Dynamic Housing System for Flood Mitigation in Rural Assam by Tonoy Sarma

DYNAMIC HOUSING SYSTEM for FLOOD MITIGATION in rural assam

by Tonoy Sarma

CERTIFICATE THE INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE HEMCHANDRACHARYA NORTH GUJARAT UNIVERSITY, PATAN

The present Research Thesis is hereby approved as a credible work on the approved subject carried out, presented in a manner sufficiently satisfactory to warrant its acceptance as a prerequisite to the degree for which it has been submitted. It is to be understood that by this approval the undersigned does not necessarily endorse or approve any statement made, opinion expressed or conclusion drawn therein. But approves the study only for the purpose for which it has been submitted and satisfy his as to the requirement laid down by the Institute Of Architecture, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan.

THESIS TITLE : STUDENT NAME : I.D. NO. :

Dynamic Housing System for Flood Mitigation in Rural Assam Tonoy Sarma 36/AR (C.T)/10

____________________

INTERNAL GUIDE AR. BHAVESH PATEL

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT AR. MAYANK PATEL

DYNAMIC HOUSING SYSTEM FOR FLOOD MITIGATION IN RURAL ASSAM

INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE HEMCHANDRACHARYA NORTH GUJARAT UNIVERSITY, PATAN - 384265

INTERNAL GUIDE BHAVESH PATEL

SUBMITTED BY TONOY SARMA

Copyright ÂŠ HNGU, Patan, Gujarat 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the copyright holders. Author: Tonoy Sarma Illustrations: Tonoy Sarma Written and Design: Tonoy Sarma

DYNAMIC HOUSING SYSTEM FOR FLOOD MITIGATION IN RURAL ASSAM

Thesis Project By TONOY SARMA Guided By BHAVESH PATEL Institute of Architecture, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan.

2015

“There’s no disaster that can’t become a blessing, and no blessing that can’t become a disaster.” - Richard Bach

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Pushing this cart of knowledge to where it stands today has undoubtedly been a challenging journey for me. But without the selfless helping hands that guided and pushed me over the bumps of this boisterous road, it would not have succeeded. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Ar. Bhavesh Patel, who stood beside me and helped me pave the road though the thickets. Ar. Rathin Goghari, who helped simplify, perceive and execute. The entire Thesis Committee, whose valuable feedback were steps leading to the succeeding level. My parents, who allowed me the very element of existence; in spirit and body. And all my friends. Especially Kevin, Priya, Animesh and Ujjaval, who stand behind me, holding in place the chaotic fragments of my morale and ambitions.

ABSTRACT Floods have been a recurring problem in the floodplains of Assam for a long time. During the monsoon season the water levels rise and bring life to a standstill especially in the rural areas. They become helpless as their belongings and lives get submerged into the depths of the monsoons. The primary concern in this regard is the safeguarding of lives and the valuables of people. And to enable the people to grow tangentially out of the circle of losses they are trapped in. There has been adaptation to this scenario by means of houses raised on stilts, originally by the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mishing Communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. My design is an architectural language bridging the character between the traditional houses and the bamboo stilt houses. The design works as a grouping of 4 basic spaces, which can be laid out in many permutations and combinations. This enables free development of a community which is safe and functional during floods, with scope for organic growth.

Contents I

AIM

OBJECTIVE

III

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Floods in Assam

1.2

Geography

Climate

METHODOLOGY 1.2.1

LIMITATIONS

2 2.1

2.2

2.2.2

2.2.3

2.2.4

2.2.5

RESEARCH & ANALYSIS PRIMARY CASE STUDY Kahjuli Pothar Village

SECONDARY CASE STUDY Mishing Stilt Houses

The Turnaround House Nissen Adams LLP

The Hexi House Chris Rooney

The Amphibious House Dura Vermeer

The Floating House MOS Architects

3 4

COMPONENTS OF DESIGN

3.1

Programme

3.2

Livestock Requirements

3.3

Floatation

3.4

Bamboo

DESIGN

4.1

Concept

4.2

Design Development

4.3

Final Design

4.3.1

Living Unit

4.3.2 3.5

Kitchen

4.3.3.

Granary/ Shed

4.3.4.

Toilet

4.3.5.

Cluster Formation

4.3.6.

Technical Drawings

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AIM To design a shelter and way of living for the people of rural Assam, protecting them from the wrath of the recurring annual floods.

4. 5.

and inference. Secondary case studies to understand the global scenario and the mitigation methods adapted. Conceptualising a design by means of inferences from 2 and 3. Presenting the final design.

OBJECTIVE My objective is to reduce the loss of life and property incurred during the annual seasonal floods in Assam. My design would intend to uplift the current conditions of flood victims in rural Assam who are trapped in a vicious circle of losses and provide them with a tangent for projecting towards growth and development.

METHODOLOGY 1.

Identifying the issue and highlighting its importance. 2.a. Visiting the location to get a first hand understanding of the scenario by means of interacting with victims and local people. 2.b. Systematic gathering of data for analysis

LIMITATIONS 1. Designing only for the rural communities. 2. Designing in the context of the state of Assam. 3. Structural details to be worked out on a schematic basis for understanding only. 4. Design will be generic and not site specific. Only an exemplary layout will be provided. 5. Furniture detail provided only for understanding and will be flexible as per the user. 6. Designing only to reduce impact of floods

INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. FLOODS IN ASSAM Floods have been one of the most persistent water induced hazards in the river Brahmaputra basin in Assam. Located in the north-eastern region of India in the eastern Himalayas, floods affect this part of Assam every year. It leaves people homeless and displaced, destroy crops, damage public property, and damage development infrastructure trapping the people in a vicious circle of losses every year. The result of all this is that traditional coping and adaptation practices of riparian communities living in these areas have been rendered less effective against increasing scale and intensity of the changing hazards. Consequently, communities experience a phase of transition in traditional coping strategies, adaptation, knowledge,and practices1. The average annual losses from floods in Assam is to the tune of Rs 200 cr. 2

1.2. GEOGRAPHY Surrounded by hills and mountains in its three sides, Assam is an important geographic location of North-East India. Except for the districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills, Assam is generally composed

of plains and river valleys. It can be divided into three principal geographical regions: the Brahmaputra Valley in the north; the Barak Plain in the south; and the Mikir (Karbi Anglong) and Cachar Hills that divide the two regions. Entering Assam, the Brahmaputra becomes a braided river, and, along with its tributaries, creates the flood plain of the Brahmaputra Valley, approximately 80 to 100 km wide and almost 1000 km long.

1.3. CLIMATE With the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tropical Monsoon Rainforest Climateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Assam is a temperate region and experiences heavy rainfall and humidity. The weather is dry in winter and hot and wet in summer. The average temperature is moderate, about 84 degrees F (290C) in the hottest month of August. The average valley temperature in January is 61 degrees F (160C). In this season, the climate of the valley is marked by heavy fogs and a little rain. Assam does not have the normal Indian hot, dry season. Some rain occurs from March onwards, but the real force of the monsoon winds is faced from June onward.3

CONSEQUENCES OF FLOODS 1. Communication damage

5.. Erosion of soil

2. Waterborne diseases

6. Disruption of regular life

3. Unavailability of potable water

7. Destruction of property

4. Soil quality deterioration

8. Loss of Lives

7.1 Destruction of crops 7.2 Loss and damage of valuables 7.3 Destruction of livestock 7.4 Damage of furniture 7.5 Loss of livelihood 7.6 Loss of documents and identity 7.7 Loss of hard earned savings 7.9 Destruction of homes

PRIMARY CASE STUDY 2.1 2.1.1 KAHJULI POTHAR VILLAGE In Assam, thirteen out of fifteen districts get affected every year by the wrath of floods. To get an understanding of the entire experience of dealing with such a calamity and its consequences, a settlement had to be studied. A small farming village situated near the periphery of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, a 100 metres off the main highway. The settlement comprised of a linear array of 15 houses, sprinkled along the bank of a small tributary of the Brahmaputra.

or succumb to diseases. When the floods subside it leaves behind nothing but mere debris of what was. This is the time for the people to move back to their levelled homes and start building again from scratch. They use whatever little savings they have to fund it, while actually triggering a descent down a spiral of poverty.

The residents of this settlement were mostly farmers by occupation. But the nature of the monsoons has rendered this into a seasonal form of labour. During the onset of monsoon the floodwaters swallow up the whole settlement almost upto its neck. The houses made of wattle and daub cannot withstand the submersion and tear apart. Their immediate measure in such a scenario is moving to the main highway situated at a higher level. They carry with them as much as they can into their tarpaulin makeshift tents setup on the roads. Unforunately, unable to protect their entire harvest they incur heavy monetary losses. The livestock mostly drown

Section

Key Plan

Study Location : Kahjuli Pothar, Pobitora National Park, Assam. The image contains the site map which marks the names and location of some of the households studied in detail. The `settlement was linear with fields on one side and a stream on the other. 200 m off the main highway which lies at a level higher than that of the settlement.

Site Plan

2.1.2. SUBJECTS The local people residing in and around the village were interviewed. A total of 15 people of various age groups, shared their experiences and trauma during episodes of floods. A questionnaire was also prepared on which the interviews were based. Their lifestyle and living spaces were also observed and sketched to get an idea of the rural traditional way of living.

2.1.3. OBSERVATIONS Spaces: The households can be divided into 5 basic spaces based on function (Bedroom, Kitchen , Shed, Granary, Coop) which exist as separate units away from one another. The houses have a very introversive character where the buildings face away from the outside and are accessed through the courtyard. Entry into the compound from the outside is through gaps between the buildings. The homestead is extensively planted with trees along the boundaryand strengthens the introversive layout.

Kshitij Sorkar Farmer, 8 members 6

Kashinath Rai Farmer/ Day Labour, 8 members

Jyotsna Mondol Farmer, 7 members

Lakshan Biswas Farmer, 8 members

The families stay in one large room without partitions. Houses are built on mounds raised from cutting and filling soil. No existing sanitary system and people relieve themselves in the open fields. Construction: Wattle and Daub method is used for the construction on these houses. Bamboo, Ikora (local grass), Wood and a plaster of mud and cow dung. The roofs are either of thatch or tin. The houses rest on (3060 cm) earth plinths. Possesions: The people are mostly farmers by occupation and they require ample space for storing their seasonal harvests. They also breed a variety of livestock - cows, goats, hens, ducks and pigs. They own very little furniture which like cots, chairs or the occasional makeshift wardrobe. They use kerosene stove for cooking and they stock up on firewood and basic food essentials like rice, potatoes etc.

Social: The residents of the community have a very good affinity with one another and share a good social bond. Losses Incurred: The residents face Rs 1 - 1.5 lacs of losses per household every year. This happens in the form of costs - to reconstruct the house (Rs. 30,000 to 50,ooo) , from dead livestock ( 40 -50 ducks , 15 -20 goats etc. ), and from damaged harvests ( 80 - 100 maunds)

2.1.4. INFERENCES

Wattle and Daub

Raising the soil to face the floods has not been an effective measure as the soil tends to erode away. The materials do not stand fit to bear exposure to standing or flowing water. The settlement is too spread out, exposing more surface area to impact. There is no covered area to shelter all livestock to ensure safety from rains and floods. The harvest needs to be better sheltered as it is their primary source of income.

Kashinath Rai Day Labour, 6 members

Mishing Chaang Ghar, Majuli, Assam Stilt houses made of bamboo by the Mishing Community in Assam adapting to the severe existing flood scenario.

SECONDARY CASE STUDIES 2.2 2.2.1. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;MISHING CHAANG GHARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; The best architectural adaptation to the flood scenario in Assam. They have been practicing effective flood mitigation for generations. They are originally a community of fishermen/ farmers. They build their houses on stilts whose height is based on their knowledge of the highest flood level. Such houses are prevalent but not widely accepted.

2.2.1.(a) ANALYSIS The houses are long and narrow, and raised up on stilts to reduce exposure to floods. A single house is inhabited by two families, which allows them mutual assistance during floods. Effective usage of local materials as houses are made entirely of bamboo and vegetable fibres. Jungle Grass is used as roofing. They live close and in small clusters which indicates good social bonding. They keep materials to be shifted separately for quick evacuation during emergencies.

2.2.2. THE TURNAROUND HOUSE

Nissen Adams LLP

This house is an example of a design which accepts that the lower floor is flood prone and hence the measures are taken accordingly keeping in mind the highest possible flood level.

2.2.2.(a) ANALYSIS Water resistant concrete dado upto the known flood mark allows easy cleaning post floods. Storage walls built to accomodate emergency supplies in deep cabinets. Sloped concrete trough allows quick passage of the flood water out. Double storeyed to minimise exposed surface area and reduce flood impact. Place to allow light in for quick drying.

2.2.3. THE HEXIHOUSE

Chris Rooney

Hexi-House is a flat-packed house which can be easily assembled following a disaster. The house is predominantly made from recyclable cardboard.

2.2.3.(a) ANALYSIS Cost effective and cheap. Shape of the base allows honeycomb cluster expansion. Semi-permanent in nature with easy portability. Simple Assembly. Interesting rainwater harvesting system. Specially produced pin joints have been used for connections.

2.2.4. THE AMPHIBIOUS HOUSE

Dura Vermeer

A collection of â&#x20AC;&#x153;amphibiousâ&#x20AC;? floating houses, with floating foundations to protect them against flooding, were built in the village of Maasbommel in the Netherlands, in areas that lie outside of flood protection infrastructure. This project shows how people in floodplains can better live with the water through housing that adapts to changing water levels.

2.2.4.(a) ANALYSIS Has a foundation to rest on when there is no water, thereby addressing seasonal floods. The houses adjust to the changing water level,. Piles with tracks/hydraulic/electric systems push up costs. The self-rising houses avoid damage from flood waters, eliminating costly repairs after storm events.

2.2.5. FLOATING HOUSE

MOS Architects

Located in Ontario, Canada, this house sits upon the waters of Lake Huron. The lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water levels vary drastically from month-tomonth, year-to-year. To adapt to this constant, dynamic change, the house floats atop a structure of steel pontoons, allowing it to fluctuate along with the lake.

2.2.5.(a) ANALYSIS Having a two storey structure instead of a bigger single storey reduces the surface area exposed to floods. The house may drift away with strong currents and hence need an anchor to hold it in place. The floatation system may be viable in low cost scenarios.

COMPONENTS OF DESIGN 3 3.1. PROGRAMME After assessment of the Primary case study, the various existing issues were noted. The various possible ways to address the existing problems which can be included in the design process has been given in Table 3A.

ISSUES

RESOLUTIONS

Reducing Structural Damage

(i) Decreasing the surface area exposed to floods. (ii) Removing the standing structural elements getting submerged and replacing with tension cables. (iii) Elevating the structure during floods. (iv) Retractable walls which allow water to pass through instead of offering hindrance.

Safeguarding Human Lives

(i) Providing a method of evacuation. (ii)Accomodating a raft which allows an option of locomotion if necessary. (iii) A constrained floating structure which lasts if extreme floodwaters rise extensively beyond expected and designed for.

Sustaining Livestock

(i) Providing enough storage for their nutrition to outlast the stagnant flood period of a month (ii) Accomodation at an elevated level. (iii) Floating structure. (iv) Not stocking chemicals and fertilisers near. (v) Floating Garden to sustain and grow food if it falls short.

TABLE 3A 16

ISSUES

RESOLUTIONS

Safeguarding Harvest

(i) Providing for storage at a higher level. (ii) Providing smaller pockets for storage instead of one location. (iii) Accomodate it in between other spaces to minimise external exposure.

Cost Effectiveness

(i) Using less material variation to enable bulk orders (ii) Using locally available materials which can be easily replaced by the occupants during damage (iii)Using used chemical/drums for any floating needs as they are effective, durable, available and not very expensive. (iv) Keeping the structure as simple as possible. Providing common spaces to divide costs between houses

Local Acceptance

(i) Incorporate design into existing structures instead of making them alien. (ii) Simple construction to allow educating them to take part in the construction.

Livestock Requirements 3.2. LIVESTOCK REQUIREMENTS For the protection and sustenance of the livestock during the flood season, their food habits and other statistics need to be taken into account for design. Table 3B lists down the general statistics of the livestock bred in rural Assam.

Animals

Average Space/ Weight(Kg) Unit (m sq.)

Food/ Day

550 3.5 - 4

3 - 3.5% of bodyweight 20 - 25 kg paddy straw

15 1 - 1.2

Green forage Vegetables

100 1.5

Colocasia Country liquor molasses Household leftovers

1.2 - 1.5 0.1

Broken rice, corn, maize, worms

1.5 0.1

Fish, snail, worms herbs, weeds, rice

TABLE 3B

Space Programme

Taal Lake, Phillipines A floating house on barrels

3.3. FLOATATION 4 A floating object displaces its own weight of the fluid in which it floats.The buoyancy acting on the object due to water must exactly counteract the weight of the object, i.e. the two have equal magnitude. So, a partially immersed object floats in a liquid when the buoyancy acting on it equals the weight of the object. Various kinds of objects and materials if used correctly can enbale a structure to float.

depends on the weight the raft is designed to support. Normally, 3–4 logs of 20 cm diameter is enough to support 2–3 people. 3.3.3. BAMBOO The bamboo raft is very similar in design like the wooden log raft. Usually around 10–15 mature bamboo poles can support 2–3 persons. The hollow culms, or stems, of bamboo are filled with air, making it extremely buoyant.

3.3.1. PLASTIC BARRELS 3.3.4. BANANA TREE The basic principle of a plastic barrel raft is very similar to the plastic bottle raft. The plastic barrels (usually discarded oil drums) are typically used in this type of raft. The number of drums required to build the raft is also based on the principle that 1kg of weight can be supported by 1 litre drum.The barrels have to be sealed and the air volume trapped inside enables it to float and bear weight on top.

The banana tree raft is very similar in design like the bamboo log raft. Usually around 3–4 mature banana trees are hollow inside, which makes it very buoyant and can support 2–3 persons.

3.3.2. WOOD This raft is built from wooden logs, usually using tree logs. The number of logs required 20

3.4. BAMBOO Bamboo is in abundant availability all over the state of Assam. The types of bamboo which are accessible and available have been highlighted in TABLE 3B.

TYPE

ATTRIBUTES

Melocanna baccifera

Culm: 2-4 mm thk. Internodes: 20 - 50 cm Height: 10 - 20 m Diameter: 3 - 7 cm

Oxytenanthera parvifolia

Culm: 1.2 mm thk. Internodes: 20 - 45 cm Height: 20 m Diameter: 8 cm

Bamboosa balcoa

Culm: 1/3 rd of culm diameter thk. Height: 12-20 m Diameter: 8 - 15cm

Dendrocalamus Hamiltonii

Culm: 1.2 mm thk. Internodes: 30 - 50 cm Height: 12 - 20 m Diameter: 10 - 18.5 cm

TABLE 3C 22

Fig. Basic concept sketch

DESIGN 4 4.1. CONCEPT The traditional Assamese rural houses are rooted to the ground. Apart from the general convention of building houses on the ground, it is also due to the belief of the people that living up on stilt houses all the time like the Mishing, would be uncomfortable and inconvenient. According to them cleanliness, hygiene and good sanitation practices cannot be ensured in this style of living.5 On the other hand the Mishing community has, for generations, lived up on stilt houses.

During the entire year they live as independent families, but during the onset of monsoon as the house transforms, so does the dynamic of the community. It changes from being independent to interdependent (interconnected to each other as they draw up the walls) and can mutually support one another during a calamity. The most basic sketch of the concept has been highlighted in the adjacent figure.

This distinct jump in character between these two ways of living, allowed me with space for exploration of an alternative way of meeting them in the middle. In rural areas of Assam, people prefer having their own individual spaces as opposed to shared ones. They prefer their toilet and kitchen kept away from the house. They have their own courtyards which lead them to their spaces. This is where my concept comes in and I allow the houses to retain the essence of what they are. But as monsoons arrive the walls can be raised up preventing hindrance for floods and increasing functional space for a floor that forms above.

Storage Kitchen Courtyard

Panels

2.1 m

The walls move up and connect creating a courtyard at the upper level. The roof overhang doubles up as a storage space.

The livestock can take shelter in the semiopen added floor area formed by raised walls. It also works as storage.

(2.5x 1) m panels are kept on the beams on top. They act as walls to replace the swinging walls during monsoons. They also act as a ceiling for the rest of the year.

4.2. DESIGN DEVELOPMENT As the design process progressed, many new experimental areas and ideas were explored. As the design started taking shape, it developed into a unit made of modular walls of a fixed size for easier production and extension. So one could easily increase the size of the house unidirectionally by adding more wall panel modules. A fixed distance with the neighbouring house has to be maintained for the houses to connect when the walls are raised. (Refer to Fig.) This allows life for the people to carry on at an upper level with very minor hiccups as opposed to everything getting wiped out to a complete zero.

by harnessing the bamboo skills of the local people. Food sustenance was also considered by the means of floating gardens. Floating gardens can be used for cultivating plants and herbs for use during stagnant flood. They can help fulfil the nutritional requirement for both human and livestock. It takes 2-3 days to build. Sustains water spinach ,pumpkin , bottle gourd ,amaranth shak et al.

Fig. House details

Another consideration was a scenario in which the floodwaters rise beyond the expected level and submerge the upper floors. This led to the inception of having a raised granary which could float and rise up along with the water. So in case of an emergency the residents of the house can simply gather their valuables and hop onto the granary which would then work as an emergency shelter. The material chosen was primarily bamboo because of its abundant availability. Using bamboo also would make construction easy

Fig. Granary/Emergency Shelter

4.3. FINAL DESIGN

4.3.1. THE LIVING UNIT

At the final stage, the design has evolved into a system of dwelling that aims at protecting the people and preventing total disruption of regular life. The design elements have been boiled down to 4 fundamental spaces;

The living unit is made up of wall panel modules (2.1 x 2.1 m; 3 x 2.1 m) and can the unit can be extended unidirectionally. The walls are pivoted and can swing up and down. During monsoons they can be raised up and thick ropes can be used to keep it in place. They are tied to the beam opposite which creates a counterbalance. It is also tied down to the plinth or weighed down by boulders to resist wind and maintain the balance.

the living unit, the kitchen, the shed/granary and the toilet. Each of these four elements individually contribute to having a household which can stay on the ground for most of the year, and sustain themselves at an upper level as the flood season starts.

During floods it removes itself as resistance against the waters and allows the people to live unhindered at the upper level.

The designs have a layer of incrementalism attached to it so that the architecture responds to the financial state, growth, and need of the user. A permutation and combination of these 4 basic units results in sowing the seeds of an organic community based on the decisions and choices made by the people themselves.

4.3.1.(a) CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE On pedestal pile foundations, 6â&#x20AC;? Bamboo columns are erected. The walls are pivoted by means of hollow bamboo on solid bamboo. 3â&#x20AC;? bamboos are used for walls and beams. Pulleys are installed which allows easy movement of the thick coconut ropes which hold the walls when they are raised up.

4.3.1.(b) TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE

First, the upper walls are pulled down over the beams which forms the upper floor. Then the lower walls are raised up and tied by means of rope to the beams on the opposite end counterbalancing all the walls and creating an equilibrium. Then a layer of tarpaulin reinforced with bamboo slats is added to replace the void by the walls. Rivets are provided in the tarpaulin so that it can be tied down taut. Then a second layer of tarpaulin is put up creating a buffer space under the roof overhang. (which can be used as a coop for hens and ducks. or as storage.

9 32

Upper Courtyard

Common Plinth

1 Mezzanine Floor

Raised Wall Verandah

Extended House

4.3.1.(c) FUNCTIONAL VARIETY The living unit does not have a variety in design but each house would be a product of the characteristic functions of each family. They may use the dynamic walls and floor to suit their individual needs and give each house a unique identity. 3 scenarios of user based variability have been highlighted in the Fig. Case 1: The users may choose to stay at the upper level all year round instead of only the monsoon period. They may house their livestock in the lower half of the house. In this scenario the house would present itself as a permanent stilt house. Case 2: In this scenario, when there are more family members in a small unit, the upper floor may be collapsed and used as a mezzanine floor to accomodate the people present. The plinth can also be subject to extension to accomodate a verandah by raising up one wall. Case 3: In a scenario with the user having more family members and decent financial health may choose to have an extended house instead of a standard unit, simply by adding more wall modules in one direction.

4.3.2. THE KITCHEN The kitchen unit works in a manner similar to the ‘living unit’. The walls swing about a pivot, with the difference in this case being that it swings a complete 180o. and fastens at the top.

4.3.2.(a) CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE On pedestal pile foundations, 6” Bamboo columns are erected. The walls are pivoted by means of hollow bamboo on solid bamboo. 3” bamboos are used for walls and beams. Pulleys are installed which allows easy movement of the thick coconut ropes which hold the walls when they are raised up.

4.3.2.(b) TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE The walls are raised up and thick ropes used to keep it in place. They are tied to the beam opposite which creates a counterbalance. During the regular year it stays as a separate unit at some distance. During monsoons, the door at the lower level acts as a suspended bridge as it is raised up connecting it to the other spaces during the flood season.

4.3.3. THE GRANARY/SHED The granary/shed is a raised (3.3 x 2.1 m) modular space. The purpose served by this unit is mainly as a storage or livestock shelter. The usage of this unit depends on the occupation of the person, or his possessions. It is a protective raised structure which houses the harvest as it is the lifeline of the farmers. Respecting the degree of protection required from the monsoon floods, another layer of security can be added in the form of sealed oil/water drums which would enable the structure to float if the floods rise up to an extreme. The guide posts keep the structure in place only allowing it to move along the vertical axis. This feature works as an addon which is only installed if the user has the financial capacity or the need to do so. The space under the structure can be used to shelter livestock under regular conditions and they may later be moved up during the monsoons. It also acts as an emergency shelter for the households in cases of flood extremes. The users can gather their valuables and move into the structure temporarily until help arrives. 38

4.3.3.(b) FLOATING CAPACITY 250 L Water Drums : 1 x 0.5 m Floating Capacity of 1 250L drum = 250 Kg 1 Shed holds 12 Water Drums = 3000 L Floating Capacity of 1 shed = 3000 Kg Reducing the dead Weight of Bamboo The safe floatable storage capacity = 2800 Kg 1 maund grain harvest bag = 35 kg Safe floating capacity for harvest = 80 bags

4.3.3.(c) INCREMENTALITY The size and shape of the granary allows it to easily multiply as a module. So, as the user grows financially and if the need arises, the structure can be easily expanded on any side.

Fig. Easy expandability

4.3.4. THE TOILET The toilet unit works in a manner similar to the granary. During regular seasons, it stays on the ground and the excrement falls into an underground chamber. During monsoons when the rest of the units transform, the toilet can be raised up and fixed at the upper level similar to an elevator. The structure is lightweight and can easily be lifted up by two average people. The guide posts allow only vertical movement keeping the toilet in place when it moves up and down. At the upper level, a PVC pipe is installed into the opening on the floor, with its other end screwed into a drum/ container with capacity enough to hold the waste for the duration of the floods. When the floods subside, the container may be removed and kept aside for decomposition, which may later be used as manure.

Fig. Regular season layout

Fig. Flood Season Layout

4.3.5. CLUSTER FORMATION Now, as the people start setting up their houses, they become a part of a greater community. They remain independent until flood season, where they all connect. These connections can be made not only with the walls being raised but also by means of the layout of structures (toilet kitchen granary). This allows another set of permutations and combinations based on if and how families may choose to share functions. The formation and organisation of the cluster is also affected by factors like the financial capacity, growth and situation. This keeps the community growth very organic in nature, as it is practically built as per the decisions of the people themselves, for themselves. Example A, B and C highlight different ways and scenarios in which units might group together and form a micro cluster. Again, these micro clusters combine into a greater community, which has been illustrated on Pg 43.

SECTION AA’

SECTION BB’

4.3.6. TECHNICAL DRAWINGS

Fig. Living Unit

Fig. Living Unit 48

Fig. Living Unit

Fig. Toilet

Fig. Granary/ Shed 50

Fig. Kitchen

CONCLUSION 5 The intensity or the frequency with which a disaster, like flood, may strike is in the hands of forces far superior than us. But that is not enough reason to cripple anyone off having a convenient life. The key lies not in swimming against the tide but in executing carefully calculated measures which do not make us a hindrance to the forces in play. This thesis has been an attempt to find a better solution to help out the thousands grieving from the menace of the annual monsoon floods in Assam. With that being the primary motive, it also unpeels another layer with the inception of a new language of housing, bridging the divide between traditional Assamese dwellings and the stilt houses. While some ideas chalked out dwell on ambitious lines, there always lies a way for solving even the toughest of puzzles. And with that drive and thorough persistence I wish to carry this work forward and hope to realise it someday.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing.â&#x20AC;?

BIBLIOGRAPHY 6 6.1 PHOTOS Pg. 4 Chap - Mishing, Tribal Architecture in North East India; by Rene Kolkman , Stuart Blackburn Pg. 8 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/House_of_Missing_tribe P.g. 16 http://images.indiatvnews.com/mainnational/Centre-sanction36810.jpg Pg 17 (1) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHF2qmBXEAAEIoc.jpg

2 https://ahmadalikarim.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/if8.jpg

3 http://media.salon.com/2014/09/india-floods.jpeg-1280x960.jpg

Pg. 24 https://www.flickr.com/photos/longsidepies/4803891455/ Pg. 30 http://012.az/news/16197/incidents Pg. 34 https://bryologue.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/a-floating-house-in-taal-lake

6.2 TEXT REFERENCES 1. Adjusting to Floods on the Brahmaputra Plains,Assam, India; by Aranyak 2. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-08-20) 3. https://online.assam.gov.in/web/guest/geography 4. Documentation of Grass Root Innovations / Local Wisdom in the Pati District of Indonesia 5. Adjusting to Floods on the Brahmaputra Plains,Assam, India; by Aranyak TABLE 3B. http://www.ncap.res.in/upload_files/workshop/wsp10/html/chapter5.htm

http://assamagribusiness.nic.in/breedcat.htm

http://msucares.com/crops/forages/newsletters/11/12.pdf

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-to-feed-your-goats.html

http://assamagribusiness.nic.in/garurkhadya.pdf

http://assamagribusiness.nic.in/cropguidelivestock.htm

http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/x6532e/x6532e05.htm http://www.kiran.nic.in/seed.html

TABLE 3C. Handbook on Bamboo; Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre CASE STUDIES

Reposition: Resilient Urban Design and Architecture; by Caroline Valen

Designing for Floodrisk; by RIBA

6.3. OTHER REFERENCES 1. Adjusting to Floods on the Brahmaputra Plains,Assam, India; by Aranyak 2. Flood Resistant Housing, Bangladesh; by Practical Action Bangladesh 3. Flood Compatible Building Guidelines; by Pittwater Council 4. Design and Construction of Housing for Flood Prone Rural Areas of Bangladesh; by Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre 5. Reducing Disaster Vulnerability through Local Knowledge and Capacity; by Rohit Jigyasu 6. Climate Proofing Guwahati, Assam; by TERI 7. Handbook on Bamboo; by Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre