Building Documentation Booklet: Volume ii by DICRC

Research and Documentation

Building Documentation

Volume - II

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-II

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 - I (Overview) 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) Gujarat

03) Uttarakhand

04) Himmachal Pradesh

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.

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

Gujarat

Gujarat DICRC Research Team extensively travels throughout Gujarat scouting for the relevant examples which can become part of this SMC Documentation Portfolio. The process of documentation requires a couple of days, for which the support of the resident/owner becomes very important. The idea is to measure and draw each and every smaller detail of the building and its component, which will later be produced into meticulous technical drawings. These drawings can be used by the house owner/resident as well as people related to the field of built environment and crafts. The application of this portfolio ranges from restoration to refurbishment to conservation to research to design applications to development of educational material to training modules for the artisans/craftspeople. The Building Documentation at Gujarat is an approach towards detailed understanding of different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings, their elements (Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories) as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) integrated within it; spread across Gujarat. The Building Documentation is an inclusive system of recording through photographic survey, on field drawings and interviews. It is the first of its kind documentation process in India conducted to understand the Interior Architecture elements, Furniture and the related craft forms, apart from the construction system of the house. 6

Till date, the DICRC team has carried out documentation at 4 places within Gujarat and has come out with two Traditional Building Portfolios. Furthermore, the team has prepared 110 Research Plates on Traditional Houses in Gujarat which are worth documenting. The documented houses are situated within varied geographical surroundings, using different construction material. These materials range from brick and timber to mud and thatch. These buildings also show different construction systems.

Gandhi nu Gaam

Sidhpur

Bhuj Taluka, Kutch

Patan District, North Gujarat

Mandvi

Nadiad

Mandvi Taluka, Kutch

Kheda District, Central Gujarat

Facade Details

Site and Surroundings 8

Sidhpur, Patan District, North Gujarat The Siddhpur house documented by DICRC researchers is called the Hararwala House located in Navi Vora Wad near the clock tower. As told by the owner, it is 80 years old house and owned by the Hararwala family, a well known and influential Bohra family. The house is two storied and the construction of the house is in brick and wood. There is a strong colonial influence but the architecture style observed can be labelled as eclectic. The house has five rooms with opulently decorated main halls on each floor and intricately crafted in-built wall units, richly carved and upholstered furniture elements like chairs and benches to display the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich status in the society. The organisation of the house is typical to any traditional house in the North-Gujarat region with otlo and khadki leading to the chowk (courtyard) and medi (inner rooms) or main hall. The furniture style observed in the house can be called composite with styles ranging from Art Deco, Victorian, Early Georgian and Chippendale. The materials used in interiors range from wood, cut glass and brass hardware. The craft techniques observed are wood carving, marquetry, etched glass metal embossing and casting, weaving, block printing, stucco work and glass painting.

Interior Spaces 10

Furniture Elements 11

Excerpts from the portfolio

Site and Surroundings

Facade Details

Nadiad, Kheda District, Central Gujarat The Desai ni Haveli is a two storied house situated in Mukut Nivas, Shankardas Desai ni Khadki in Desai Vagho. The construction of the house was started in 1783 A.D and according to the owner had more than 400 rooms. The original house got divided into 5 parts in 1902 A.D and the documented house is one of the parts of the same and was originally used for cooking and dinning purposes. The house is owned by the fifth generation started since 1783 A.D by Prabhudas Desai (as told by the owners). The construction type observed is timber framing with brick infill. The organisation of the house is typical to any traditional house in the Central-Gujarat region with dehli leading to the chowk (courtyard), parsal (intermediate passage space) leading to the medi (inner rooms). The house has several Interior Architecture Elements which represent motifs of Hindu Gods and religious animals like elephants, peacocks and floral patterns on columns and bracket. Though most of the Interior Architecture Elements are simplistic in their expression, the major influences found in the building are colonial. Several pieces of furniture observed in the house were made by replicating imported furniture brought by the family members during their travels. The materials used in interiors range from wood, ceramic tiles, cut glass and brass hardware. The craft techniques observed are wood carving, wood turning, etched glass, riveting and metal casting.

Interior Spaces 18

Furniture Elements and Details 19

Excerpts from the portfolio

Facade Details

Site and Surroundings 24

Mandvi, Kutch District, Kutch The house studied by the DICRC documentation team, situated near the Talav (lake), was constructed in the year 1915 as told by the owners and belongs to the Asher family. The house which has 29 rooms and two courtyards, was commissioned to master craftsman Bhachuk Kamdar by Kalyanji Uka, is three storied with terraces and balconies which act as ventilators and open spaces. The overall form of the house is irregular with major openings towards the east direction which results in darker interior spaces. The entry of the house opens in a courtyard which further guides a person towards the interconnected inner rooms. The interior walls of the rooms are adorned by glazed ceramic tiles imported from Italy. The house boasts of unique hand painted ceilings depicting cherubs and scenes from Indian folk tales. The furniture found in the house expresses an eclectic mix of styles. Also specific furniture styles observed in the same are composite in nature ranging from Art Deco, Edwardian to Chippendale. The main craft techniques involved in the house are wood carving, glass painting, cut glass and metal casting.

Interior Spaces 26

Furniture 27

Excerpts from the portfolio

Exterior Details

Site and Surroundings 32

Gandhi nu gaam, Kutch District, Kutch The bhunga house documented by DICRC researchers at Gandhi nu gaam represents the typical vernacular built form found in the Banni region of Kutch. The house was erected after the 2001 earthquake and the construction of the house is in mud brick and thatch. The house thus maintains the architecture style observed and related to the earth construction prevalent in Kutch. The organisation of the house is typical to any vernacular house in the region with plinth, circular wall and a conical thatch roof. The house has opulently decorated outer wall and intricately crafted inside, which is similar to the richly crafted and ornate elements like storages and plinth to display the rich cultural tradition of the community. The house uses mud bricks for the construction of the wall, whereas the roof constitutes of thatch and locally available grass. The materials used in interiors range from mud, cut glass and wood. The craft techniques prominently observed are wood carving, mud work and stucco work. The

portfolio

currently

under

preparation.

Interior Spaces 34

Furniture 35

Uttarakhand

Site and Surroundings 38

Single Storey Row House in Gallagaon village This is one of the most prominent building in Gallagaon. This row house has multiple owners and is one of the very old house in the village. Gaushalas are located at the ground floor and some of them are vacant. Wood-and-Stone walls are used for elements, floor and roof construction. Mud lipan is applied on wood to protect it from termite. Each module in this house is similar to the other. The module is further divided into two parts, front part is a passage and second part is a room. The room also has divisions where one part acts as kitchen and living and other part is used for storage.

Interior Spaces 39

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan 40

Front Elevation

Section

Section 41

Site and Surroundings 42

Two Storey Row House in Sheri village House is built by family of carpenter and displays high level of workmanship in carving and details. More than 13 families are residing here. Lower floor is gaushala, middle floor is living area, storage and top floor is kitchen. Balcony on the top floor is used as a common spillover area and the front porch is used for many religious functions. House has grown from one module to four and access to the house is from both the sides. Walls thickness vary as we move up- reduces by 6â&#x20AC;?. Slate roof is supported by wooden structure. The floor and rest of elements are made of locally sourced wood. This house has survived the forces of cloud burst and landslide a year before we documented it.

Interior Spaces 43

Ground Floor Plan

Row House Drawings, KFWR Project

07/24/10

First Floor Plan 44

Row House Drawings, KFWR Project

Second Floor Plan

Row House Drawings, KFWR Project

07/24/10

Elevation

Sheri Row House Drawings, KFWR Project

07/24/10

9 of 23

Section Sheri Row House Drawings, KFWR Project

07/26/10

17 of 23

Interior Spaces 46

Independent Single house with balcony in Gallagaon village This independent house belonged to a single owner, who was also known for his gambling skills in the village. The bottom layer is gaushala, the middle floor is bedroom and top floor is kitchen and resting area. A cactus plant located on the ridge of the roof is a common practice observed in all houses. Balcony is supported on stone column structure. Certain areas of the house were not accessible to female researchers of our team.

Site and Surroundings 47

Ammaji Row House Main Drawings - KFWR Project

26/07/10

Ammaji Row House Main Drawings - KFWR Project First Floor Plan

26/07/10

Ground Floor Plan

Page 1 of 17

Page 3 of 17

Second Floor Plan

Ammaji Row House Main Drawings - KFWR Project

26/07/10

Page 5 of 17

Section Ammaji Row House Main Drawings - KFWR Project

26/07/10

Page 14 of 17

Sectional Elevation Ammaji Row House Main Drawings - KFWR Project

26/07/10

Page 8 of 17

Himachal Pradesh

Images showing temples with Kath-Khuni construction technique

Images showing houses with Kath-Khuni construction technique

Images showing granaries with Kath-Khuni construction technique

Images showing examples of Kath-Khuni construction technique 52

Kath-Khuni Construction Technique Kath-Khuni is an indigeneous construction system prevalent in Himachal Pradesh. It employs locally available wood and stone, and lends a distinct visual spatial character to the resulting architecture of dwellings, temples, kots (palaces) and many building types. In order to understand and learn the construction system, a research was led to a number of sites in an arc passing through towns and villages of Shimla to Chitkul in the Shimla and Kinnaur districts in the south-east corner ofHimachal Pradesh.

Sketches showing details of Kath-Khuni construction technique 53

Sketches showing details of Kath-Khuni construction technique 54

Construction sequence of a typical kath-khuni house 55

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Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University, Ahmedabad Contact :+079-26302470 Ext- 380, 381 , email: dicrc@cept.ac.in 62