Architectural Programme Low Cost Housing Nagaon, Maharashtra, India Studio CONTEXT Maja Sønderskov - 305040 -1-
Cover and above: a variation of graphic Mandala. -2-
Contents: Geographical Overview
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Introduction 7 Project Aims 8 Preliminary Investigation 11 Climatic Conditions 12 Abiotic Renewable Energy 14 Cultural and Religious Aspects 16 On-Site Registration 19 Site Overview 20 Anthropological Analysis 22 Case Studies (CS) 26 Water Significance 26 Nature 29 Implementation 33 Architecture and Needs 35 Scale and Proportions 36 Spatial Programme 40 Functions 41 Inspiration 44
Composition 50 Correlation and Flow 51 Organizational Principle 52 Strategy 54 SWOT-Analysis 55 Housing Units 56 Conceptual Structure of Housing Units 58 Materials 60 Appendix 63 Interviews 63 Materials 95 Ornaments 107 Building Regulations and Techniques 114 Traffic Around the Site 120 Points of Access 121 Openings 122 Essays 129 References 138
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Map of India.
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Geographical Overview
Field map.
Map of Raigad region.
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Site map. Infrastructure and water.
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Introduction. The appointed site for the project of Low Cost Housing for Studio Context is situated in the village of Nagaon, located 108 km south from Mumbai and only 18 km south from Alibag - the central town in the district. A relatively short distance makes it to an attractive place to visit especially for tourists from Mumbai, preferring to take a one to two days break from the noisy metropolis. The infrastructure is rather well functioning and the village has a sign of expanding along the main road. There are two ways to reach the village from Mumbai: by ferry or by car and both ways take no longer than two hours of travelling. Nearby the main road, there is a square with a temple and a watertank defining the center of the village. The appointed site is situated approximately 100 m north from the water basin.
collected information into the actual project. While the first phase of the project is based on the preliminary investigations of the climatic conditions, speculations on the potential of abiotic renewable energy and theoretical research within the cultural and religious aspects, its second phase, the actual study trip to India, has revealed the importance of the social, cultural, historic and religious aspects of life in todays India. It gave an overview of the actual conditions, constructional typologies and materials applied during various historical periods, including the latest. The intention with the third phase is to collect the theoretical and practical knowledge into a project, oriented towards approximately 20 families living in a new district of Nagaon, forming a strong community and possibly bound by some professional skills.
The whole project can be roughly divided into three phases: -preliminary investigation of the site; -registration onsite; -analysis and further implementation of the -7-
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
ON-SITE REGISTRATION
IMPLE MENTATION
Project Aims. As for the aims of the project there would be pointed out the following:
-to create a new district in Nagaon with approximately 15 Low Cost Housing units; -to establish a strong and active community by implementing an economic, commercial or professional unity;
-to respect the local climate with specifics of its three seasons;
approx. 15 units
temperature
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sun rain
humidity
-to work with water-harvesting or well-constructing concept; -to incriminate vegetation for shadowing and cooling;
strong & active community
wind
respecting climate
water harvesting
shadowing/cooling
-to learn from vernacular architecture; -to work with available and easy-accessible materials, skills and construction techniques;
vernacular architecture available materials
-to provide social and sustainable solutions; -to embrace the cultural, social and religious aspects of Indian everyday life into house projecting; -to seek the inspiration from the context and nature.
cultural ... aspects
-to provide sanitary facilities, electricity, water; -to evoke a sense of responsibility for natural resources among the inhabitants. responsibility
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inspiration
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PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
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Research. During the preliminary investigations there has been a focus on the climatic conditions of the site, potential of abiotic renewable energy and cultural and religious aspects. Climatic Conditions. Temperature. There are three seasins in India: -summer -winter -monsoon
Those three could be characterized as warm, cold and wet. Generally it is very warm and humid in India. Even during monsoon, the temperature continues to be high and it brings certain demands towards architecture in terms of ventilation, aeration, shadowing and openings sizes.
Climatic Conditions. Wind.
Wind Direction N
The Indian Ocean version of the hurricane, which is traditionally called a “cyclone� in the Indian Ocean, can also form and move ashore in association with the onset of the monsoon.
W
E
W
E
S
S
Monsun season
The rest of the year
Wind direction.
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N
Climatic Conditions. Sun Diagram.
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Abiotic Renewable Energy. Water is one of the potential sources of energy that nature has made available. Harnessing this tremendous source through simple traditional methods like rainwater harvesting for household as well as agricultural use, can put an end to the water crisis that forms a tangible threat to the population. Though rainwater harvesting has been in practice from time immemorial in the form of kunds in the Thar desert, charcoal and bamboo irrigation methods and temple tanks, the importance of it had diminished considerably. However, traditional rainwater harvesting is still prevalent in rural areas, in surface storage bodies like lakes, ponds, and irrigation tanks. Nevertheless water harvesting is not that popular in Nagaon. On the other hand there is a lot of underground water and well established well-system. There are though specific legal rules, which have to be obeyed if establishing a well.
Right: water harvesting in India.
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Cultural and Religious Aspects. Hinduism is an ancient, complex and multifaceted belief system that can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilization (3rd.2nd. millenium bc.) it is today, in various forms, the major religion/belief of India. Five elements have given shape to the Hindu religion tradition: doctrine, practice, society, story and devotion.
Doctrine: “the status of the one in relation to the many”. Practice: worship of icons or images. This is called “puja” (honoring) or “archana” if performed in a temple. Society: the social structure has come to be called the caste system. Originally it is a four-part system order, consisting of brahmans (priests), kshatriyas (nobles), vishyas (commons) and sudras (servants). Story: stories of the divine entering entirelly into the human drama. Devotion: “bhakti” are devotional poems attributed to inspired figures, who represent both gender and all social classes. Tdrama of disintegration and reintegration.
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Symbols. The art that emerges from Hinduism is highly symbolic. The ritual symbolism presupposes the existance of a spiritual reality that may make its presence and influence felt in the material. The production of objects of symbolic value are therefore more than just a technique. The artisan can begin to work only after entering into a state of supranor- sub consciousness. A mandala is an example of such. It is a geometric projection of the universe, and represents a schematic form of the whole drama of disintegration and reintegration. It is drawn during a highly complex ritual in a purified and ritually consecrated place. Mandala has various facets and ways to be grown upon. An example is the “shrichakra�, which is composed of nine isosceles triangles: four pointing upward, and five pointing downward. In the middle is the power point, visualizing the highest, elusive center from which the entire figure and the cosmos expand. The triangles are enclosed by two rows of petals. The broken lines of the outer frame denote the figure to be sanctuary with four openings to the regions of the universe.
Centerfold: diversity of Indian culture, tradions and people. -17-
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ON-SITE REGISTRATION
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Site Overview.
Mapping.
Height.
The main Temple of Nagoan is situated just 50 m south from the site and the water tank is only 20 m south from the site.
The area is surrounded by versatile houses. Most of the houses are one to two storied, while immediately to the west from the site there is a four storied hybrid building consisting of apartments and a shop. It brings the variety in height to the destrict.
All the shopping takes place along the road about 100 m south and and 50 m west from the site. The areal of the site is:
Materials. The building materials slightly vary from each other. The newer houses are built in concrete, while the older ones are made of bricks, plaster, concrete, tiles, tin and cowdry. For more information see Appendix pp.95-113.
Lot1: 3550m2, Lot2: 4300m2 -----------------Total: 7850 m2
Access. The main points of access to the site are from south and west. On the northern side there is a narrow path. There is a minor road going in the west-east direction, combining the main road with the rice and textile factories. For more information see Appendix pp.121-122.
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1
Section 1-1
1
Lot1
Map of Nagaon 1:2000
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Lot2
Registrations. The actual trip to India made it possible to experience the context through encountering people, seeing images, inhaling smells, tasting new food and beverages, participating in unfamiliar cultural events, touching new materials, and actual measurements, using modern tools and technology. Anthropological Analysis. The anthropological analysis helped to get closer to the target group of the project people of Nagaon and to start understanding the building blocks of Indian Community. Indian community is built upon bonds and relations. A strong network of relatives and friends, calling each others for brothers and sisters, forms Indian society, turning it into a web of cooperation and mutual support. The lack of space and means further intensifies the importance of cooperation. Everyday life of such a society is based upon distribution of the tasks and responsibilities within a family unit and the community as such. Based on the observations and two weeks-research, I perceive India as a modern patriarch society with more or less Right: a fishmonger at the Thursday market.
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strictly distributed tasks, obligations, responsibilities between the genders and a strong importance of achievement, status and success. A basic Indian household will primarily consist of a working husband, a housewife and a couple of children. It could as well be one,- or multi-generational household with several siblings (incl. their families) living together in the same house plus parents to the siblings. The word modern in a modern patriarch society should be taking into consideration as it brings a variation to todays Indian family constellation. There are families where both parents are working or both parents are in between the jobs, small families without a provider or a situation where a woman earns and a husband takes care of the house and kids. All in all very versatile, complex and partially recognizable from any other modern societies family structure. Nagaon is characterized by minor communities of relatives and friends knowing and helping each other.
Left: friends helping each other with work.
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A basic family unit.
A multi-generational family
Case Studies. The interviews collected in the Appendix of the present Architectural Programme (pp. 64-95) reflect the versatility of Indian family units in terms of religion (Hindu, Muslim, Jani), number of familymembers (from two to ten), number of generations living together, employment status. The questionnares embrace distribution and utilization of houses according to the daily routine of a person using the house 24/7, social interaction, private/public aspect, habits, traditions, facilities, plans, structure and materials. The three of the collected interviews (Case studies #1,2,3) are most elaborated and embrace all the aspects mentioned above. The remaining four cases supply on the issues with daily routine, house distribution and utilization. The interviews make it possible to create an image of the everyday life in a small provincial town with its challenges and advantages. They reflect the strength of the family unit especially in correlation with the internal network, the interdependance of its members, a distribution of the tasks and obligations within the unity. Furthermore,
interviews give an objective description of the biggest issue of the houselife in Nagaon, which is water supply and its significance. Water Significance. Water is a life-bringing natural resource, which is crucial in almost every single everyday life aspect. Apart from being dependent on it in a direct way (drininking, cooking, washing, cleaning), we are dependent on it indirectly as well (agriculture, stock rising). Availability of water in a household affects the living standards of its inhabitants. Collecting and carrying water from the water tank or the government pipe is a time and energy consuming issue. it demands a good deal of logistics to collect but also to distribute and use the water for the households tasks. One can for instance save the water from washing the vegetables for washing up or the water from washing oneself can be further used for toilets or washing clothes.
Right: government water sources and houses in focus in Nagaon village.
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Nature. Inspiration can come from everywhere. Nature is probably one of the most powerful and important sources of inspiration, which requires patience and observation. While roaming in Nagaon there were a couple of elements that kept striking again and again. On the next page (left) there is a collection of pictures taken in Nagaon beach. The patterns are created by crabs’ digging activities. The small animals are between 1.52 cm and in accordance to their size they would lay different types of patterns. The small ones (pic.2,3) would make tiny pearls of sandballs and distribute them in a line, while the bigger ones (pic.1,4) would have the capacity to carry a bigger sandheaps and spread them around further away from their holes.
weight. Due to a very dry climate Banyan Tree shoots its roots not only from the trunk but from the branches as well. On pic.6 there is a spiderweb streched across a unit in a net defines the center by repetitive movement of the web going through the same point and clinging in different directions. Shadow from the palm leaves (pic.7) gives coolness and ventilation by swaying in the wind. A very accessible, easy and cheap method to provide natural ventilation.
Strong and heavy roots of Banyan’s tree Indians sacred tree, (pic 5) provide water from the depth of the soil and carry it all the way up to the top. The tree is a parasite and grows on the trunks of the other trees eventually collapsing them by its
Left: footprints of the crabs in the sand.
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3.
1.
2.
4.
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6.
5.
7.
This page left: Banyan Tree. This page top right: Spiderweb clinging to a net f-ence. Left: Traces of crabs in the sand on a beach of Nagaon.
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IMPLE MENTATION
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self-actualization esteem
physiological
friendship, family, sexual intimacy security of: body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, property
breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
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architecturally predefined
safety
self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect to/by others
possibly
love/belonging
morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts
Architecture and Needs. In the process of creating architecture for people an appropriate question would probably be: - what are the needs of a person or a family in terms of living space and its qualities? - what makes living space a good one? - how big should it be? - how comfortable should it be? - and is generally comfort a universal notion with a universal undertanding or does it vary from culture to culture? An anthropological research made in Nagaon village covers some of the questions above specifically for the area. It represents different types of Indian families in terms of belief, number of family-members, income and occuation, which obviousely is a strength of the research. Its weakness probably is that it is limited to seven families only. The families in question were chosen randomly and there is only one example per each case. These limitations can be “corrected� by a broader psychological research published back in 1943 by an American psychologist Abraham Maslow.
Maslow designed a Hierarchy of Needs based on five motivational needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization. Basically architecture is responsive to all five levels of the pyramid. The first two Physiology and Safety - have a direct connection by creating rooms for eating, sleeping, cooking, washing and excreting, by providing ventilation, installing waterpipes and making houses secure. The level of Love and Belonging seen through the eyes of architecture could be perceived as interconnection between the people within a neighborhood. Semi-public or common areas can either indorse or eradicate the desire to mingle and socialize. The level of Esteem is in a way a reflection of the status or achievments, which i.a. could be shown through architecture. On the very top of the Hierarchy of Needs,
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the level of Self-actualization, there is created a room for experimentation and free-thinking, supported by the surplace of energy and money. Its architecture is most likely oriented outwards rather than inwards, it could be represented by culture and art and is accessed by broader public. As the overall theme of the semester project is Low Cost Housing it will be appropriate to concentrate on three basic levels of motivational needs: Physiological, Safety, Love and Belonging. By developing thoughtful architecture responding to the basic needs of people of Nagaon village, there will be created a room for personal and social development of each individual, family unit or a community as total. The anthropological reserach (Appendix pp. 6495 ) is a significant support to the psychological approach of human needs.
terms of dwelling it could be reasonable to make a comparative analysis of the plans and residential floor space of those case studies performed in Nagaon (see pp. 38,39). The comparison starts with the smallest family unit of two people and gradually evolves to a two multi-generational family house of ten people. All the plans in the collation below are presented in scale 1:200. There is included information on -type of family, -number of family-members living in the house, -reference to the case study gathered in the appendix, -average amount of m2 per person.
Scale and Proportions. Indian family structure is versatile. It can be represented by everything from two members family to a more complex multigenerational several families living together under the same roof. In order to develop an understanding for needs and demands of Indian families in
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7.
4.
3.
6.
2. 5. 1.
Map of Nagaon 1:2000
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1 Family 2 prs. - 13,5 m2 Case stdy #7 Average sq./prs.- 6,8 m2
1. Case Study # 7
Case Study # 5
1 Family 4 prs. - 23 m2 Case stdy #4 Average sq./prs.- 5,75 m2
2.
Case Study # 3
1 Family 4 prs. - 40 m2 Case stdy #5 Average sq./prs.- 10 m2
3. Case Study # 5
1 Multi-generational family 5 prs. - 36 m2 Case stdy #2 Average sq./prs.- 7,2 m2
4. Case Study # 2
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Case Study # 3
1 Multi-generational family 6 prs. - 85 m2 Case stdy #1 Average sq./prs.- 14,2 m2
5.
2 Families 7 prs. - 76 m2 Case stdy #3 Average sq./prs.- 10,8 m2
6. Case Study # 4
Case Study # 6
2 Multi-generational families 10 p -52 m2 Case stdy #6 Average sq./prs.- 5,2 m2
7. Case Study # 6
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Spatial Programme. The collation above shows that the average amount of m2 per person in the houses in question is 8,56 m2. Besides that there has been noticed houses’ great flexibility. An Indian house has a quality of a transformer especially with the living area and plinth. These two rooms are truly multifunctional. In a living area family memebers would sleep, eat, gather, watch TV. On a plinth people would work, gather, socialise and rest.
Living Sleeping Dining
These activities shoud be combined into one room. In the hot seasons sleeping will take place outside.
Kitchen Washing WC
These functions will have a single services core, distributed as well to adjusted houses for purpose of cost-cutting. WC and bath are not united.
The idea of building Low Cost Houses for an average family of five to six persons: -2 parents -2-3 children -evt. a grandparent leads to a construction with an average residential floor space of 40-50 m2 and additional 15-20 m2 of area for a courtyard.
Relaxation These activities will take Recreation place outside on the plinth Washing or a courtyard.
Serviced Areas
Both
Serving Areas
Living Area
Plinth Courtyard
Kitchen Storage WC Bath
(Multi-Functional Room)
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Functions. Puja Resting Preparing/Drying Playing
Storing Drying
COURTYARD 15-20 m2
private
WC 1,5 m2 BATH 1,5 m2
STORAGE 5 m2
Cooking Puja Eating (rare)
KITCHEN 12 m2
Sleeping Eating Watching TV Recieving guests
LIVING AREA
(Multi-Functional Room)
15 m2
Work Socialise Rest
PLINTH 15 m2 public
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In terms of spatial functions - serviced /servicing areas - there is a strong tendecy to sepparate the zones. The multi-functional room is a buffer zone, having a representative, eating, resting and sleeping functions, while kitchen, storage, bath and WC are drawn to the back of the housing unit, having a very private character. This feature of “dividing the zones” could be reflected in a housing unit structure. The case-studies (CS), presented above, show the tendency to divided the space between the two zones more or less equally, no matter how big or small a family unit(s) is. Appropriate examples would be CS-1 and CS-2. The following diagrammatic subdivison can be considered while creating conceptual spatial programme. There are several parameters which will affect spatial programme: - size of a family: with the baseline of 8,56 m2 per person average (ref. the CS) - type of a family: as there is a cetain flexibility in a notion of Indian family, there could as well be considered “flexibility” and transformation in houses created for Indian families.
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15 m2
Plinth Courtyard 5 m2
Servicing Areas
15 m2
Serviced Areas
Plinth Courtyard 5 m2
A family unit consisting of five members: 2 parents, 3 children is a two-generational family and will aquire a housing unit of about 40-50 m2 with the following structure:
Diagrammatic construction of housing unit - 1
15 m2
5 m2
2,5m2
+ 5 m2
15 m2
5 m2
Diagrammatic construction of housing unit - 2
5 m2
15 m2
15 m2
+ 15 m2
5 m2
5 m2
10 m2
A family unit consisting of six-seven members: 2 parents, 2(3) children and 1(2) grandparent(s) is a multi-generational family, will aquire a housing unit with a vertical or horizontal extension of about 50-60 m2 with the following structure.
A family unit consisting of ten members: 4 parents, 5(6) children and 1(0) grandparent(s) is a multi-generational compound family, will aquire two housing units of about 70 m2 with the following structure.
Diagrammatic construction of housing unit - 3
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Inspiration. Among the project aims stated in the programme there are pointed out the following: -to seek the inspiration from the context and nature; -to learn from vernacular architecture. As a part of registrations and experience from the site, there have been encountered a natural phenomena, which has had an aspirational affect for the programme: small crabs living on the beach of Nagaon were constantely digging sand out of their
1. Traces of the crab activity on the beach of Nagaon.
dens and distributing it in a certain pattern (1). The activity can be characterised as central, i.e. each portion of sand excavated from the hole is spread in a stripe, a new portion would be spread in a stripe next to the first one. The activity proceeds in a clockwise direction. A graphical inscription of the pattern (2) defines the core in the middle and sandblobs, spread towards the circumference in a linear direction. The distance between the center and the sandblobs has a random character.
2. Graphical inscription of the patterns from the crab’s activity.
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Another inspirational bedrock has been ornamenting, prevailing in Indian architecture of different times, values and functions (see pp.xx-xx) The basics of any ornament would be geometry, repetition and interconnection of the chosen geometry. The example above originates from flooring at Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb. Its pattern consists of six repitions of interconnected elements (joined triangles) concentrated around a star. As well as in the example with the crab pat-
tern in the sand, this ornament is based on a linear direction springing from a strong center. Superimposition of the two inspirational sources (a chaotic nature and a rigorous man-made structure) points at an organizational principle of the houses for the appointed site. The organization consists of a strong core defining a polyvalent center-point for common activities (i.e. gatherings, social work, venues, playing) and houses spread in a linear direction from it towards the circumference, acquiring more private character.
Above: flooring in Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb.
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1st source of inspiration: crab’s activity in the sand spreading sandblobs around the den.
2nd source of inspiration: isolated pattern in the flooring of Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb.
1. Superimposition of the two sources for inspiration: the intuitive nature and manmade structure. The patterns’ center-points overlap.
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2. Defining and encircling six guidelines in the structure of the ornament. Pointing the direction from the center towards the circumference.
3. Isolating the pattern and the order of the geometry from the ornament, preserving sandblobs in the background.
There appear six smaller areas and three continuous axis.
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4. Eliminating the sandblobs situated out of the defined areas. The isolated sandblobs within six circles (defined by the geometry of the ornament) are represented by squares and a certain form for clustering.
5. Squares of sandblobs are merged together. Some of the clusters have a prominently defined internal and external and inbetween areas. The distance between the clusters is apparently to wide and can be corrected by the landscape.
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polyvalent center-point gatherings, social work, venues, playing ground, etc.
examples of a cluster
zones public private semi-private
a unit
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Composition. With the starting point in the sandblobs concentrated within six areas defined by Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s flooring ornament, there can be further pointed out the following typologies and compositional principles: -addition -subtraction -combination of addition and subtraction
Addition
Subtraction
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Combination
Correlation and Flow. The correlation diagram shows the immediate and the visual connection between the units within a cluster and between two clusters. immediate connection visual connection
There appears a certain hierarchy in the flow. This hierarchy can define the main stream from the polyvalent center to the clusters. and secondary flow within the clusters in the immediate neighborhood. principal flow secondary flow
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Organizational Principle.
Section AA
Site of Nagaon Plan Section AA Section BB
1:1000 1:1000 1:1000
path road
A Section BB
wind direction supporting lines to define direction polyvalent center-point cluster units
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B B
A
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Strategy. With the starting point in two sources of inspiration: sandblobs and ornament, (pp. 44-49) there have been identified cluster formations with a good potential to create a community with common areas, private yards and nooks, smooth flow, passages, circulation and especially atmosphere. By doing so it became necessary to slightly deviate from the original rigid compostion of six areas concentrated around the center-point and turn the focus onto the site, its characteristics and present aspects of utilization. The organizational principle (pp. 52,53) is based upon the following principles: -respect for the existing trees: besides that trees are a part of the local ecology, they provide shadowing and ventilation, they create thresholds and are obstacles for a free bypassing. -wind direction: there is a relatively constant wind direction on the site. During sommer and winter it is S-W and during monsoon period it is N-E. In the diagram above one can see how courtyards and passages are opening towards the wind direction and since there
are openings to the oppsoite direction as well there will be created a natural wind flow. -natural flow: the same passages are used for creating a flow from the existing path towards the clusters and vv (p. 51). This will be a principal flow. A secondary flow will be created within the clusters. This form for hierarchy will be shown through the dimensions and evt. materials and will define the transition from common to more private zones. There will be a constant connection (either immediate or visual) beween the housing units (p. 51). This will create a closer community and a certain security for the inhabitants, especially for those living furthest from the center point (second Level of Needs). The polyvalent center-point, initially ment to be centralized, is now moved closer to the core of the existing community - the temple and the water. As for the cluster-formations, the structure creates gradation in terms of semiprivate and private zones, it supports the social contact and establishes an intimate atmosphere within the clusters, which is very important among Indians. Moreover, housing units situated close to each other give shadowing, important in Indian climate.
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SWOT-analysis Polyvalent Center-Point.
Cluster Formations.
-S- creates the identity to the new district, functions as a buffer and a connection zone between the new and the existing, invites for common gatherings.
-S- create an intimate atmosphere, support communication, companionship, secure safety and sence of responsability for each other.
-W- unequal distance between the clusters: some are situated further away than the others and therefore feel less connected.
-W- not every housing unit will get 100% privacy, but a certain distance and a possible thresholds in form of level difference and vegetation will help.
-O- can be used for bigger gatherings celebrations, provide quicker integration of the new district into the existing one.
-O- housing units will provide natural shadowing for each other, common service core will cut the costs for a single family, a possibility to establish common activity(ies) to support the income of the inhabitants.
-T- its openness could be attractive for all kind of publuc inclusive less desirable one. It is situated immediately to the road and close to the watertank what might be dangerous for small kids.
-T- splitting the costs may lessen the awareness of fragility and importance of natural resources, could forward isolation of some units, relative dencity could be akward if the inhabitants will not find common language.
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Housing Units. The organizational principal consists of six zones (as a reference to the inspiration) aligned along the existing path and defined by the climate ( ). As mentioned in the spatial programme (pp.40-43) there will be developed housing units for 3 types of families:
Some of the housing units will be flexible in terms of transforming from Type-1 to Type3 by connecting two units together. Type-1 houses will be one-storied, Types-2 and Types-3 will be two-storied. Limitation to three typologies will cut the production costs. In the beige bubbles areas ( ) there are programmed common toilet facilities possibly even washing facilities.
Type-1 5 prs - Family: 2 parents, 3 children. Sq.m. 40-50 m2 Type-2 6-7prs - Family: 2 parents, 2(3) children and 1(2) grandparent(s) Sq.m. 50-60 m2 Type-3 10prs - Family: 4 parents, 5(6) children and 1(0) grandparent(s) Sq.m. 70 m2
The diagrams on p. 58 show an axonometric depiction of the conceptual structure of the housing units, their connection and levels. The composiitonal methods of addition and subtraction are applied horizontally as well as vertically.
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Conceptual Structure of Housing Units.
Ground floor. Lev-2 Plinth. Lev-1
First Floor. Lev-3 Ground floor. Lev-2 Extended Plinth. Lev-1
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Sleeping Area
Servised Area
Servised Area
Serving Area
Serving Area
Conceptual Housing Unit Elevation
Type-1
Plinth Courtyard
Type-3
Serving Area
Servised Area
Sleeping Area
Servised Area
Plinth Courtyard
Conceptual Housing Unit Plan
Type-1
Type-3
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Serving Area
Materials As stated in the project aims, there will be focus on: -vernacular architecture; -available and easy-accessible materials, skills and construction techniques. In the Appendix (pp. 95-111) there is presented a spectrum of local materials, broadely used in India. But the overall concept is to create a comfortable climate for people.
Walls.
As the local climate is very hot and humid, apart from using the advantages of the site location it is necessary to work with the materials resistant for humidity and providing good ventilation. Materials should be relatively cheap and accessible.
Openings.
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4.
6.
Roof.
Flooring.
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7.
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Appendix. Interviews.
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Case Study # 1 Name: Vandana Guvav Age: 57 Profession: Housewife Religion: Hindu Family members: Oldest son, 34 Daughter in Law, 30 Grandson, 6 Grandson, 4 Youngest son, 30
Background Vandana is a housewife, who lost her husband 4 years ago. She lives with her youngest son, Deepak, who works for a construction market. She lives with the oldest son and his family for 4 months in the Monsoon period, when their farm can no longer be cultivated. They often pay visits to Vandana and their oldest son stays a lot with her. The present interview is based on a conversation with Vandana and Deepak.
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Section 1 : 200
Case Study 1
Case Study 1
Plan 1 : 200 Plinth
Bed room
Kitchen
Type of Property: Owned Number of floors: 2 Age of the house: >50 years Materials: Bricks, concrete, plaster, tiles, tree, asbestos, sheets, cowdry.
Size: 170 m2 Water/sewage: No Electricity: Yes WC/bath: Yes
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Living room
Storage
Bath room WC Bed room Storage
Interview Do you go out much? She does not go out much, only in the neighbourhood to make masala and dry chilli and things like that. She also goes to the water tank to do some work, for example to wash clothes, bathe the kids and to pick up water. She also said that she does not go much to the town square and to the temple because she does not have much time. Her everyday life is filled with a lot of things to do. The kids (her brother´s kids, who visit her every day) and her brother go to the beach and relax sometimes, but she does not have the time. Now and then she goes to the banyan tree to celebrate Holi and to pray for the tree, but only a few times a year, for example every full moon. Are you sometimes completely alone? People are always around her and she has work to do, so no! How many hours do you spend outside your home on a typical day? 7-10 hours, but she just comes and goes, so for concentrated time probably around 3 hours. 3 hours for picking up water from the government pipes at the town square and for working together with the family members in the neighbourhood, drying chilli and so on. Sometimes she also goes to her brother’s farm to work. What do you do after work? She has too much work, so she does not have time for anything else, but if she has time, she sleeps. In the evening she cleans the house, inside and outside. Which people would you talk to and meet, if you go out? She does not really see people that much, and often she just stays at home. People and family are
always around because they live next to her (the neighbourhood is based on family members and is a small “family community” where everybody has a relation to each other) When you have visitors, where would that take place, and do the visitors come into the house? If it is near family, they will just walk in, but not just everybody. They will normally just sit on the plinth and talk and work together. Is there a place in the house where you definitely do not want visitors to come? No, the visitors can go anywhere they want. If it were possible, where would you like to expand your house? Upstairs, she wants an extra room/floor, so that she can rent it out and get some money (a guesthouse). The son, Deepak, comes and sits on the plinth and goes into the interview (so from now on many of the answers are very affected by him and some also answered by him) Would you maybe like to add a space at the back of the house? When they get money, they want to move the house so that they can get a place in the back of the house, a back yard. Is it important for you that this is a closed backyard? Yes, actually they would like to fence the whole area around the house and keep an entrance to the “closed” family area/street, connecting all the family houses in the neighbourhood to make it a kind of semi-private space/street where almost only members of the big family community come (around 4060 family members). They also want an opening to the street so people (mostly family members, but passers-by from outside are also welcome) can walk through, but not big enough for scooters and things like that to pass.
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So would you like to keep this area/street (the family area) only for family members? People from outside are welcome, and it is okay that they walk through, but people know where to go, and people from outside do not really just walk through because it is more private in here, but they are welcome. Scooters and things like that are annoying and dangerous for the kids, so they are not that welcome. How would you like to organize the area in the front and back of the house, which kind of functions will it contain? They want to move all the activities like drying chilli, dish washing, clothes washing, storage wood for fire and things like that to the backyard, because then it is more cut off from the public path, but also because the arrangement would be better if there were a guesthouse on top of the house. Then they would be able to do the work at the back of the house and have an open space with a view to the lake in the front (requires that the dream of moving the house comes true). They would also like to plant 1 to 2 palm trees in the backyard, so that they could get coconuts, but no real garden. And of course they also want the toilet and bath to be in the back of the house because it is private. They would prefer tiles in the backyard/plinth because it is more practical when you have to dry masala, dry fish and generally do kitchen work. So a space like the one in front of the house would be nice to have in the backyard, also because of the cover which would create a lot of shade. Is the only reason to expand the house that you want a guesthouse or do YOU also need more space? They do not want more rooms, but they only want to make the existing rooms larger if it were possible, because the rooms are too small for the kids,
but also for the kitchen. They also want every room to have a window for better ventilation and even a door and an opening in the back of the house could be nice because then there would come a wind through the whole house and make a much better ventilation. They also want their house to be organised after I Purusha mandala, which it is not today. Why wouldn’t you like to have the backyard space placed out to the water tank? Maybe they want the space facing the water tank, but they do not think about it as an opportunity because there is a public path out there today, but they gave a very interesting answer: it is important for them to separate the public space in the front of the house from the private space in the back. There is a kind of filter. Near family members just move in and can go wherever they want, but friends, passers-by, business agreements and so on will never be invited into your home. They will normally just be on the plinth an have their conversations and chai. So they would prefer to have this separation between the private/public spaces. But it is important to understand that the space in back of the house will not be private as no one else but the inhabiting family will come there, but a private space where they can sit and work together and near family can come and help and so on. It is not a space to be alone, but a place away from the public transit and so on. Do you think it could be a good idea to have a bigger space behind the house, which you would have to share with others? They think it would be very nice with more space, and it will be okay to share it with others, but they would prefer to share it with family members only. They also said it could be nice to get this big private family space because then they could have some family activities away from the public room,
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for example weddings. They finally said that it would be important to make it possible to get into the big backyard without having to walk through the houses, maybe a gate and a path which connects the street with the backyard would be a good idea.
Daily Routine 06.45 Activities: Vandana heats the water, cleans the house inside and outside, makes puja, helps the oldest grandson taking a shower, prepares a lunch box for the kid, brings him to the bus station by the main road. 10.00 -10.30 Activities: Brings the government filtered water from the square home.
The family has tea and biscuits. If there is some work the young son goes to work. Meanwhile Vandana starts preparing ingredients for dinner, talks to her neighbours, makes common work with them (washes, cleans chilies, etc.) 19.00 Activities: Vandana makes puja by lighting two incense sticks inside the house, says a prayer, sets one incense stick for the gods in the house and the other one outside by the Tulsi. 19.30 Activities: Carries on cleaning, washing, preparing for dinner. 20.00-22.00 Activities: Eats dinner with her son and eventually her grandson. The family watches TV and goes to sleep.
10.30-12.00 Activities: Washes herself, takes the clothes to the water tank for washing, brings water home from the water tank for washing and toilet, prepares lunch for her and her son, picks up the grandson from school. 14.00 Activities: Eats lunch with her young son, cleans up. The family takes a nap. 16.00-18.00 Activities:
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Case Study # 2 Name: Vaishali Sudhir Goltkar Age: 32 Profession: Housewife Religion: Hindu Family members: - Father in law, 69 - Husband, 38 - Daughter,10 - Son, 6
Background Vaishali lives together with her husband (employee at IPCL), daughter, son and father in law (a former Textile supervisor) in a two storey house, situated at the main road of Nagaon village. The plinth at the front of the house functions as a shop. The shop was established 40 years ago by the mother in law, who has passed away. The opening hours for the shop are between 10 to 13 and 16 to 20.
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Section 1 : 200
Plan 1 : 200 Case Study # 2
Plinth
Type of Property: Owned Number of floors: 2 Age of the house: >50 Materials: Bricks, concrete, plaster, tiles, wood, asbestos, sheets.
Living room Bed room
Size: 36 m2 Water/sewage: Yes Electricity: Yes WC/Bath: Yes
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Case Stud
Kitchen
Bath room WC
Interview
here and take care of him. He doesn’t walk much.
Do you ever go to the temple? - Yes, on Mondays. Monday is the day of Shiva.
-They come for vacations and stay for 5 days or something like that. They live in Bombay.
- I go there in the morning and if I’m with the children I’ll bring them, if not I go there alone.
- Here, in the living room. In the morning we will sit upstairs, but in the afternoon it’s too hot.
- Sometimes I go with the children, but the children are small and they keep running around so we will go there for some time and then we will go back. For laundry and so on we have enough water so we don’t need to do it at the watertank.
- They usually come outside to buy, but if neither of us is out there they come to ask for us. That doesn’t happen so often, since we almost always sit out there.
How often do yu have guests?
When you have guests where do they sit?
Do you go there alone?
Do you also go to the watertank?
Do you go there to talk to the other women? - No, I don’t go there to talk to people. I know the
Do you sometimes invite your customers inside?
Is there a place in the house where guests don’t come? - No, they can go wherever they want.
people around so I go to the places next door instead.
When you have guests do they announce their coming on beforehand?
- Yes, on sundays we go to the beach because my husband has sundays off from work. We love going to the beach. Usually the whole day is spent working at home so it’s nice to take a break - also for the children.
If you don’t want company do you just close the door?
- Do you go to the beach?
Are you sometimes completely alone?
I don’t like staying alone at all. I love having guests and I don’t want to stay alone. When guests come around I’m the happiest.
During a typical day how many hours do you spend outside the home? - Most of the things are at home so I don’t have to go out much. Sometimes we go to Alibag for grocery shopping. Then we buy groceries for a whole month.
Do you often have guests for dinner?
-Yes, we often have relatives and their children come down here to have a good time. We don’t go out much ourselves since I have a lot of work and also because my father in law isn’t doing well I stay
- My guests can come whenever they would like to come. Sometimes they tell us that they come. Even though they don’t tell us it’s still nice, - we just love having guests. - We only close it for the children, otherwise they will run out in the street, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want company. In the morning we open up the house to get the morning light and in the evenings we close for the mosquitos, but otherwise I don’t like keeping the door closed.
Can the children walk alone in this area? - No, it’s a big road, so...
Have you ever had any accidents? No
Do you worry that something might happen to the children while in the street? - Yes, that’s why we keep the door closed. There’s a lot of traffic. In the evening people are coming and going so it’s nice. Then it’s OK for the children to go
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to somebody’s house or something like that, but in the afternoon it’s quiet, - there’s no one in the street, it’s quite deserted so I keep the house locked and the children at home.
Do you like talking to your neighbors?
- Yes, I would like that.
Would you like to add something to your house?
Would you like to have a place that’s less trafficked where the kids could play? So if it was possible, would you like to have a bigger space where the kids could play even though it was connected to other houses as well? - Yes
Is it a problem in your everyday life that the children can’t go out and play? - If they don’t go out it’s better for me, because then I don’t have to worry about them. When they are here they watch TV and I can keep an eye on them.
Besides selling vegetables what else do you use the front area for?
- We never needed to sit outside. We’re only five people so we can all sit in here.
- Yes, I like.
Do you visit your neighbors? - Yes, for 5-10 minutes. There’s a lot of work during the day, but in the afternoon whenever I have time I would go for a quick visit. - No, we’re just a family of five so we don’t need a bigger house. We would like it, but this is enoughspace. We are happy.
Would you like to have a garden?
- Yes, even if it was a shared garden. We would really like a garden.
Is there something you would like to change about your house? - If I had to, I would like to add a room or a bathroom, but actually we ‘re already doing that upstairs. It is going to be a hall and a bathroom for guests. Otherwise we’re satisfied.
When people come and buy vegetables do they often stay to chat afterwards? - Not much. It’s not nice to talk to talk to the customers all the time. The friendlier you get, the more they will ask for discounts. The relationship between the buyer and seller becomes weird and you don’t want to confuse your customers.
We noticed that you have an enclosed washing area at the back of your house. Is it important to you that this area is kept away from the street?
- You don’t have this area in front of the house, you keep it in the back.
In some of the other houses we saw that the doors are placed aligned. Is that something you would like in your home? - It’s not nice to have all the doors aligned - according to Vastu Shastra it’s not right. Otherwise I wouldn’t have a problem with it.
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Daily Routine
16.00, while Vaishali sleeps until 15.00. She continues on the householding tasks (washing, cleaning).
03.30-05.00 Activities: The parents wake up. Vaishali heats the water, makes puja, prepares the breakfast and lunchbox for her husband. He drives after the vegetables for the shop. The husband leaves at about 04.00, she takes a nap till 05.00. He sends the vegetables to Nagaon and continues for his work at IPCL (Alibag) 05.00-07.00 Activities: Vaishali prepares the vegetables for selling by cleaning and sorting them out. She heats the water for her father in law and herself, washes, prepares the breakfast.
16.00-19.00 Activities: The kids go to private tuition. The father in law opens the shop after the daily siesta. Vaishali helps him with the shop, prepares dinner. 20.00-23.00 Activities: The husband comes home, the family makes puja. The shop is being closed. All the family members eat together and watch TV in the living room. 23.00 Activities: The family falls asleep in the same room.
07.00-09.00 Activities: The children wake up. Vaishali helps children with the bath. The children and their grandfather eat the breakfast. Children leave for school. Vaishali eats at the end. 10.00-12.00 Activities: Vaishali cleans up after the breakfast, washes the clothes and prepares lunch. 13.00-14.00 Activities: The family eats lunch together. She cleans up, washes dishes. 14.00-15.00 Activities: The family rests. The father in law and kids rest until
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Case Study # 3 Name: Ramakant Ramchandra Wadiker Age: 50 Profession: banker Religion: Hindu Family members: -Wife, 43 - Mother - Rashmi,18 - Vidya, 16 - Raksha,14 - Swaksha,14
Background The family lives in a two storey house by the main road of Nagaon just behind the newly built shrine. The house belongs to two brothers, but only the family of the younger brother lives in the house. Because of the divided ownership the house consists of two parts with shared living room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet. The mother sleeps in her own room, while the rest of the family sleeps together in the living room.
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Section 1 : 200
Plan 1 : 200 Case Study # 4
Plinth
Living room BedCase room Study # 4
Case Stud
Bath room
Storage Guest room
Type of Property: Owned Number of floors: 2 Age of the house: >50 Materials: Bricks, concrete, plaster, tiles, wood, asbestos, sheets.
Size: 76 m2 Water/sewage: Yes Electricity: Yes WC/Bath: Yes
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Case Stud
Kitchen
Interview
brother, who’s in Bombay most of the time. Therefore my family lives here.
For how long have you had toilets in the back?
Do you ever go to the temple? - Because I work a lot I don’t have time to go the temple, instead I go to the shrine near the house.
How often do you go there?
- I go there every day in the morning after taking a bath.
If the whole family had a day off where would you go? - We never have that.
Where do you do your grocery shopping? - We buy groceries in the neighborhood once every month. Milk and vegetables will come to the door.
During a typical day how many hours do you spend outside the home?
- Earlier we didn’t have a place for toilets and washing and we just went outside to go to the toilet. There weren’t that many houses back then. We had the toilets installed ten years ago when we renovated the house.
Is it improtant to you that this area is private, - just for your family or would you mind sharing it with another family? - Yes, it would be nice if all families had their own private space but then also a shared space where everybody could sit together, but we don’t have enough space.
If you had such a space what would you use it for?
- I leave home at 9 am and come back at 6.30 - 7 pm. Then we would all sit together and do puja. Right now I have to help my cousin look for a partner for his child so that keeps me busy as well.
- Then we would gather for festivals and sit here.
- Yes, everybody around is related, - either close
When you have many guests where do they stay? Where do they sleep?
or far out.
- They have this room (the living room), that room (the room next to the living room) and a room upstairs. If there are more they sleep outside.
Do you have more family in the village?
Do they come to your place or do you go to theirs? - Yes, everybody keeps coming and going - especially for festivals, then everything would start from this house since the temple is nearby.
When you visit your family in the neighborhood can you just enter the house or do they have to invite you? - You can just go in, you don’t have to ask - no one would say no.
We thought that this house was divided into two houses which each housed a family, but we can see now that that’s not the case. Do you own the entire house? - We’re one family but I own it together with my
Do you often have guests?
- Many of our relatives live in Bombay and for weekends and holidays they come with their chilldren to visit us.
Do you sometimes sleep outside yourself?
- Yes, I like to sleep outside in front of the house especially in the summer.
Do you like to sleep there because it’s in front of of the house or could you imagine sleeping at the back of the house as well?
- In the front, - not in the back where they wash and clean.
Is there a place in your home where guests don’t come? - No. They can go wherever they want.
How many guests would usually come to visit you
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during the weekends?
you lived right next to the street?
- For festivals around 10-20 people, otherwise 4, 5, 6 people.
- No, the house was big enough for them to play inside, so it was never a problem.
- I sit out there before 9 am, - before going to work. We sit there in the evenings as well, but in the afternoon it’s too hot.
- Yes.
When do you sit outside on the plinth?
Do you ever close the door?
Do you think that if you have had a garden they would have played outside instead?
If you were to build a new house, what would you like to add to it which you don’t have now?
- Yes, in the afternoon when I’m at work and the girls are in school, my wife and my mother go to sleep and they would close the door. Here I can see that all your doors are aligned. Do you think it’s a problem that you can see all the way
- Then I would like it to have two bedrooms and a separate kitchen for guests - maybe on the first floor.
through the house to the back area?
When your brother is here is it a problem that the houses are connected? Would you like them to be more separated?
- No, that’s not a problem.
- No, we like to share the space.
- Yes, we keep them open all the time except in the afternoons when we are asleep.
- No, somewhere around here. We like the house to be on the main road. Since we lived here for so long we’re used to it and if we had to move to a more quiet place it would be weird.
Do you sometimes keep all of the doors open at the same time? Do you like to sit in this wind passage?
- Yes. If the electricity goes and with it the fans, it’s better to have this kind of ventilation.
Is there something you would like to add to your house? - No, this is enough.
If you were to buy a new house in the village, would you like it to have another location?
We noticed that your space in the back is connected to the neighbor’s space. Are you alright with that or is it a problem? - No, it’s not a problem. We like that the spaces are connected.
Would you like to have a garden? - Yes, we would like to have a garden in the front.
The house next to the neighbor’s house has a wall to their back space. Why do you think they have that?
- It’s always nice to have your own garden, but if it’s shared then it’s also nice. I would like it if a part of it could be ours and the rest could be shared.
- They are not Maharastrans. They live here, but they are not from here originally. They are Rhajastanis, but they lived here for three or four generations. They don’t like the whole community so they keep to themselves.
Would you prefer this to be a private garden or a shared garden?
Why would you like the garden to be in front of the house?
- Because my house is right on the road it would be nice to have a garden in between. it would be a nice transition for the house.
When the girls were smaller was it a problem that
Where in the house do you sleep?
- Everyone sleeps in this room (the living room)
Do you often use the roof terrace?
- Yes, sometimes we sit there in the evening.
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Do you sometimes sleep up on the roof terrace?
washes up. The two women rest.
- No, there is so much space down here, I don’t have to go upstairs.
Don’t the noises from the street bother you when you have to sleep? - No, it stops after ten o’clock and we get up early before it starts again.
16.00-18.00 Activities: Mother makes nashta (Indian sweets), while grandmother opens for selling chiki. 18.00 Activities: Girls come home from colleges.
Daily Routine 06.00-06.30 Activities: Parents wake up. The wife heats the water for bathing and prepares the breakfast and lunchboxes. The father cleans the house outside and waters the plants. 07.30 Activities: Girls wake up and take a shower. They help their mother with cleaning the house. 08.00-11.00 Activities: The family members have their breakfast in turn, in accordance to who leaves the house first. Usually in the following order: the father, the twins, the two elder sisters, mother and grandmother eat at last.
19.30 Activities: Father comes home from work and the whole family has masala tea and nashta. The family makes evening puja. 20.00-21.00 Activities: Mother prepares the dinner, father and grandmother watch TV, girls make their homework. 21.00-23.00 Activities: The whole family eats dinner, watches TV. The mother and girls clean up. The entire family goes to sleep. Grandmother sleeps in a separate room.
11.00-13.00 The mother cleans the dishes and starts preparing lunch, while mother in law sets a selling-boat with chiki on the plinth. 13.30-16.00 Activities: Mother and grandmother eat the lunch. Mother
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Case Study # 4 Name: Chitra Kanade Age: 32 Profession: Housewife/Part time teacher Religion: Buddhist (former Jain) Family members: - Husband, 38 - Daughter: Jiya, 11 - Son: Rushikesh,14
Background Originally Chitra is from Pali (30 Km. from Nagaon) but moved to Nagaon when she married her husband at the age of 17 (1999). She comes out of a Jain-family and took over Buddhism, when she married her husband who is a Buddhist. She didn’t give up Jain but gained more religions. She also worships Lakshmi - the Hindu God for money and wealth and Sai Baba - an Indian Guru.
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Section 1 : 200
Plan 1 : 200
Plinth
dy # 2
Living room
Bath room WC Bed room
Case Study # 3
Type of Property: Owned Number of floors: 1 Age of the house: Materials: Bricks, concrete, plaster, tiles, wood, asbestos, sheets.
Size: 23 m2 Water/sewage: Yes Electricity: Yes WC/Bath: Yes
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Kitchen
Chitra went to school in Pali (12 grades) and studied B.Ed. in Alibag untill her daughter was born in 2003. In 2004 she and her husband bought the house they live in now and she became a housewife and started teaching. She teaches 7th - 10th grade in Geography and History. From June she will start teaching in Alibag.
Daily Routine 5.00 Chitra gets up, prepares food for the children to take to school (roti, sabji). The roti she makes twice a day. She rolls little buns with her hands, flattens them and fry them. Then she wakes up the children, boils water for bathing and does the daughter’s hair. 6.30 The husband sends the daughter off to school and goes for a walk on the beach. He does this most days and on Sundays she joins him. The son isn’t going to school since he’s preparing for his final exams at home. Chitra has tea and breakfast, cleans the house and showers. 7.15 Sometime during the morning one of the family members will make puja at the small shrine on the east-wall in the living room. Today it is the son because he has his final exams. 8.00 If not working as a teacher, sometimes she braces baskets of nylon which she sells. She will sit in the
livingroom while she makes them - either in front of the TV or in the doorway where many activities take place - eg: preparing vegetables, talking on the phone or just sitting watching. 11.00/11.30 The daughter comes back from school and watches TV in the livingroom. When the familiy watches TV they would sit in the plastic chairs or on the mattress on the floor. Chitra washes the floor and starts preparing lunch. For lunch they will have dal with potatoes, rice, pav (bun), bhaji and papad (crispy roti). 11.30 Chitra sits in the doorway between the porch and the livingroom. She peels garlic and prepares the vegetables for the dal. The kitchen has no fan since it would blow out the fire of the gas light therefore it is really hot and Chitra prefers to sit and work in the doorway whenever she can. This spot is naturally ventilated and offers a view both to the livingroom and the area in front of the house. 12.00 Chitra boils the dal and keeps it on the stove. She will wait for her husband to come home before she serves lunch. He comes home for lunch every day around 13.00 and leaves again afterwards. 13.00 The family eats together in the livingroom and afterwards Chitra does the dishes and cleans the livingroom. Having cleaned up the house she lies down for a nap. Untill recently she taught private tuition-classes near the Shivaji Cross in the afternoon, but the children are preparing for exams and therefore she has the
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afternoon off. Normally she would go to Shivaji Cross on the family’s scooter and do the grocery shopping there as well. 15.00 After her nap Chitra watches TV with her daughter.
starts by making roti. Her husband will be back from work around 19.30-20.00 and they will eat together in the livingroom while watching TV. They all watch a popular Indian TV-show at 20.30 and afterwards the daughter will go to bed. They all sleep in the bedroom situated in the Northwest-corner of the house.
19.00 At around 19.00 Chitra starts preparing dinner. She
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Case Study # 5 Name: Reshna Noor Mahamad Age: 30 Profession: Housewife/ tailor Religion: Muslim Family members: -Husband, 35 - Son, 5 -Son, 4
Background Reshna (housewife and tailor), her husband, Noor Mahamad Sherkhan (trucker), and their two sons Aamir and Rayyan live close by the main road of Nagaon. Reshna and Noor moved into their house 6 years ago, when they got married. Noor has had the house built six months before the wedding.
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Section 1 : 200
Plan 1 : 200
Case Study # 7
Case Study # 5
Plinth
Living room
Storage
Bed room
Kitchen
Type of Property: Owned Number of floors: 1 Age of the house: 6 Materials: Bricks, concrete, plaster, tiles, wood, asbestos, sheets.
Size: 40 m2 Water/sewage: Yes Electricity: Yes WC/Bath: Yes
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Bath room WC
Daily Routine 05.00-05.30 Activities: Reshna and Noor wake up, take a shower and in the dawn perform their first Namaz (prayer rugs should always face Mecca).
tea and biscuits with her kids, they may as well play badminton or carrom. Afterwards she would hang the clothes for drying in front of the house. The kids would play outside. 19.00 Activities: Performs Namaz
06.00-08.00 Activities: Reshna cleans the house inside and outside, prepares the breakfast and lunchboxes for her husband and two sons.
19.00-20.30 Activities: Teaches kids urdu, makes homework with them, preapares the dinner.
08.00 Activities: Her husband leaves for work and drives kids to the school in Shivaji Putla.
20.00-21.00 Activities: The family eats dinner together, wathes TV . Reshna cleans up.
09.00-13.00 Activities: Reshna prepares lunch, starts her washing machine, does some other household tasks.
12.00-01.00 The family falls asleep either in the bedroom or on the floor in the living room.
13.15 Activities: Sons arrive home with schoolbus, the mother and kids eat lunch together. She performs Namaz and shows her sons as well how to do it. 14.00-16.00 Activities: The family rests. Reshna makes some tailoring, repairs the clothes for others. 16.00 Activities: Reshna performs her third Namaz. Then she has
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Case Study # 6 Name: Praveena Praveen Ruiker Age: 39 Profession: Housewife Religion: Hindu Family members: -Husband , 42 -Son, 19, Daughter, 14 -Father in Law , 75 -Brother in Law, 48 -Sister in Law, 42 -Nephew, 22, Niece, 20, Nephew, 19
Background Praveena lives together with 9 members of her family in a house of multigenerational basket weavers. The house rooms families of two brothers with their wives and children and the father. The house belonged to the family for over two generations. While older generations carry on the artwork, their offsprings are getting education at various colleges.
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Case Study # 6
Section 1 : 200
Plan 1 : 200 1. Floor
2. Floor
Study # 4
Case Study # 6
e Study # 4
Kitchen
Kitchen
Study # 6 Plinth LivingCase room Bed room
Case Study # 4
Type of Property: Owned Number of floors: 2 Age of the house: >50 Materials: Bricks, concrete, plaster, tiles, wood, asbestos, sheets.
Bed room
Case Study # 6
Size: 52 m2 Water/sewage: No Electricity: Yes WC/Bath: No/Yes
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Daily Routine 06.00-06.30 Activities: Parents wake up, the women heat water for themselves and their husbands. One by one they take a shower. 07.30-08.00 Activities: The children and their grandfather wake up, warm water and take a bath, while the women are preparing breakfast (each woman makes breakfast for her own family at her own kitchen). The whole family makes puja in turn. 09.00-14.00 Activities: The younger ones eat breakfast and leave for college. The men start working, just outside on the plinth of their house, while women use mornings for clea ning, washing, stiching the clothes and preparing for the lunch.
17.00-21.30 Activities: The elder family members work, while the younger make homework and rest. 21.30-22.00 Activities: Women prepare dinner (each for her own part of the family). 22.00-23.00 Activities: Everyone, but women, eat dinner together, while the women make sure of warm chapati for the dinner. Both families watch TV shows. 23.00 Activities: The entire family go to sleep. The family of the elder brother plus the father sleep on the ground floor, while four members of the other family sleep on the first floor.
14.00-14.30 Activities: Kids arrive home and the family members in groups have lunch on the floor of the living room. Every famly would eat its own food. 14.00-16.30 Activities: The family rests. 16.30-17.00 Activities: Everyone has biscuits and masala chai.
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Case Study # 7 Name: Vijaya Jayvant Gurav Age: 40 Profession: Housekeeper Religion: Hindu Family members: -Daughter, 18
Background Vijaya has lost her husband five years ago. She lives in the house together with her only daughter. The two women have been rebuilding the house from scratches during the last five years. Vijaya works as a housekeeper for 3 different houses and has one day off on Sunday. Her daughter Mayuri is in the 12th grade in a college in Alibag.
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Section 1 : 200
Plan 1 : 200
Plinth
Caseroom Study # 7 Living Kitchen
Case Study # 5
Bed room
Case Study # 7
Type of Property: Owned Number of floors: 1 Age of the house: 5 Materials: Bricks, plaster, tiles, tree, sheets.
Size: 13,5 m2 Water/sewage: No Electricity: Yes WC/Bath: No
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Case Study # 5
Daily Routine 05.30 Activities: The daughter wakes up, heats the water, makes tea and cleans the house. 06.00 Activities: Vojaya wakes up. The women take shower, drink tea and finish cleaning the house together.
Mother come home from work. The two women make puja, wash together by the water tank, collect the washing and drinking water. 20.00-23.00 Activities: The women make dinner, eat and watch TV. 23.00-24.00 Activities: Clean up and go to sleep in the same room.
07.30 Activities: The daughter leaves for the college. Mother washes up and prepares lunch. 08.30 Mother leaves for work. 13.00 Mayuri comes home from college. 14.00 Activities: Mother comes home from work. 14.00-16.00 Activities: The two women rest. 16.00-19.00 Activities: Mother goes back to work and comes home at 19.00. Mayuri rests further, makes homework, meets with her friends. 19.00 Activities:
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Materials.
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Flooring.
1.
9.
14.
2.
10.
15.
11.
16.
17.
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6.
4.
7.
12.
5.
8.
13.
Within the historical places there can be found prevalence of red and yellow sandstone (pics.1,2,3,4,5,6,9,10,14,15), marble (pics. 7,8), mosaic of broken tiles (pic. 12) and bricks (pics. 16,17). In the modern constructions cowdery (pic. 13) is a rather popular material. Various combinations of the materials affect the perception of the room by creating
transition and division (pics. 2,3,6). Movement of the ground affects the flooring. Some places there have been used brackets to keep the stones together (pic. 5). In other cases there has been implemented specially elaborated L-shape design into building technique from the very beginning (pics. 4,7). Right: flooring in the entrance to the Red Fort, Delhi
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Walls. Stones, bicks or marble may enter the construction combinations of the walls. Variations define firmness, visual affect and durability aspects. The choice of the material could be defined by such a parameter as architectural period; significance, purpose or ambitions imposed into the building by the ruler. Marble (left picture) is a very appriciated material, it brings coolness in the hot Indian climate and is easy to maintain. Yet it is very expensive that is why it has primarilly been used for the royal mansions.
1.
2.
Variations of stone combined with concrete in raw or more refined expression (pics. 1,2,3,4) is an old, durable, more affordable and appropriate for the climate material.
3.
Brick is a widely-used mateial (pic. 5), which allows the freedom of variations both in form and function (pics. 7,8,9,). Bamboo (pic. 6) has been another natural resource widely used in the vernacular architecture of the country.
4.
5.
Hot and humid Indian climate makes it crucial to focus on ventilation and not so much on heating or insulation of the houses. 6.
Left: Red Fort, Delhi
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7.
8.
9.
Experimentary wall swith bricks at Studio Mumbai office.
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Roof. Everything from local natural resources like palm leaves (2), bamboo sticks to handmade clay tiles (5), concrete (1) or corrugated metal (3) can be seen among the examples of roofing in Indian houses. Concrete for instance is cheap, available and easier to maintain, though the heavy rains during Monsoon period affect its appearance.
1.
Corrugated metal is an accessible and affordable material, but its quality of quickly transferring the heat from the surrondings into the room affects the inner climate in a negative way. Palm leaves and handmade clay tiles have an exceptional ventilation qulities, are easy accessible and have an authentic expression. Unfortunatly they are not very durable and require constant maintenance.
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3.
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7.
Right: concrete ceiling with a plexiglass opening.
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Ornamenting is an unsepparable part of Indian architecture. It represents its history, and culture, it helps to determine architectural period, importance and intentions with the building. The level of precision, elaboration and sophistication of those decorations is astonishing. Its origin can be traced back to the Indian wood-carving skills, which in about 15th century (beginning of the Arabian invasions) were further on transfered onto the stone. Taking into account stone’s durability it is still possible to relish the beauty of ancient skills. Whether it is a palace or a minor house, one could find ornamenting everywhere both vertical and horisontal. Most often it would be a pure embellishment, but sometimes, like with jalis, it will allso be functional. Hot and humid Indian climate demands good ventilation to provide a healthy climate within a house. Indian aspiration for beauty and sophistication turns this practical function into something lovely and appealing for the eye. Back in time th jalis would be performed in marble or sandstone. Nowdays they can be made of bricks, concrete.
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Ornaments.
Vertical and Horisontal Ornamenting.
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Ornamenting in Jalis.
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Ornamenting in Flooring.
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Ornamenting in Weaving.
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Building Regulations and Techniques. Permission. The Coastal Regional Zone (CRZ) gives building permission in the coastal regions. A general rule is that you cannot build closer than 500 meter to the coast. It is, however, possible to make an application and bribe your way out of this. A certificate of ownership is necessary in order to build on the plot. This can be purchased at the register office (Tahsildar) in Alibag, since Nagaon is a part of the Alibag district. When you buy the land, you have to pay a small fee for the transfer paper, which is a contract between the old and the new owner of the plot. The price on paper is different from the actual price, and official and an unofficial price. Tax is applied on the official price: 1 acre = 1 million Rs. In Nagaon, the tax is considerably low, but it will increase the closer you get to the coast. The ownership will be registered in the cadastral, which is a comprehensive register of the real estate or real property’s size and bounderies of a country. There are no actual building regulation, the parishad gives permission. You have to make an application if you want to build more than two stores. When you have an
idea what to do, talk with a structural engineer. If the engineer approves the final drawings, you have building permission. The engineer have the main responsibility if something goes wrong, though the architect will also sign the drawings. After the house is built, the government will measure and charge house tax for electricity and government water supply. 1 guntha = 1000 square ft 40 guntha = 1 acre
Water, Wells and Septic Tanks Most houses have a septic tank at the back of their house. There are no regulation concerning the distance between water- and septic tank. The tanker comes to empty the septic tank every 2 or 3 years, depending on its size, and how many people are using the facilities that are linked to the tank. The average size of a septic tank for 8 people is 4x4x8 feet. It is not normal to share septic tanks with other houses. The tank can be as close to the house as you want. It cannot however be within 100 feet of a well, even if they are both on your land. The well must be 30 meters away from the house due to inclination need to dig down.
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The foundation of the well must be built when the water level is at its lowest (April and May). It is not possible to build during the monsoon. If you want to build a water well for a group of houses, permission is needed. After making the well, it must be entered in the ownership certificate. The well must be 50 feet from the house. Sometimes the well is closer, if it was built before the house. Plinths, Foundations and Flooring. General foundations have RCC footing down to 5 feet. It usually varies between 3-5 feet. The top soil is dense close to the coast, and is ideal for building. Near mountains or swamps, it is necessary to dig until you reach the more dry and dense layer to make the foundation. If you want to build on sump, you can use RCC footing with columns 5 feet down. Concrete beams or columns are made on top of the footing. This is also the Plinth level. The water level is checked, and then the height of the plinth level is decided. Reinforce columns with steel (40mm covering). Concrete must cover the steel bars. The size of the columns for two storey buildings are usually 12x12 inches. The
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Roofing construction.
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distance between the columns are 8 feet. The height of the plinth level ranges from 400 - 1000mm. The plinth level connects all the columns together.
ture. Perpendicular to the rafters, battens are fastened to the rafters. Plaster or tiles are placed on top of the wooden construction.
The order of construction technique:
The modern way of roofing is more innovative in ways of constructing. Steel pipe construction with tin roofs are usually temporary solutions, but is very frequent in Nagaon. It is quick to assemble or disassemble, though it must be maintained. Another downside is that the steel easily gets overheated. Some tin roofs now have insulation, providing a thermal lag, so there is no need for a buffer zone between the living space and the roof. A common solution in housing is an attic in the ceiling which create this buffer zone - creating a separate airstream below the roof.
Cement Sand Ram soil + rocks (gravel) BBC with reinforced steel BBC: Building Cement Concrete (sand, cement, and gravel) Steel is used to make the construction more stable, commonly used for average and poor soil - typically, soil in wet condition. In good soil, it is not crucial to use steel in the BCC.
Considering drainage around the foundation, it is common to dig into the soil and put bricks under the beams. Traditionally there has been used stone foundation around the whole building. On top of the foundation plaster was used and then brick walls. Wooden beams were connected to the top of the brick walls with joist on top, and planks. Today, MDF or Ply wood is most common, with a layer of plaster on top. The bridge beam (Ridge board) have rafters every 18 inches interlocking the struc-
In flat roofs, the RCC span is 18 feet. There is a 3 inch buffer slope to drain water for 20 feet span. The price for waterproofing or plaster roof is 110 Rs. pr square foot. For tiles you pay a little extra. Waterproof cement can be used. Chemicals are added into the plaster.
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Technical.
Steel 53 pr kg
There is no minimum ceiling height. An average height is 2600 mm (based on the houses registered in Nagaon). There is a reasonable span according to different material. The beams are purchased in a certain length according to maximum span both in production and transportation. Maximum span wood: 12 feet. Steel: 28 feet. For longer span with wood, key joints are made with two pieces or more. Local Material.
*Prices are per cubic foot in rupies unless otherwise noted. 1 Brass = 100 Cubic Feet (used as a measure of quantity for loose material such as sand, metal, etc.)
Teak Wood: Old B.T.C: 5500 New B.T.C: 4000 C.P: 3200 VAT: 12.5% Ain Wood 1500 - VAT: 12.5% Saal Wood 2200 - VAT: 12.5% Bricks 5 pr piece Sand 5000 pr cubic ft Gravel 4000 pr cubic ft Cement 340 pr bag (50 kg)
Standard Bamboo Poles 25 pr piece Tools: Hammers, Axes, Blades and such 300-400 pr piece.
Labour. Workers like carpenters, masons, plumbers, metal workers etc., is paid from 400 and to about 600 Rs. up, per day, depending on their experience and skills. There are women workers as well, who will work on site, bringing sand, digging, mixing cement and so on. They are paid 300 Rs. per day. Workers usually gather close to the main roads, so they can be easily transported to the building site. Engineers are payed 800 Rs. per day. Electricity. MSEB, The Maharastra State Electricity Board, will install electricity meter. If you want to build a well, you need a separate electricity point. You must state that you are building a well, and you must be a farmer to get a permission. Farmers are sponsored by the state, and will get electricity pump and well for free. Alternative is to drill a hole and inject a pipe down to the government waterline - which is an underground water tank. An electricity pump is to be installed.
Left: brick production in Nagaon.
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Traffic Around the Site. There are no heavily trafficked roads directly connected to the site, but the dirt road connects the site to the main road which is quite heavily trafficked in the morning and the evening. Some of the traffic from the main road (also bigger vehicles such as trucks) uses the dirt road to get to the rice factory or to the textile factory. From the site you can hear the main road, but since the winds blow in from the North/Northeast it doesn’t carry a lot of noise with it. The small pathways that run from the village square to the site are narrow and mostly used by pedestrians or bicyclists. It’s rare to see a motorized vehicle here.
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Points of Access. Currently there are two main access ways to site: The dirt road coming from west (B), which connects the main road to the site, and the dirt road coming from east (E), which connects the bridge to the site. The pathways that come from north and south (A, C and D) are smaller additional access ways. A is currently cut off from the main road but since it starts from here it makes a potential main entrance to the site.
A.
B.
C.
D.
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E.
Openings. Because of an extreme climate that is characterized by the hot summers and the monsoon Indian houses need to be protected from both sun and rain. The majority of the houses in Nagaon have covered plinths which create shaded outdoor spaces in the summer and a protection against rain during the monsoon. Often the other openings of the house are placed in connection with the plinth in order to obtain the same protection against the climate. Many plinths are used for different kind of work andsome of the villagers have small shops on their plinths. Therefore the orientation of the plinth is of great importance. As an example: The shops facing East open up earlier in the aftenoon because they don’t have the direct sunlight at that time, whereas the shops facing West don’t open until the evening. The openings which are not connected to the plinth have differnt shapes according to
their orientation. Openings facing South tend to be smaller and higher placed and they often have shutters or an overhang to protect the indoor space from the powerful midday sun. In picture U., - an overhang which faces South, it becomes clear that even a medium size overhang can provide the necessary amount of shade. Openings facing East and West are usually bigger, but they still have some kind of protective filter such as an overhang or mattered glass. Openings facing North are often without glass and make passages for wind. Doors are almost always placed in connection to the plinth and you often see that all the doors in a house are aligned in order to create a passage for natural ventilation and to draw in limited daylight.
Right: map of Nagaon 1:2000 . The letters indicate the openings shown on the facing and the following page.
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F. G. I. M.
K.
A. L.
H. U. V. J.
P. N.
T. X.
C.
E. S.
Q.
R.
O.
D. B.
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Openings facing South: A. This opening has no glass but bars and shutters. It is partly shaded by the trees. - H: 82, W: 65, distance from ground: 93 B. The opening to this plinth has been protected from direct sunlight and curious passers-by. - H: 95, W: 230, distance from ground: 93 C. This very small, barred window has been covered from the inside.
- H: 63, W: 63, distance from ground: 130 A.
B.
C.
Openings facing West: D. This is a typical brown-toned, mattered, aluminia-framed sliding window, which is the most common in Nagaon. Here it’s barred.
- H: 90, W: 120, distance from ground: 143
E. This window is bigger than the average ‘Nagaon-window’ and is placed above a covered plinth. - H: 163, W: 207, distance from plinth: 52
D.
E.
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Openings facing East: F. This opening has wooden bars and is placed right next to a small passage. - H: 79, W: 55, distance from ground: 49 G. This window has been supplied with an overhang even though it is placed underneath a cantilever. H. An example of the usage of windows. This one is placed above a covered plinth. - H: 90, W: 130, distance from plinth: 110 F.
G.
H.
Openings facing North: I. This opening has bars and shutters. Behind it is a kitchen. - H: 70, W: 55, distance from ground: 145 J. This opening has shutters and a lattice in the shape of a Hindu-god. It is hidden in the back of the house. - H: 110, W: 63, distance from ground: 85 K. This opening belongs to State Bank of india and has been blocked from the inside. - H: 150, W: 87, distance from ground: 110 I.
J.
K.
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Doors:
L.
M.
N.
O.
Q. - Facing East
R. - Facing East
S. - Facing West
Plinths:
P. - Facing West
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T. - Facing East
Overhangs: K. Overhang facing North - Depth: 57 G. Overhang facing East - Depth: 55 U. Overhang facing South - Depth: 52
Window: H: 86, W:120, distance from ground:140
K.
G.
U.
Openings exclusively for ventilation: V. A small opening for a kitchen facing South. - H: 46, W: 46, distance from ground: 172 X. A small opening for a kitchen facing south. - H: 47, W: 47, distance from ground: 117
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Essays.
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Essay on Mandala. The first time I encountered the notion of mandala was in a documentary on religious life and philosophy of Tibetan Monks. The idea of creating something with an acceptance of destroying it by its completion impressed and stroke me.
Mandala means a circle, but facets of this circle could be multiple and complex. Philosophically it represents a perfect geometrical inscription of the whole Universe. It consists of a square inscribed in a circle with a center, symbolizing a seed - the beginning of the beginnings. The square is enriched by four openings to four sides, as a representation of four basic religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism. In the mandala, the outer circle of fire usually symbolises wisdom. The ring of eight charnel grounds represents the Buddhist exhortation to be always mindful of death, and the impermanence with which samsara is suffused.
and to become a part of something new. Another form for mandala could be its graphic version. As in the previous example it would be centered with a seed-like element. Apart from the structural construction based upon 6 times repetition, this kind of mandala is not to be controlled. Its creator has to listen to the voice within and stop asking questions such as Why? Where? and How? Even though it is pretty difficult for a Western mindset to incorporate the idea of an inevitable end, I consider it to be healthy to learn to accept ones own humbleness opposed to a bigger scale of Universe with its circle of Life.
In the above mentioned documentary, mandala was created by 5 monks, working simmultaioneously by dropping sand particles of different colors in the exact measured areas. By the fifth day the most colorfully rich and versatile mandala was completed and on the 6th day it met its end. mandala was created to be destroyed Right: sand mandala, created by monks.
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Atmospheric Reflection. Thursday. March 21, 2014 6.15 It’s dark. The awareness of a new day gets stronger. A beam of red light. A rickshaw waiting by the gate. Inside the rickshaw a homely scent of sandal tree and an already known feeling of cosiness, density and warmth coming from the people I have been on the road together with for now 20 days. The wind touches the skin and brings chillness while we approach Nagaon village on a relatively high speed. The square in front of the temple is not empty anymore. But it is still relatively quite. Quietness. 6.35 Red clouds catch their reflection in the mirror of the water tank, situated just in front of the temple. Three vendors are getting ready for the well-known routine of a new day on a thursday market morning. Crows, cocks and some other birds I don’t know the name of announce the arriving of a new day.
Here are a l m o s t no cars. The mechanical sound is replaced by the rhythm of a cricket or maybe two. 7.00 I’m sitting in the shelter of the temple’s plinth and look out towards the east. I see a red apple rising higher and higher above the village. It has just reached the point above the smaller temple on the other side of the water tank. And suddenly... it is gone, disappeared behind the clouds of today’s morning. A smoke from the burning trash is reaching me somewhere from the south surprising and activating the olfactory sense. It’s getting more noisy and lively at the square by the temple. A couple of crows right in front of me try their best to overscream the intensive roaring of a lorry parked by the main road. A woman cleaning the area in front of the temple. the dust dancing in the sun rays. A man carrying a bucket with water he collected from the water tank and another woman carrying two. People greet each other on a rather high
Left: Thursday Market in Nagaon
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pitch. High enough to start getting worried whether or not they are to quarrel. But then a quick laughter helps to subside my tension.
-people cleaning and sorting goods: onions, potatoes, garlic, cauliflower, eggplants, dry fish, spices, bananas, plastic items etc.
It’s getting even more crowded in a routine of another thursday market. People are busy but nevertheless they find a moment to send their gratitudes to the gods, as they pass the temple by. They touch the plinth of the temple, then bring hands to their chests while saying a short prayer. Nothing else. Women as well as men are engaged in this very short and intimate ritual. Then they get back to their daily busy routine.
-people selling
7.30 The square in front of the temple gets even busier now. Here are so many vendors that they only open space is that of the narrow pathways between the sellers lots.
-people talking
The sun is now fully awaken as well as the village together with it. People are engaged in so many various actions that I start loosing a count of them. A fine balance between activity and passivity can be traced among the actors: -people carrying the goods to be sold at the market
-people washing clothes in the water tank in front of the temple -people carrying water from the water tank And: -people watching, standing
-people drinking chai A group of those standing and drinking masala chai look at me and all of a sudden they would burst into laughter. I get an invitation to drink a cup with them. It is so warm and nice and pleasant to find myself in this shelter of the temple’s plinth among the acceptance, awareness but also insouciance of Nagaon people. 7.45 It’s getting warmer I feel the very last portion of the morning freshness on my skin. The
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vendors are getting ready for the heat of the day to come. The are suspending an orange canvas over the square. The whole square turns into an intimate orange scene for interaction. I look through the openings among the canvases and the combination of soothing-orange and bright-white evokes the memory of the red sandstone and white marble I saw in Humayun’s tomb and the gate to Taj Mahal. I ponder on this for a short while. There is a certainty of repetitiveness and regularity in the ceremonies of the day. But also novelty and modification of those small ever-changing scenes adjusting themselves to the day’s events. The chillness is now turned into the heat. The beautiful, colorful and versatile shawls are drawn up to the heads from the shoulders. And an ever-growing amount of people of this thursday market changes the character of the square from secluded to common. The dualism of continuity and statics, novelty and resemblance, circular and linear makes it difficult to stop writing. But I do stop now, though I carry on my reflections.
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References.
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Kuiper, Kathleen. 1. India—Civilization The culture of India, First Edition, Britannica Educational Publishing, Rosen Edu cational Services:86-121. Maslow, A.H. A theory of human motivation., 1943 Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–96. Ross, Leslie. Art and Architecture of the World’s Religions, Greenwood Press: 245-281. Stein, Burton. A History of India, Second Edition, A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication: 104- 223. Zumthor, Peter. Atmospheres, Arcitectural Environments - Surrounding Objects, Birkhauser - Publishers for Archtiecture, Basel Boston Berlin: 6-71.
http://www.auick.org/database/apc/apc044/apc04403.html http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2010/world/india-cities-focus-on-rainwater-harvesting-to-provide-clean-drinking-water/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alibag http://www.levoyageur.net/weather-city-ALIBAG.html
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