folklores and other aspects of the community. It also becomes pertinent to find out about the living and eating habits, and how the spaces and elements have been designed for individual activities and how they are used at different times of the day.

Post Fieldwork Data Cataloguing and Digitization The cataloguing and digitization of information collected through on-field recording is among the most important aspect of the documentation process. Data cataloguing includes compilation of drawings and photographs in a systematic manner. Name of the City state-zone-district/taluka_city Gujarat(state) Central(zone) Kheda(district)_ Nadiad(city) GCKh_Nad

Photos Architectural GCKh_Nad_A Elements GCKh_Nad_A_E Roof Facade GCKh_Nad_Fac

Site GCKh_Nad_A_Site

GCKh_Nad_A_E_Roo_1

GCKh_Nad_A_Fac_1

GCKh_Nad_A_Site_1

Flooring Column

Facade Details

Column Brackets Staircase Doors Windows Ceiling Balcony Beams Parapet

GCKh_Nad_A_Fac_De_1

The table above shows the procedure in which photographs are catalogued.

At DICRC, the field drawings are inked, scanned and catalogued in separate sets, namely Architectural, Interior Architecture and Furniture drawings. The process also includes cataloguing of interviews with the residents, in print and electronic media. Subsequently, the digitization of field data in the form of detailed drawings is done. The recorded data from field visit are converted into vector-based drawings: Two-dimensional, Three-dimensional and Exploded. Moreover, exploded views for selective interior elements are made based on the criteria of richness, number of crafts expressed, craftsmanship and features amongst the type of elements. Interior GCKh_Nad_I Furniture GCKh_Nad_I_F

Accessories GCKh_Nad_I_Acc

Bed

Hardware

GCKh_Nad_I_Acc_H_1 GCKh_Nad_I_F_Bed_1

Light Fixtures

Stool

Frame

Chair

Carpet

Cupboard

Artefacts

Jhula Table Sofa Bench Partition In - Built Storage Movable Storage Miscelleneous

Preparation of Technical Drawings Technical drawings act as a base for understanding the material usage and the building crafts involved. They provide gathered information in a systematic way to understand the significance of the structure. A set of technical drawings include a site plan establishing a link between the structure and its surrounding setting; plans about the arrangement and massing of the structure, elevations showing the faรงades, room elevations and other vertical elements; sections providing vertical progression of spaces and elements; and details about construction techniques. Furthermore, the technical drawings also includes detailed set of interior and furniture elements. Only the elements which show significant use of craft techniques are selected to produced through drawings. Apart from the basic set of drawings, for the elements, the construction process and individual elements through an exploded drawing. It deals with the following categories: 1. Architecture 2. Architectural Isometrics 22

3. Interior Architecture Elements 4. Interior Architecture Elements - Isometrics 5. Interior Architecture Elements - Exploded 6. Furniture 7. Furniture Elements - Isometrics 8. Furniture Elements - Exploded 9. Details and Objects

Architecture

Furniture

Interior Architecture Elements - Isometrics

Furniture Elements - Exploded

Research and Analysis At DICRC, answering the need of the lack of substantial research material about the traditional and vernacular buildings is a vital criteria. All the documented data is analysed and further used for interpreting the elements and associated SMCs and SNCs. This final step of analysis then gets disseminated through Building Interactive Kit and Building Element Manual. The Building Interactive Kit is an online educational application aimed at generating awareness regarding the traditional and vernacular buildings and provides a holistic virtual experience of the buildings with respect to their context, architecture, elements and the traditional knowledge systems incorporated in them. The Building Element Manual is a set of data generated through the process of analysis of the interior architecture and furniture elements within the traditional and vernacular buildings. The elements, created by skilled craftspeople, are analysed in order to understand the embedded knowledge systems.

Dissemination

The Dissemination The data collected through the Building Documentation process gets disseminated through several resources. The major forms of data output are through a drawing portfolio and research and analysis kits. The significant mediums of dissemination of the data acquired through Building Documentation are Traditional Building Portfolio, Building Element Manual, Building Interactive Kit and various publications. The Traditional Building Portfolio contains vector-based drawings, which have been prepared for the building, along with the interior architecture and furniture elements. This data further used to perform detailed analysis and interpretation of documented building and elements to produce an extensive Building Element Manual and Building Interactive Kit. While the Building Element Manual is a handbook that involves the detailed analysis and interpretation of elements documented with the buildings; the Building Interactive Kit is an online educational platform, which provides a virtual three dimensional tour of the building along with the relevant information on the integrated building crafts. Both these outputs, the manual and kit, form a part of the Building Analysis, and help provide significant educational repository towards understanding the Traditional and Vernacular Buildings. Apart from the documented data is being disseminated through online maps and Building Craft Lab, alongside fieldwork reports that compiles all the information collected during fieldwork, especially the on-field drawings. Moreover, the documented data is also disseminated through publications, dedicated webportals, printed media and exhibition panels that give an overview of the Building Documentation project, 28 together with the outcomes.

Traditional Building Portfolio The data collected through the process of documentation are prepared into vector-based drawings, which get disseminated through the Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP). The TBP contains plans, sections, elevations, details and interpretive drawings for all the categories, Architectural, Interior Architectural and Furniture elements. Moreover, exploded views for selective interior elements are made based on the criteria of richness, number of crafts expressed, craftsmanship and features amongst the type of elements. Up till now DICRC has produced 4 traditional and vernacular building portfolios, 3 at Gujarat and 1 at Uttarakhand.

Building Element Manual The Building Element Manual is a set of data generated by Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC) through the process of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Analysis and Interpretationâ&#x20AC;? of the Elements (Interior Architecture elements and Furniture elements) of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings of India. The manual is created for each of the Interior Architecture Elements like wall, floor, ceiling, roof, door, window, column, bracket, stair, balcony and jharokha, parapets and railings, arches, entablature, etc. and Furniture Elements like wall unit, bed, table, storage, chair, sofa, bench, stool, partition, swing, etc. These elements, which are the key components of the heritage built environment are embedded with empirical knowledge of various crafts (Space Making Craft and Space Narrative Craft) and craft practices. They are created by master craftspeople/builders in specific time expressing the culture not only through its aesthetics but also through its form, dimensions, usage, articulation and process of making. The manual is developed through extensive discussions among the researchers of DICRC, Faculty members of CEPT University and experts from the field of Built Environment and Craft sector.

Building Interactive Kit The Building Interactive kit is as an online educational application which aims at generating awareness regarding the traditional and vernacular buildings, and crafts of India. Developed by the Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC) with the help of Knownsense Studios, the kit caters to the larger vision and intention of DICRC which is to develop educational material related to crafts in interior architecture. The outcome is intended to reach design professionals, conservationists, academicians, students as well as crafts people. This standalone educational kit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; first of its kind in India - is available online for free. The application provides a virtual tour around, and into selected traditional and vernacular buildings with the help of three dimensional (3D) computer modelling as well as a walkthrough within the interiors. By doing so, it presents the user with a holistic virtual experience of these buildings with respect to their context, architecture, interior architecture, interior architecture elements and the crafts techniques incorporated in them ; all accompanied by informative text presenting the user with interesting facts about the building and its contents. The primary intention to develop this Building Interactive Kit is to bring the embedded knowledge about Indian Traditional and Vernacular Architecture and Craft back to education. 34

TVB Lab The Traditional and Vernacular(TVB) Lab has a collection of drawing plates which form part of the Traditional Building Portfolio. The information is segregated under various categories such as interior architecture or furniture elements, material usage and the spaces where the elements have been used. The lab is interactive in nature and it allows the user to browse and search the data through various parameters. For further research and future references, the users can also create customized personal collections of the elements and buildings according to the need.

Building Map Building Map has been designed and developed by DICRC to show the location and details of houses documented and worth documenting. It consists of the map of the region and gives information and description about the buildings, interior architecture elements and interior elements which have been mapped during the visual survey and documentation process. The search options are divided in broad categories like materials and techniques to make the usage simpler and efficient.

Publications 1. Fieldwork Reports The report is an amalgamation of data collected on site, which form part of the TBP. They contain all the raw materials which constitute of hand drawings with detailed dimensions. The information is segregated under various categories such as architecture, interior architecture and furniture elements. It contains a brief information about the documented house and its history. It allows the user to browse the data required for producing measured drawings of various Interior Architecture and furniture elements. 2. Panels Panels are a medium to display the documentation and subsequent research. They include an overview about the project that includes the methodology and the outcomes. 3. Book Prathaa: Kath-khuni architecture of Himachal Pradesh The research is a collaborative project and was initiated in 2011 between researchers based in DICRC in CEPT University, India and in CRIDA , The University of Melbourne, Australia. This book documents an indigenous building technique called the kath-khuni construction prevalent in Himachal Pradesh, India. It illustrates the role of indigenous building traditions in a dual sense: architecture as an outcome of specific material assemblies to fulfill specific functional purposes and architecture as a process to bind together people, places and resources. 38

Fieldwork Reports

Panels

Book

Media Media acts as a medium to reach out large number of people and variety of audiences.

Website An online website (http://himachal.crida.net/) that includes representative of data (i.e. images of sites, buildings, details, and their construction; audio and video clips of interviews; 360 degree panoramic reconstructions of sites; and three dimensional reconstruction of selected buildings.

Exhibitions The work is displayed through various exhibitions in order to reach out to variety of audiences interested in knowing about the project.

For more information visit www.dicrc.in

Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University, Ahmedabad Contact :+079-26302470 Ext- 380, 381 , email: dicrc@cept.ac.in 44