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Figure 3.19 - The door jamb with stone edging
from CLIMATE RESPONSIVE ARCHITECTURE INTEGRATING CLIMATIC CONSIDERATIONS AS AN PART OF PLANNING AND BUILD
3.2.4 Construction material
1) Walls of the traditional houses
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The traditional thick external walls and plastering in houses is unique in its own way. The materials used to construct the masonry wall are stone and brick. The foundation was constructed out of hard stones called karungkal (granite) or semparangal (red laterite stone). The natural material is good for health and optimization for environmental design of building.
The karungkal is raised up to the plinth level and the soil is filled up to 6ft height and left for 3yrs in sun and rain for the soil to get set. The masonry wall construction starts only after the setting of the plinth. The external walls are constructed with a 2 ft. (600mm) thickness and the internal wall are of 1 ft. 6 inches thickness, with country made burnt bricks of size8’’ x 3’’ x 2’’ with lime mortar as a binding agent and the external walls are edged with stone posts at the door jamb as shown in Figure 3.19, and these external walls are plastered with lime mortar.
Figure 3.19 - The door jamb with stone edging
1. Granite stone for door jambs and lintel in the main entrance gate 2. The 2’ (600mm) thick brick wall with lime mortar masonry and lime mortar plastering (Source – Assessment of the climate-responsive architecture of traditional houses by Radhakrishnan S.)
