Vernacular Architecture

- HASSAN FATHY - LAURIE BAKER - GEOFFERY BAWA

INDEX 1) HISTORY - INTRODUCTION.

7) PROJECTS IN VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE.

- WHAT IS VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE ???

- FARM HOUSE, NADHAWADE, SINDHUDURRG,MAHARASHTRA

- INFLUENCE OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE. - PRINCIPLES OF DOMESTIC VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

INDIA. - INFLUENCES OF INDIGENOUS, FORMS AND CULTURE ON ARCHITECTS.

2) CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES. - FACTORS INFLUSING VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

- PRARTHNA.

- METHODS IN VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

8) VANISHING VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE……….???

- STRUCTUAL ROMANCE WITH BAMBOO, BY INSPIRATION WHY

9) CONCLUSION.

BAMBOO………..??? 3) WHAT IS AUROVILLE ? 4) WHAT IS ORGANIC IN ARCHITECTURE……??? 5) EARTHEN ARCHITECTUR IN AUROVILLE LINKING A WORLD TRADITIONAL WITH MODERNITY. 6) ARCHITECTS IN VERNACULAR 1

local needs. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it exists. It has often been dismissed as crude and unrefined, but also has proponents who highlight its importance in current design. It can be contrasted against polite architecture which is characterised by stylistic elements of design intentionally incorporated for aesthetic purposes which go beyond a building's functional requirements. “...a building designed by an amateur without any training in design; the individual will have been guided by a series of conventions built up in his locality, paying little attention to what may be fashionable. The function of the building would be the dominant factor, aesthetic considerations, though present to some small degree, being quite minimal. local materials would be used as a matter of course, other materials being chosen and

INTRODUCTION 1) HISTORY:-

imported quite exceptionally………..”

The term vernacular is derived from the Latin vernaculus, meaning "domestic, native, indigenous"; from verna, meaning "native slave" or "home-born slave". The word probably derives from an older Etruscan word. The Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World defines vernacular architecture as:

In linguistics, vernacular refers to language use particular to a time, place or group. In architecture, it refers to that type of architecture which is indigenous to a specific time or place (not imported or copied from elsewhere). It is most often applied to residential buildings

“...comprising the dwellings and all other buildings of the people. Related to their environmental contexts and available resources they are customarily owner- or communitybuilt, utilizing traditional technologies. All forms of vernacular architecture are built to meet specific needs, accommodating the values, economies and ways of life of the cultures that produce them…….”

The term is not to be confused with so-called "traditional" architecture, though there are links between the two. Traditional architecture can also include buildings which bear elements of polite design; temples and palaces, for example, which normally would not be included under the rubric of "vernacular."

3) INFLUENCE OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE. Vernacular architecture is influenced by a great range of different aspects of human behaviour and environment, leading to differing building forms for almost every different context; even neighbouring villages may have subtly different approaches to the construction and use of their dwellings, even if they at first appear the same. Despite these variations, every building is subject to the same laws of physics, and hence will demonstrate significant similarities in structural forms.

In architectural terms, 'the vernacular' can be contrasted with 'the polite', which is characterised by stylistic elements of design intentionally incorporated by a professional architect for aesthetic purposes which go beyond a building's functional requirements. Between the extremes of the wholly vernacular and the completely polite, examples occur which have some vernacular and some polite content, often making the differences between the vernacular and the polite a matter of degr

A) Climate.

2) WHAT IS VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE………???

B) Culture.

Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorise methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address

C) Environment and material. 2

people interact and many other cultural considerations will affect the layout and size of dwellings.

A) CLIMATE:One of the most significant influences on vernacular architecture is the macro climate of the area in which the building is constructed. Buildings in cold climates invariably have high thermal mass or significant amounts of insulation. They are usually sealed in order to prevent heat loss, and openings such as windows tend to be small or non-existent. Buildings in warm climates, by contrast, tend to be constructed of lighter materials and to allow significant crossventilation through openings in the fabric of the building.

For example, the family units of several East African tribes live in family compounds, surrounded by marked boundaries, in which separate single-roomed dwellings are built to house different members of the family. In polygamous tribes there may be separate dwellings for different wives, and more again for sons who are too old to share space with the women of the family. Social interaction within the family is governed by, and privacy is provided by, the separation between the structures in which family members live. By contrast, in Western Europe, such separation is accomplished inside one dwelling, by dividing the building into separate rooms.

Buildings for a continental climate must be able to cope with significant variations in temperature, and may even be altered by their occupants according to the seasons.

Culture also has a great influence on the appearance of vernacular buildings, as occupants often decorate buildings in accordance with local customs and beliefs.

Buildings take different forms depending on precipitation levels in the region - leading to dwellings on stilts in many regions with frequent flooding or rainy monsoon seasons. Flat roofs are rare in areas with high levels of precipitation. Similarly, areas with high winds will lead to specialised buildings able to cope with them, and buildings will be

C)ENVIRONMENT AND MATERIAL:-

oriented to present minimal area to the direction of prevailing winds.

The local environment and the construction materials it can provide governs many aspect of vernacular architecture. Areas rich in trees will develop a wooden vernacular, while areas without much wood may use mud or stone. In the Far East it is common to use bamboo, as it is both plentiful and versatile. Vernacular, almost by definition, is sustainable, and will not exhaust the local resources. If it is not sustainable, it is not suitable for its local context, and cannot be vernacular. Toda hut, Indian vernacular architecture

Climatic influences on vernacular architecture are substantial and can be extremely complex. Mediterranean vernacular, and that of much of the Middle East, often includes a courtyard with a fountain or pond; air cooled by water mist and evaporation is drawn through the building by the natural ventilation set up by the building form. Similarly, Northern African vernacular often has very high thermal mass and small windows to keep the occupants cool, and in many cases also includes chimneys, not for fires but to draw air through the internal spaces. Such specialisations are not designed, but learnt by trial and error over generations of building construction, often existing long before the scientific theories which explain why they work..

B) CULTURE:The way of life of building occupants, and the way they use their shelters, is of great influence on building forms. The size of family units, who shares which spaces, how food is prepared and eaten, how 3

4) PRINCIPLES OF DOMESTIC VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE • The vernacular dwelling is the unconscious expression of a people’s culture. More than the architectural of secular or religious institutions, houses mirror the needs, desires, and living habits of a time because they are the direct result of the interaction between people and their environment. • In Lebanon and adjacent areas of the Middle East,along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea,we can see in the evolution of house types a simple and frugal society that created habitat with elementary means but insight into the functional requirements and the potential of available materials •

Before the 20th century, house construction was traditionally the task of a village’s master mason (mu’allim) who selected, in consulation with the clients, one of the common plan types and proceeded without any formal documents. The houses was built by simply following tradition, usually with participation from the owner’s whole family.

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• The houses were built of the materials furnished by the environments and embededed in hilly landscapes humanized by countless terraces. They were a clear response to simple needs of protection and survival.

a)Form and Pattern The form of these agraharams could be understood as a derivative of a grid pattern, with the temple forming the main focus. The row of houses (tube houses) is either single or 2 storied with the traditional pitched roof striking a significant profile against the sky – the imageability context. Linear in organisation, the culmination point being the temple as the early settlements were by the priests who were Vedic scholars who attached themselves to the religious activities. The temple tank forms an interactive community space with the Peepal tree (sthalavriksham) forming another focal element.

c)Vernacular The pitched roofs, ornamental brackets, columns of the thinnai have been seeing shades of changes with grilles enclosing the thinnai for security reasons, sloping roofs being replaced by the flat roofs with a variety of precast concrete motifs forming the parapet. The complete neglect of traditional techniques of construction and materials that once harmonized the entire settlement sees an ensemble pertaining to availability of local materials and modern techniques

b)Spatial Organisation

The house of the Brahmins perfectly fits the laws of linear organisation with a clear demarcation of spaces as public, semi-public and private areas. The porch (thinnai) forms the semi public space – a transition from the public arena (theruvu – street) to the realms of the habitable space – the house. The arai, is the store and the pathayam (granary) or the grain store is a take – off from the Kerala style. Primarily being an agricultural community where the Brahmins were land owners the spatial organisation of the house reflects the occupation and the religious relevance .The house was organized around a courtyard with rooms around – typical offshoot from the illams and tharavads of Kerala. The sunken portions were classified as the thalvaram and conversely the raised areas in the house were broadly categorized as the melvaram. The upper storeys were the machi (on top).From the verandah, there was a long, narrow passage leading to the interiors, on one side of which would be the grain store (pathayam) below which was the nilavara or the nilavarakundu, the place of storage of valuable assets. This then led to a large hall (koodam) with an open area (nadumittam) which was a feature similar to the courtyard. The rooms (aria) were attached to the hall which was then followed by the kitchen (adukalai) which finally culminated in another open space (mittam) which completed the typology of an onaamkettu (first stage) house.The affluent had the second stage (rendaamkettu) which included a semi covered area for the cattle and the rear yard (kollai) with the toilets. The concept of bathrooms was unheard of as the village ponds (kulam), streams (ozhukku) and the rivers (puzha) facilitated the purpose. The well was located in the open space near the kitchen or at the rear end (Kerala Iyers Trust)

d)Identity Elements and spaces that rendered Imageability, character and style to these agraharams needs to be explored in the current scenario as they are no longer evident. The public wells – a key community interactive utility have been totally left have been rendered non-functional. The dwajasthambam of the temple stills holds reign to the settlement with the heights of the houses rising only upto the line of control specified by this vertical element. The Vedic schools (Vedhapaatashala) have lost its ethnic charm and the settlements are caught in the quagmire of change.

Orgination of spaces:5

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2)STONE AND BRICK MASONRY CONSTRUCTION The most widespread vernacular housing construction involves the use of masonry walls as the load-bearing structure. The simplest technique is based on the use of sun-baked blocks, generally classified as adobe, described in the previous section. The use of burnt clay bricks is widespread where wood or coal fuel is available. Clay brick is a traditional building material used for centuries in many parts of the world. Stone is the locally available material in some regions. Unshaped stone blocks collected in the field have also been used for housing construction for centuries, mainly in the form of uncourse (random) stone-rubble construction. In some cases, the stones have been shaped, usually by hand tools. Such construction is called “dressed-stone masonry.”

CONSTRUCTIONS TECHNIQUES A) FACTORS INFLUENCING VERNACULAR CONSTRUCTION

Locally Available Materials The first factor influencing the development of vernacular construction practices is related to the availability of local building materials. In many areas, the locally available resources have governed the use of the following constituent materials for walls: • Earthen construction, stone and Masonry construction • Αdobe (mud blocks or whole walls) • Μasonry (stone, clay, or concrete blocks) • Τimber construction

1)EARTHEN CONSTRUCTION Earthen dwellings utilize mud walls or adobe block walls. This type of construction is widespread in many different cultures, especially among poor populations that do not have access to more sophisticated building materials. Adobe construction offers a very limited seismic resistance; however, there are a few strategies for improved earthquake resistance of these buildings. These strategies are as follows: • Good choice of building shape (preferably a circular floor plan). In order to achieve desirable seismic performance, it is crucial that the floor plan be absolutely regular. If possible, it should be symmetrical in both orthogonal directions. • Use of timber to reinforce earthen walls. Timber reinforcement can be added to increase ductility and secure the connections. Timber reinforcement must be adequately protected against humidity and insects (such as termites in Africa and India) in order to ensure long-term structural integrity. • Use of a lightweight roof to reduce the mass on top of the walls; a secure roof-to wall connection is essential for satisfactory earthquake performance.

3)TIMBER CONSTRUCTION Examples of traditional wooden houses are found throughout Japan and the Russian Federation .The advantages of timber housing construction stem from the use of timber, a lightweight and ductile building material. A critical issue in timber construction is related to the connections (floor-beam, column– beam or panel-beam) and their ability to transfer the forces from one building member to another and then down to the foundation. It should be noted that the wood is quite vulnerable to the effects of humidity and insects. Moreover, the use of timber construction is limited by the local availability of suitable wood materials.

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One of the biggest advantages of the Adobe system is that it allows the individual units or bricks to shrink before they are placed in the wall. The risk of extensive shrinkage and cracking, which would otherwise occur in soils of high clay content in a large monolithic wall, is prevented. Due to the production process and the nature of clay, Adobe bricks have good water resistance. Nevertheless it is very important to provide adequate weather protection of the earth walls, especially in exposed situations. This is normally done with the provision of adequate eaves. The small Adobe units provide great flexibility in the design and construction of earth buildings. Adobe bricks can be easily cut for fitting and can be provided with holes for reinforcing and services.Many people find the pattern and texture of Adobe walls very attractive.

B) METHODS IN VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE    

Adobe Brick (mud bricks) Rat trap Bond Cavity Wall Filler Slab b) Rat Trap Bon : It is bond,which probably used in vernacular contruction.

a)The Adobe Brick (Mud Brick) Adobe bricks (mud bricks) are made of earth with a fairly high clay content and straw. If produced manually the earth mix is cast in open moulds onto the ground and then left to dry out. Adobe bricks are only sun-dried, not kiln-fired. When used for construction they are laid up into a wall using an earth mortar. Before drying out, the finished walls are smoothed down. Often a clay render is applied as a surface coating. -Advantages of Adobe bricks : Making use of Adobe bricks is probably one of the simplest forms of earth building. Adobe bricks are a fireproof, durable yet biodegradable, non-toxic building material which provide sufficient thermal mass to buildings to ensure excellent thermal performance. Other benefits include low sound transmission levels through walls and a general feeling of solidity and security.

c) Cavity Wall Cavity wall consists of two walls with a 5cm to 8cm,cavity between them. The outer

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wall also known as outer leaf,consists of a 10 cm( half brick) thick wall and the inner wall is sufficiently thick and strong to carry the imposed load safely.the minimum thickness of the inner wall is restricted to 10cm(half brick). The provision of a continous cavity in the wall efficiency prevents the transmission of dampness to the inner wall Advantages -They are economical -They have good sound insulation property.

d)Filler slab

has a higher strength than the other two materials. This high strength and low weight factor of bamboo means that it inherently has a capability to be earthquake and cyclone resistant.

Why or how is bamboo ecofriendly? Being a naturally growing material it is nonenergy-intensive in the sense that no energy is used as such in its ‘production’.It is nonpolluting in its growth (unless of course chemical fertilizers are used) or even after it has been harvested and when it is being used. The treatment process may or may not be polluting – the choice is in our hands. All natural treatment methods are of course non-polluting and chemical treatment methods can be managed in a non-polluting way by using nontoxic chemicals and re-cycling / re-using the chemicals used for treatment and taking all other necessary precautions. Being the fastest growing grass in the world (one canliterally SEE and HEAR bamboo grow – the species Phyllostachys Edullis can grow upto 120cm/day!) it is ahigh yielding renewable material resource. To build 1000 houses of bamboo annually, material may be takenfrom a 60 hectare bamboo plantation. If an equivalent project used timber, it would require 500 hectares of forest cover. With a 10-30% annual increase in biomass versus 2 to 5% fortrest, bamboo creates greater yields of raw material for use. One clump can produce 200 poles in the three to five years. Bamboo generates a crop every year. It can be harvested in 3-5 years versus 10-20 years for most softwoods. A sixty foot tree cut for the market takes 60 years to replace. A sixty foot bamboo cut for market takes 59 days to replace. Some Projects One of earliest usageof bamboo constitutes abamboo reinforced road base,covering an area of 6000Sqm., at Hotel Sarovaram,Ernakulam, belonging to BTH Group of hotels. The soil atSarovaram is of a weak marineclay kind and the site isbordered by backwaters on the western side.

A) Structural Romance with Bamboo by Inspiration Why Bamboo? 64 % of the bamboo species are native to South east Asia. 33% grows in Latin America, and the rest in Africa and Oceania. With about 125 species, spread across eighteen genera,the availability of bamboo resources in India is the second largest in the world ranking only behind China. Here are 1500 species of bamboo on the earth. This diversity makes bamboo adaptable to many environments. It scores comparably with mild steel, with some considering a few bamboo species to be even stronger than steel in terms of comparative stiffness factor and tensile strength. It definitely scores above other types of timber. Comparisons It is very much light in weight compared tosteel, timber or concrete and has a higher strength by weight ratio than steel and timber which means that for equal weights of bamboo, steel and timber, bamboo

Our other non-building but structural uses bamboo include the following: Our own office and an experiment where we have attempted to develop a technology forusing premises in Eroor,Kerala, covering an area of 2750 Sft, is a first of its kind structure bamboo in floors, walls and roofs in ways that meet our contemporary needs. . ..an effort for which we have been honoured with the National award by HUDCO. 9

Basically, the building is a framed structure designed for a loading condition of approx. 400kg per sq.m live load and to withstand wind speeds of up to 200 km per hour. The basic advantage is that because bamboo is a light material, the entire dead weight of the building has been reduced to almost 1/3rd of a similar building done with conventional RCC slabs and masonry walls. This has helped in bringing down the cement and steel consumption by almost 70%.The other advantages are the thermal insulation provided by the hollow cavity of bamboo and additional carpet area because of reduced wall thickness. The two storied building is built on column footings about 3feet deep. The structure stands on stilts, which reduces the chances of dampness seeping in as well as the attack on the bamboo by wood by rodents and insects. All bamboo used has been given preservative treatment.

ROOF

ROOF

Details wall interior

Wall corner

We at Inspiration have the backing of over 15 years of research done in structural application of bamboo by Shri 10

K.R. Datye and Shri V.N. Gore of Geo-Scienc Services, Mumbai • • • • • • • • •

Preservative treatment of bamboo with non-toxic pressure treatment Preservative treatment of bamboo using coal tar Creosote oil. Cold dip with LOSP (Liquid Organic Solvent Preservative)treatment. Use of Split bamboo and reinforced plaster combination in walling. Use of Split bamboo and reinforced plaster combination in floor slab and roof slab. Use of full bamboo screen and reconstituted bamboo-wood composite for soil retaining structure. Use of Re-constituted bamboo-wood composite for soil retaining walls for construction of water retaining structures. Use of combination of Geo-fabrics and preservative split bamboo mesh for reinforcement in clayey soil as road base. Use of bamboo crating for packing dry rubble as retaining

Web: ww

Cholayil MEDIMIX Ayurvedic Retreat, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

w.inspir Bamboo House Research Project

An exquisite reteat with an wholesome treatment facility along with deluxe and executive cottages, numbering 30, with the highlight being making use of the available bamboo on site for the entire construction – walls, floors and roofs.

With Kerala Forest Institute.

[email protected]

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Prefabricated bamboo house at Kallara,Kerala.

ins Bamboo for partition walls

FROM DUST TO DAWN Raven Le Fay describes how an eroded landscape was turned into a beautiful eco-city and improved the local climate in the process.

WHAT IS AUROVILLE? The name Auroville means ‘City of Dawn’ and refers to the dawning of a new consciousness. It was conceived and founded in the late 1960s by the French visionary known as ‘The Mother’, a spiritual collaborator of the philosopher and yogi Sri Aurobindo. Together they envisioned a great future for humanity, one where all might live together in peace and harmony. Auroville intends to realise this dream of human unity. It is a place for the spiritual evolution of humanity: an awaken-ing of the divine consciousness that lives in us all. 2,000 people from 35 countries currently live in Auroville, and spiritual evolution is their driving force, breathing life into all their activities. This truth is most strikingly reflected in the organic architecture of its town plan, a galaxy shape that spirals out over 5 square kilo-metres (2 square miles). The Matrimandir (‘Temple of the Mother’) sits in the centre alongside an ancient banyan tree, an amphitheatre for ceremony and ritual, and an inaugural urn that contains earth from 124 countries as a symbol of international harmony. The city is divided into four directional zones: cultural, industrial, international and residential, and surrounding everything

Bamboo office for socio Economic Unit Foundation

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is the ‘green belt’, an area dedicated to the promotion of biodiversity, organic farming, reforestation, and sustainable research.

and insects. This in turn further enriches the environment through seed dissemina-tion and fertilization. Initially both native and non-native species were planted, but the Australian ‘work tree’ (Acacia auriculiformis or Darwin Black Wattle) became invasive and crowded out other species. Now these trees are harvested, and efforts are focused on recreating the native vegetation of a tropical dry evergreen forest. Auroville’s botanical gardens have a 20 hectare (50 acre) plot that is being developed into a research and demonstration site with over 5,000 specimens from the native forest. Pitchandikulum Bio-Resource Centre also has a 20 hec-tare (50 acre) forest where it has collected over 440 indigenous plant species, and runs a revitalization pro-gramme for medicinal plant traditions. Both have seed banks to protect forest biodiversity. Today, the Auroville forest is acknowledged and safeguarded as an invaluable resource for the community: for medicine, food, firewood and building materials; erosion control; as a microclimate moderator; and as a sacred sanctuary.

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY

SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION

Having established vegetation and water control, Auro-villians started building their infrastructure. Keen to integrate appropriate technology into their designs, they aimed for solutions suitable to the climate that would incorporate passive solar features, protect from rain, reduce energy consumption and utilise rainwater har-vesting, wastewater treatment and renewable energy systems. They were both constrained and motivated by such factors as no electricity, transportation, machinery, or conventional building materials on the one hand, and an abundant but unskilled labour force on the other. Solutions had to use local people and materials, be inexpensive, and simple to implement and maintain. The basic building material was an obvious choice, since earth was abundant on site. The Auroville Earth Institute and Centre for Sustainable Research (CSR) have developed a successful manual press to create Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) that are used like bricks. The presses are robust, using a high compression ratio of 1.83 with 13.5 metric tons (15 tons) available force, and produce up to 1,000 accurate blocks per day of adjustable height and shape (including hollow blocks that save on material and give insulation).

When the Auroville pioneers arrived, regeneration of the environment was their first concern. There was no electricity, water or shade, and finances were limited. Through careful observation and listening to local traditional knowledge, they slowly developed an integrated soil and water conservation strategy that restored the fertility of the land. Extensive networks of raised earth bank and ditches called ‘bunds’ were placed along the contours of the land, along with a series of earth check dams and catchment ponds. Learning the hard way to work with nature, they placed features near the top of the watershed following the topography, and through trial and error succeeded in their goals. As they became more skilled and efficient in their work, Aurovillians turned their efforts towards the bioregion. Work units ‘Palmyra’ and ‘Water Harvest’ are currently targeting the rehabilitation of an ancient network of community catchment tanks that once covered the land, in an attempt to recharge the aquifers, prevent saltwater intrusion and conserve water for irrigation.

REFORESTATION Since the 1970s, millions of trees have been planted behind bunds, next to dams and ponds. Fences have made from thorn and cactus to protect the vegetation from grazing. As the vegetation has grown the microclimate has changed. It has become cooler and more humid, which facilitates more plant growth, and brings in many species of animals, birds 13

WASTE WATER TREATMENT The first wastewater recycling solutions that Auroville developed were simple, inexpensive combinations of septic tank and soak pit. Later, European funds enabled the CSR to research and develop planted filters, also called constructed wetlands or root zone treatment systems. Currently Auroville has over 40 water treatment systems of small to moderate size many using horizontal or vertical planted filter beds, and also using baffled tank reactors, biogas plants and at least one Living Machine. Recently Auroville has been researching Effective Microorganism (EM) technology to improve system performance.

In Auroville, the blocks are stabilised with 3-5% cement to prevent water erosion, but lime or bitumen can also be used. CEBs are energy efficient (using bet-ween 5 and 15 times less energy to make than a fired brick), durable, ecological, cheap, and the technology is easily transferable. The blocks are adaptable and can be used without support or form. This technique is known as free-spanning or Nubian, and is made possible through the blocks’ adhesive properties with the clay mortar. Many buildings in Auroville demon-strate this through vaulted floor and roof designs. Along with earth construction, Auroville has had great success in the use of ferrocement, where a thin cement mortar is laid over steel wire meshing that acts as reinforcement. While not a truly sustainable solution, it has proven to be a very cost-effective and highly efficient building material that is adaptable,

WHAT IS ORGANIC IN ARCHITECTURE…..??? Integrating humanhabitat with thenatural world. The term “organic architecture” wascoined by the famous architect,Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959). • Presently organic architecture forms the foundation and mother of all architecture sustainable architecture, alternative architecture, ecology, bio architecture and so on. •

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• Organic architecture develops itself from inside to outside,from the interior life (that flows in space)to outdoor. • Primitive vernacular architecture was innately organic, based on natural forms and structures and simple local materials. • Patterns and forms in nature such as the spiral and fractal are products of internal laws of growth and of the action of external forces such assun, wind and water. In modern & post modern period, many eminent

WHAT IS ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE? • • •

Organic architecture is the outcome of the feelings of life, like integrity, freedom,fraternity, harmony, beauty, joy and love. It is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world throughdesign approaches. It is well integratedwith its site and has a unified, interrelated rather a reinterpretation of nature’s principles to build forms more natural than nature itself.

EXPLORING ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE •

ECOLOGICAL + INDIVIDUAL’S= ORGANIC

• Organic Architecture does describe environmental concerns. • It also embodies the human spirit, transcending the mere act of providing shelter from surroundings which shapes and enhances our lives.Organic Architecture describes an expression of individuality. It also explores our need to connect to nature. • Organic Architecture is not a style of imitation but composition consisting of buildings and its surroundings.

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OBJECTIVES

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• It is not a style, but unique and unrepeatable because it is related to the man, site and time (three variables).It is visually poetic, radical, idiosyncratic and environmentally known, multifaceted, flexible and surprising. • It is a total harmonized blending of outdoor and indoor space. It promotes a more positive link between man and nature. • Organic Architecture is influenced by Biophilia (love of life – nature or living system). Organic shapes and forms that elicit a human affinity for nature. • It has more of a vernacular approach. Vernacular is a characteristic style common to a particular region, culture or period.

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Vernacular Architecture consists of buildings or landscapes that affirm a distinctive material, affinity for place and holds the promise of achieving a compatible and sustainable relationship between people, nature and the human built environment,

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Primitive vernacular architecture was innately organic, based on natural form sand structures and simple local materials. Patterns and forms in nature such as the spiral and fractal are products of internal laws of growth and of the action of external forces such as sun, wind and water. Temperature flows also behave better in curvilinear interiors. It gives respect to natural materials blending into the surroundings and honest expression of the function of the building with relation of each piece to the whole and the whole to the surroundings. Architects Gustav Stickley, AntoniGaudi, F.L. Wright, Louis Sullivan, Bruce Goff, Rudolf Steiner, Bruno Zevi and most recently Anton Alberts and Laurie Baker are all famous for their work related to Organic Architecture. FLW was not concerned with architectural style, because he believed that every building should grow naturally from its environment and it should exalt the simple laws of common sense, or of super sense if we prefer determining form by way of the nature of materials, non cherishing any preconceived form fixing upon us either past, present or future. There should be marriage in between the site and the structure and a union in between the context and the structure. Architecture has an inherent relationship with both its site and its time. A building is a product of its place and itstime intimately, connected to a particular moment and site, which is never be the result of an imposed style. Architects could create swooping arches without visible beams or pillars.

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Modern organic designs are never linear or rigidly geometric. Instead wavy lines and curved shapes suggest natural forms, because most of the natural aspects are curvilinear and asymmetrical in shape. Antonio Gaudi, Spanish architect designed sculpturally the creative and irregular organic form. Mainstream architecture is also adopting outward organic forms. Zambian vernacular architecture isorganic, beautiful and most importantly comfortably integrated with the local climate, culture and harvest cycles

In India the famous architect Laurie Baker designed the buildings with local materials, keeping the essence of organic architecture which is more comfortable to the inhabitants with natural surroundings. • The buildings are aesthetically beautiful, low-cost and high quality. • The design of brick jail promotes natural air movement to cool the homes interior and create intricate patterns of light and shadow. •

other eminent Indian Architect, Nari Gandhi uses ‘art of craft’ in order to achieve an organic and sensorial architecture with an ethos towards the spiritual. • In his design of Gobhai Mountain lodge, he explores a jewel like exercise in geometry and simplicity. Gobhai Mountain Lodge, Nari Gandhi views, the • Rajmachi hilltop fort and the Valvan lake below, which the verandahs overlook.

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EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE IN AUROVILLE LINKING A WORLD TRADITION WITH MODERNITY •

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Gobhai mountain lodge,Nari Gandhi.

The development of earth architecture in Auroville attempts to link the ancestral tradition of raw earth buildings and the modern technology of stabilised earth. The R&D conducted by the Auroville Earth Institute finds its source of inspiration in the traditional earthen architecture which is found worldwide. Tradition has accumulated over the ages wisdom and knowledge and it is our duty to distillate the essence of this genius and use it for today’s development.

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE: A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

• The roof of the east face is pressed down to redirect the airflow of the prevailing southwest winds. • Fariborz Sahba designed the Bahai temple in Delhi, in the natural form of lotus, which is again the modernist approach of organic architecture, like Sydney Opera House. • TZED homes in Bangalore by BCIL are a residential project consisting of environmentally sustainable and aesthetically sound homes for ninety-five families. • It is an integrated approach with several innovative systems to minimize environmental impact. Every aspect of TZED has been designed to conserve the natural resources and to have minimal impact on the environment. Fresh air input and builtin energy efficient lights are among the features. Natural building materials, like stone and mud, fly ash blocks, laterite blocks are used. • We propose that all architecture should be organic, individual, and ecological. • The solution of every problem is contained within itself. Its plan, form and character are determined by the nature of the site, the nature of the materials used, the nature of the system using them, the nature of the life concerned and the purpose of the building itself. • A building should grow from its site as nature grows from the inside out and shaped by the forces which surround it.

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Since ages raw earth has been used all over the world as a building material to achieve amazingly long lasting buildings. There is hardly any continent or country which does not have numerous examples of earth construction. From the roof of the world in Tibet, or the Andes Mountains in Peru, to the Nile’s shore in Egypt or the fertile valleys of China, many are the examples of earth as a building material.The oldest one can be seen in Egypt, near Luxor, built around 1300 BC: the vaults of the Ramasseum, in the “rest” of Thebes. India also shows very old earthen buildings: Shey palace in Ladakh, built in the 17th century and Tabo monastery in Spiti Valley – Himachal Pradesh,built with adobe blocks in 996 AD and which has withstood 1010 Himalayan winters.

• These “world heritage sites” show how earthen architecture has been use for achieving great and long lasting monuments. But vernacular architecture worldwide shows also how a local material has been used to create an endogenous architecture, totally adapted to the local context – social, economical, technical, climatic, etc. • Earth architecture and the skill of earth builders disappeared since a century: from the end of the 19th century till the latter half of the 20th century. 17

- Shallow ones for landscape design, work or play areas, gardens, etc.treatment

• The Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy was the precursor for the renaissance of earthen architecture in the middle of the 20th century.

BUILDING WITH EARTH IN AUROVILLE • The creation of the Auroville Earth Institute in 1989, and the construction of the Visitors’ Centre, started a new era in earthen architecture. Since then, the value of earth as a building material has been acknowledged for its economic advantage, as well as its comfort and quality, which promotes indigenous and sustainable development. • Today, Auroville can show a wide variety of projects: public buildings, schools, apartments and individual houses.Most of the projects are built with compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEB), as this technology benefits of half a century of research and development worldwide. • Stabilised rammed earth is slowly getting known and a few projects already implemented this technique. MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES • People in so many different cultures worldwide have used earth to build their habitat and they managed the resources in such a way that buildings were totally integrated in nature and they did not degrade the environment. People were sensitive to Nature and respected it. • The“modern world” does not have such sensitivity… The Auroville Earth Institute (AVEI) lays a lot of emphasis on the management of resources. • If well managed, earthen buildings can be totally integrated in the natural environment, as showed in the tradition. But on the opposite side, mismanagement of resources can lead to the degradation of the environment. Auroville shows quite a few examples of integrated management of soil resources: - Deep ones for rainwater harvesting, wastewater treatment, basement floors, pools

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HOUSES Up to ~ 1990 they were not so many architects and most of the time houses were built by people themselves. Since then architects are designing houses and often people participate, in a way or another to the building process. THE AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE • The Auroville Earth Institute was previously named the Auroville Building Centre/Earth Unit, which had been founded by HUDCO in 1989. • The Auroville Earth Institute is researching, developing, promoting and teaching earth-based technologies that are cost and energy effective. • These technologies are disseminated through training courses, seminars, workshops, publications and consultancy within and outside India.

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One of the aims of the Auroville Earth Institute is to give people the possibility to create and build their habitat themselves, using earth techniques. The Auroville Earth Institute is today the South Asian representative and Resource Centre for the UNESCO Chair "Earthen Architecture – Constructive Cultures and Sustainable Development". Over the past decade, the endeavour to promote and disseminate raw earth as a building material for sustainable and cost-effective development has brought a series of 12 awards: eleven national awards and one international award.

• CSEB made in Auroville with 5% cement, have an average dry compressive crushing strength of 50 kg/cm2 (5 Mpa) and a wet compressive crushing strength of 25 kg/cm2. The water absorption is around 10%. Country fired bricks have around 35 kg/cm² for the dry compressive strength and 12% water absorption

APPROPRIATE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES BASED ON EARTH • This research aims at making extensive use of

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stabilised raw earth as the main building material, there by using a local resource to help develop technologies that are energy saving,eco-friendly and sustainable. The main research and development is focussed on minimizing the use of steel, cement and reinforced cement concrete. Note that these technologies are seen only as tools for creating a safe, comfortable, progressive and aesthetic architecture.

COMPRESSED STABILISED EARTH BLOCK (CSEB) • A wide range of equipment for building

with earth, the Auram equipment, has been researched and developed from the very onset by the Auroville Earth Institute. • It ranges from a press for compressed stabilised earth blocks, quality control devices for block making,handling equipment, hand tools, scaffolding, to rammed earth equipment. • The press 3000 is today being sold worldwide – mostly in South Asia and in Africa. A few machines have also been sold in Europe, USA, Arabic peninsula and China. • The press 3000 with hollow interlocking moulds was sold in large quantities to Gujarat-India, for the rehabilitation of the zones affected by the severe earthquake of January 2001. • The Auram press 3000 is a multi mould manual press which can fit 16 moulds on it, for producing about 70 different types of blocks, with various shapes and thicknesses.

ARCHITECTS IN VERNACULAR # Hassan Fathy

Hassan Fathy is one of the few names of 20th century architects in the Middle East that is also known in the West.His life-long career has been mainly devoted to an architecture that serves a greater good. Not only has his interest been in providing affordable housing for the poor but also in reinstalling pride in the vernacular andtraditional architecture of the Arab world and mainly his home country of Egypt. # NUBIAN TECHNIQUE This technique came from Nubia, from Southern Egypt, hence the name Nubian. It has been used since ages, as it is testified by the vaults of the granaries of the Ramasseum, Egypt, which was built by,Ramses II around 1300 BC. The Nubian technique was revived and disseminated by the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy. We owe him thanks for the worldwide renaissance, in the 20th century, of earthen architecture and construction with arches, vaults and domes. Craterre - the International Centre for Earth Construction, and the Auroville Earth Institute inherited his spirit and commitment towards the earth as a building material and what the latter can do for people. The Nubian technique traditionally needs a back wall to stick the blocks onto. The vault was built arch after arch and therefore the courses were laid almost vertically. The binder, about 1-1.5 cm thick, was the silty-clayey soil from the Nile and the blocks used were adobes, the sun dried bricks. The unevenness of the adobes made it necessary to slightly incline the courses, so as to increase the adhesion by force of gravity. The Nubian technique was also used for building circular domes, using a compass, as is shown here after. This technique has the advantage of 20

allowing one to build vaults and domes without centering. This technique with vertical courses has a major disadvantage, which is that the earth glue is very liquid and the blocks are very thin.

courses of the 3.60 m span equilateral vault have reached their maximum height. Courses should now be laid by steps The masonry goes on with horizontal steps, as the load transfer passes into the half dome which is at the end. Forces through the keystone The forces pass through the keystone of the equilateral vault. The Free Spanning technique with horizontal courses presents an advantage compared to the Nubian technique: the glue is sandier and the quantity of glue is proportionally less, as the blocks are bigger. Therefore, the vault tends to crack less because there is less shrinkage due to the glue. Very flat segmental vaults and certains shapes of vaulted structures (i.e. groined domes) cannot be built with horizontal courses.

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FREE SPANNING TECHNIQUE The free spanning technique is an on going development of the Nubian technique that the Auroville earth Institute is working on since a few years. It allows courses to be laid horizontally. This technique combines also the use of vertical courses, like in the Nubian technique. Depending on the shape of vaults, structures are built either with horizontal courses, vertical ones or a combination of both. The basis of the technique with horizontal courses is not anymore the adhesion of the blocks by the earth glue, but the equilibrium of gravity forces of the various courses, and their transfer onto the next courses and the masonry in general. The vault rises with horizontal courses building a semicircular vault of 6m span It is essential to study the location of the centres of gravity so that the weight of the masonry never goes beyond the springers. It is needed also to develop a certain sense of how the forces behave in the masonry. The transfer of loads always takes the shape of catenary curves, and assumes the most direct way. Limit of stability of the horizontal courses Load transfer in the shape of a catenary in an equilateral vault with a half dome Force as a rampant arch Equilibrium of forces Force as a rampant arch Limit of stability of the curved corbel The vault, being built with horizontal courses, rises like a corbel which is curved and has courses inclined at the same angle as the radius of the curve. The 6m span semicircular vault cannot be built horizontally anymore, as no force can balance the gravity forces. The construction has to go on with vertical courses. Equilateral vault with horizontal courses.The horizontal

# Vaults and domes built with the Nubian technique The binder for vaults and domes is like glue and should be more clayey than the one for walls in order to stick the blocks properly against each other. Nevertheless, this glue should not be too clayey, as it should not have an excessive shrinkage, which will induce a lot of cracks in the structure later on. Note that soil and sand should be sieved with 1 mm mesh. • If the mortar for walls (1 cement: 4 soil: 8 sand) gives satisfactory results, the following mix can successfully be used for vaults and domes: 1 cement: 6 soil: 3 sand. • If the mortar for walls is 1 cement: 3 soil: 9 sand, meaning that the soil is too clayey, the specification for vaults and domes could be 1 cement: 5 soil: 4 sand or, if needed, less soil and more sand. • If the mortar for walls is 1 cement: 7 soil: 5 sand, meaning that the soil is too sandy, the specification for vaults and domes could be 1 cement: 7 soil: 2 sand or, if needed, more soil and less sand. • If the soil is too sandy, no sand should be added and the mix could be 1 cement: 9 soil. 21

• If the soil is really too sandy and the mix 1 cement: 9 soil does not give good results, the cement/soil ratio could be increased to 1cement: 8 soil or 1cement: 7 soil, or even more. The fluidity of the glue is essential for the adhesion. The fluidity and thickness of the glue varies according to the work: #Vaults, cloister and groined domes - Fluidity: The glue needs to be very liquid. A sample of the glue taken with the trowel should leave a film of 3-4 mm thick on a trowel placed vertically - Thickness: The vertical joint, which is binding the various courses of the vault, should be the minimum thickness.The best would be 1 mm thick and the maximum should be 2 mm thick.3-4 mm left on the trowel #Circular domes (Hemispherical, pointed and segmental) - Fluidity: The glue needs semi liquid like paste. A sample of the glue taken with the trowel should leave a film of 7-8 mm thick on a trowel placed vertically. - Thickness: The corners of the blocks are touching each other at the intrados edge. As the courses are circular, the side of the joint facing the intrados has a triangular shape, which has changing proportions when the dome rises. It is crucial that the intrados corners of the block touch each other. 7-8 mm left on the trowel

• If the mortar for walls (1 cement: 4 soil: 8 sand) gives satisfactory results, the first courses of the vaults, which is built with horizontal courses, can use this glue: 1 cement: 4 soil: 8 sand. • If the mortar for walls is 1 cement: 5 soil: 7 sand, meaning that the soil is too clayey, the first courses of the vaults, which is built with horizontal, can use this glue: 1 cement: 3 soil: 9 sand or less soil and more sand, if needed. • If the mortar for walls is 1 cement: 7 soil: 5 sand, meaning that the soil is too sandy, the first courses of the vaults, which is built with horizontal courses, can use this glue: 1 cement: 9 soil: 3 sand or more soil and less sand, if needed. Higher courses of the vault The fluidity of the glue is essential when laying the blocks. It should have the same fluidity as for the vaults built with the Nubian Technique. • When the courses get steeper and that the blocks start to slip down, the glue should become more clayey. Add progressively some soil to the glue and reduce of the same proportion the sand content. • If the first courses uses a mix of 1 cement: 4 soil: 8 sand, the glue can be modified as such: 1 cement: 5 soil: 7 sand, or more soil and less sand if needed. • When the courses rise further and have a steeper angle, the soil/sand ratio should be increased progressively. The glue will have at the end the same specification as the one for vaults with the Nubian technique: 1 cement: 6 soil: 3 sand or more soil and less sand, if needed. Filling steps between courses. The extrados of an optimized vault, built with horizontal courses, has steps which should be filled with an earth concrete. • If the mortar for walls (1 cement: 4 soil: 8 sand) gives satisfactory results, the mix for the earth concrete can successfully be 1 cement: 2 soil: 3 sand: 4 gravel (1/2” size) Note for all specifications concerning binders: Types of soil are as different as human beings. Therefore, the various mixes which have been specified here are merely indicative and need to be adapted to suit each individual soil.

#Vaults built with the free spanning technique The Free Spanning technique, which uses horizontal courses, is specially developed for building vaults without support. The binder is like glue. Note that soil and sand should be sieved with a 1 mm mesh. The mortar specifications vary as the vault rises: • The first courses, which are quite flat, need a glue sandier than the one for walls, in order to reduce the shrinkage when drying. • When the courses rise, their angle becomes steeper from the horizontal. Therefore, the blocks tend to slip down and fall. The glue should have more soil, in order to increase the ratio soil/sand. First courses of the vault

#BUILDING ARCHES

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Arches usually need a centring to be built. They may have any shape and span, but the blocks need a support for being laid. The main exception is corbelled arches. Centrings can be made of wood, steel or masonry. Wood and steel centrings are useful when the same arch has to be built several times. Masonry centrings are often used to save the cost of a prefabricated centring, as their cost is mostly the labour which made it. Wooden and steel centrings can have supports made of wood poles or steel pipes only if the arch has to be built many times. Most of the time, the supports are made with brickwork which is laid with a mortar made of earth and sand. -Types of centrings Wooden centring, ~ 5 m span Steel centring, 90 cm span Masonry centring, ~ 80 cm span -Common procedure for all arches It is essential that the blocks touch each other at the intrados. No mortar is in between the blocks inside, and outside the joint thickness will depend on the curvature of the arch. It is essential that the arch rises with the blocks perpendicular to the centring, so as to get the last blocks parallel near the apex. Extreme care must be taken over the decentring. The centring should go down slowly and vertically. 1. Slide the block laterally 2. Check the right angle 3. Build the arch symmetrically 4. Triangular joint of the mortar 5. Pressing the mortar joint 6. Removing wedges and decentring 1)Segmental arches Depending on the flatness of the arch the procedure will be different. For arches which are not too flat, the blocks are laid on the side of the centring in a similar way to thatdescribed above.The last blocks laid on top of the centring are laid according to the details mentioned hereafter for veryflat segmental arches. Roundness of segmental arches

2)Corbelled arches built without centring Corbelled arches were developed because they can be built without support, by corbelling regularly the horizontal courses of the wall masonry. The bond pattern is essential and the blocks should cantilever preferably by 1/4 of the block module with the maximum projection 1/3. For building such an arch, it is essential to pay attention to the balance of the masonry when courses rise. One should evaluate, before the masonry starts to tilt, where the centre of gravity is of the arch being built.It should not go beyond the limit of stability, which is the inner side of the pier.Centre of gravity of a corbelled arch Arches built with the free spanning technique A “curved arch” is normally never built free spanning, as it needs a support for the voussoirs. The following method was developed to build an arch without centring, so as to close a vault which was built with the Nubian technique and started at both ends of a room. The Nubian technique needs a back wall to start sticking the vertical courses onto and the vault is built arch after arch. At the other end it is nearly impossible to lay the last course between the vault and the opposite wall. This technique was developed to start building the vault on both opposite walls at the same time. It presents the advantage of going faster, as more masons can work on the same structure. As both halves of the vault get closer to each other, there will finally be a gap between both, which has to be closed. The method presented hereafter allows bridging without support for this gap between both halves of the vault. 1. Start the vault on both sides 2. Check the linearity of the last course 3. Grind a block to adjust its length 4. Apply 2-3 mm of glue on the block 5. Insert the block. Note the mortar on the sides 6. Adjust the block by sliding it vertically 7. Wedge the block with stone chips 8. Grind the keystone to adjust its thickness 9. Pour water on the keystone 10. Insert the keystone after applying glue 11. Hit gently to get the keystone to wedge it 12. Wedge the keystone with stone chips

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BUILDING VAULTS 1)Building a vault with the Nubian technique The back wall should be built first. It can have exactly the shape of the extrados of the vault or it can be quadrangular and the extrados of the vault will be drawn onto it. A template is needed to ensure the shape of the vault. It can advantageously be the future window frame on which are temporarily fixed some spacers to get the extrados shape of the vault. The template can also be made of welded Tor steel, which can be re-used afterwards for reinforced cement concrete. It is necessary to create a net of string lines between the back wall and the template. Note that it is better to lay the net of string lines outside in the masonry. The reason is that any mistake in accuracy, with a block laid lower or slipping down, will not change the linearity of the string line. In certain cases, it is sometimes necessary to lay the string lines below the masonry. It is then indispensable to work with a very high accuracy and to leave always 1 mm gap between the blocks and the string line.Back wall Window frame as a template 2)Building a vault with the free spanning technique Vertical ones, like in the Nubian technique. What is presented here is only the particular details for laying the courses horizontally.The binder varies when the vault rises. It starts with the same specification as for arches and progressively become more clayey. It is essential to check the balance of the portion of the vault which progressively corbels. Therefore, to ensure the height of the various courses their cord and span must be checked, to see if they are according to the calculations. It is essential to compress the vertical joint very well and to keep it to the minimum, so as to reduce the shrinkage of the glue and cracks in the vault later on.Compress the joint

BUILDING DOMES 1)Circular domes Circular domes are defined by the rotation of a compass. The lengthof the compass is taken at the outer diameter of the dome, so that the direction of the block can be adjusted by the angle of the compass. The control of the shape is ensured from the inner diameter and thus a cursor or any kind of mark made on the compass is needed. Compass Triangular shape of the mortar (section) Triangular shape of the joint (inside)

2)Square domes 24

Square domes are generated by the intersection of two vaults, which create the groined or cloister domes. The procedure described as follows is for cloister domes which are built with squinches. A template is required and it is generally made of a pipe which is bent according to the need. String lines are pulled at regular intervals, from diagonal to diagonal of the template. Pipe template and string lines Hearing bones of the joints, when the squinches meet at the centre Cross alternately the blocks for the keystones Right side cover Cross alternately the blocks for the keystones left side cover

Baker learnt the actual way of practicing architecture by observing how the rural people were building their houses. He understood that these methods were the cheapest and the most simple. He also observed that these people did not even employ expert workers, but built them on their own. These, he came to understand the real relation between materials and the beings. Consequently, he began to feel that his education and the skills acquired.He began to build houses by making use of whatever was available in nature, primarily mud eventually, Baker became the champion of Using mud, the most sustainable and renewable resource. Mud is gathered either at the construction site or rom nearby areas, by which bricks are made. Baker was aware of those using concrete, Baker was aware of mud’s total recycle-ability. instead of using steel and cement, Baker, used locally available building materials like mud, brick, stone, terracotta tile & coconut. BAKER’S CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

LAURIE BAKER (1914 to 2007) Laurie Baker is truly the Hassan Fathy of India people say that Baker has developed his architecture based on Vernacular architecture of Kerela.

A Charateristic feature of Baker’s work is the jali,a perforted screen made of Bricks with a surface of tiny regular opening in the wall, producing intricate patterns of light and shadow. It catches light & air and diffuses glare while allowing privacy & security combining the function of a window & a ventilator.

LAURIE BAKER IN VERNACULAR

A jali openings encourages air flow,yet the construction of this form of cross-Ventilation requires. BAKER’S STYLE 1. Skylight 2. Jalies 3. Traditional roofs 4. Traditional structure 25

5. Stteped arches

of rammed earth walls is usually very long and they can carry heavy floors and roofs and be used for two and even three storey buildings.There are other local systems where some mud is used in one way or another to assist other materials to stick together.In many hill and mountain areas the stone is deliberately and carefully added at the external base of the wall and this deal with the splashing of rainwater quite effectively. For example, in many parts of the country small roughstones are found but it is quite difficult to build a wall of any size or height with suchpieces. So the stones are often used as fillers to either Cob, Rammed earth or adobe walls. The vertical joints between one rammed section and next are not vertically one above the other. Otherwise, these vertical joints can later turn into a large vertical crack! However, there is no doubt at all that the life of rammed earth walls is usually very long and they can carry heavy floors and roofs and be used for two and even three storey buildings.

6. Overhanging CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUIES The first simplest and certainly the oldest system is called “COB” With only a little water to form a very stiff mud. A row of these cobs of mud are laid neatly side-by-side preferably somewhat pressed together when three or four courses have been laid, one above the other, the sides are smoothe over so that the holes and cracks disappear.

There are other local systems where some mud is used in one way or another to assist other materials to stick together.In many hill and mountain areas the stone is deliberately and carefully added at the external base of the wall and this deal with the splashing of rainwater quite effectively. For example, in many parts of the country small roughstones are found but it is quite difficult to build a wall of any size or height with suchpieces. So the stones are often used as fillers to either Cob, Rammed earth or adobe walls.

Once you have obtained the feel of the right consistency of mud, this cob method is a very simpler straight forwards uncomplicated. Openings for doors, and windows are a problem, which can be solved by using temporary vertical planks or shuttering.The second method has developed from the cob wall so as to standar dise or regularise the thickness of the wall. It is also an attempt to increase the strength of the wall by ramming it. It is known as the Rammed Earth. Basically, two parallel planks are held firmly apart by metal rods and clips or bolts, or by small cross pieces of wood. Stiff mud is thrown in between these two planks and rammed down with either a wooden or metal ramrod. When one section is completed and hard, the two boards are moved along and the process is repeated until the whole plan is completed.

SITTING A MUD HOUSE CURING MUD BLOCKS It can also be said here that for many single and double storey buildings mud can be used as a mortar for ordinary burnt brick walls and for stone random rubble walls If your site is a very exposed one with a frequent strong driving rain then of course it is better to protect that side of your building with plaster, or with a veranda, or even construct it from a material like Burnt Brick, Stone, or Laterite. As we have already pointed out there is no virtue in being fanatical about mud and trying to do every single item with mud.All forms of mud work are less prone to cracking if dried slowly, in the shade and not in

The vertical joints between one rammed section and next are not vertically one above the other. Otherwise, these vertical joints can later turn into a large vertical crack! However, there is no doubt at all that the life 26

strong sun. After mud blocks are made they should be stacked so that air circulates around the blocksand so that they will not be disturbed or damaged preferably close to where the building will be constructed.

Geoffrey Bawa

(1919–2003) Geoffrey Bawa was Sri Lanka’s most prolific and influential architect. Geoffrey Bawa recieved the prestigious Chairmans Award from the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his lifetime achievement. His ideas have spread across the island, providing a bridge between the past and the future, a mirror in which ordinary people can obtain a clearer image of their own evolving culture. Geoffery Bawa in Architecture Throughout its long and colourful history, Sri Lanka has been subjected to strong outside influences from its Indian neighbours, from Arab traders and from European colonists, and it has always succeeded in translating these elements into something new but intrinsically Sri Lankan. Bawa has continued this tradition. His architecture is a subtle blend of modernity and tradition, East and West, formal and picturesque; he has broken down the artificial segregation of inside and outside, building and landscape; he has drawn on tradition to create an architecture that is fitting to its place, and he has also used his vast knowledge of the modern world to create an architecture that is of its time. Since Bawa started out on his career, Sri Lanka’s population has almost tripled, while its communities have been fractured by bitter political and ethnic disputes. Although it might be thought that his buildings have had no direct impact on the lives of ordinary people, Bawa has exerted a defining influence on the emerging architecture of independent Sri Lanka and successive generations of younger architects. His ideas have spread across the island, providing a bridge between the past and future, a mirror in which ordinary people can obtain a clearer image of their own evolving culture.

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Geoffrey Bawa shied from discussing his work, preferring it to be experienced instead. Fundamental to his approach was an empathy for place and a direct interaction on site. Both life and training shaped his ideas. A love of natural form, the discipline he learnt in England tempered by conviviality in elegant surroundings, his cosmopolitanism and a sense of culture and the past were essential components. Bawa’s attitude to life imbued his work with a sybaritic ethos, which is ubiquitous in his designs. The existing potential of the natural landscape was always accommodated within and around Bawa’s spaces. He blended them so beautifully that ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ became a continuum. Quintessentially, Geoffrey Bawa’s architecture produced canvasses for the art of living so unobtrusive that his forms became props which ‘respect, enhance and celebrate the environment’ and are above all, to be enjoyed.

PROJECTS IN VERNACULAR 1) Farm house, Nadhawade, Sindhudurg (Dist), Maharashtra, India

Shirish Beri & Associates on Farm house at Nadhawade said “The farm was bought with the idea of creating an ecologically balanced environment with maximum use and recycling of local materials. 28

The house has an organic quality with a unified interior space instead of segregated, isolated rooms.”Every requirement was worked out as activities and not as rooms. The house was designed to grow around the trees, and integrate them in the built environment. The inside and outside spaces mingle with each other. Some times the garden comes inside, or the house extends out in low-built forms. The use of locally available laterite stones wood, mud and cow dung besides bringing about economy, lend an unusual warmth and earthiness to the spaces.

constructed. The flooring is cow dung and mud on ground floor (except toilets and wet areas) and timber on mezzanine. These materials are natural materials, which are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The well compacted cow dung plastered mud floor has good impact strength. The bedroom sit out recognizes the natural irrigation canal, which flows through the site from January to May.The gas plants design was based on a Chinese’s model, which is more economical and indigenous. The swimming pool is constructed with minimum construction and costed only Rs. 2500/-, which comes Rs. 40 / – per sq.m only. The wash out of the pipe is connected to the irrigation system of the coconuts and areca nut gardens at the lower level, thus no water is wasted. It acts as a play arena, when the pool is dry. The farm aid quarters and stores were constructed in he vernacular manner with laterite pillars in the cement mortar and in situ mud partition walls. This building cost worked out 1/5th of the general prevailing building costs then. The well has been designed as a landscape element with stepped gardens, and the pump shed is camouflaged by a rockery, a cascade and a lily pool.The old existing temples with their Deepmalas have been retained with improved arrival spaces in front.The built environment has a lot of interrelationship with the natural organic environment also. The use of the solar cooker, methane gas and wood from the energy plantations reduce the dependence of external energy resources. The wind on the farm was not enough for the exploitation. Our attitudes towards life as a whole are mainly responsible for the shaping of this symbiotic living experience at Nadhawade.

Our own house, farm aid’s quarters, garden, well, pool and services structure have been located centrally to facilitate better supervision, better insulation, shade and beauty. The house was constructed in laterite stone masonry (a locally available porous stone of 26cm X 40cm X 16cm ht.) This material can be dressed to any size and shape, has good insulationvalue

2)Influence of indigenous structures, forms and culture on architects. Kamil Khan Mumtaz a Pakistani, British trained architect, who has been working in Lahore, Pakistan since late 60s. He has been involved with Aga Khan Award of Architecture, has also led several architectural juries. He has made tremendous contributions to architectural education in Pakistan in his own modest manner. While studying at Architectural Association in London in early 60s, Kamil was no doubt, fully exposed to the modernist thinking of that era. In tropical department at AA, Dr. Konigsburger and Rory Fonseca were there to impart the best knowledge

and brings about a great saving in cement The foundation is in Deccan trap stone obtained while digging the swimming pool. The sand was gathered from the streambed, which runs along the property.The wood used for the structural work is all locally available jungle wood. The main Osri or portico pillars are beautifully carved old wooden pillars of 55cm diameter, These were abandoned by local temple in the process of the renovation when plastered stone pillars were 29

about designing for comfort in tropical climates. Kamil also worked with Keith Critchlow and Buckminister Fuller in Ghana for a while.

Kamil Khan Mumtaz was born and grew up on the sub-continent, surrounded by some of the best examples of traditional craftsmanship, vernacular and civic architecture from pre-Mogul to British era. His professional training abroad, in his view, almost put him off course and he was forced to make some ‘mid-way corrections’ to his professional progress to return to a point where his work was ’seamlessly’ connected to the centuries of traditions.

On his return to Pakistan he started his practice with all the current design influences and produced some work using modern 20th century influences. It soon became apparent to him that that all his western training and appreciation of modernist principals were at odds with the local building and cultural traditions and to make meaningful architectural progress in these environments required a reappraisal of all he has learned.

Islam and its rich heritage offers him a framework to bridge the gap between alien western culture on one side and prevailing lack of continuity and cultural relevance in local architectural world on the other. He is striving hard to regain the understanding of the past where religion, culture and building forms and techniques were in harmony.

Like Laurie Baker, he was fully conversant with the sustainable approach to built forms rooted in local traditions. Laurie Baker’s professional work adhered to his own brand of Quaker humanism. Kamil’s faith in Islam is influenced by Sufism, a much gentler, tolerant and almost secular approach despised by the hardcore intolerant Islamic wing causing the current disquiet throughout the world.

I have been aware of his high standards of architectural output for a while, particularly his interest in indigenous approach, trying to keep alive or revive the building traditions that continue to suffer and deteriorate in Pakistan. This is not an easy balance to strike if your clients have differing 30

expectations and ambitions, which are sufficient reasons for Kamil to politely decline such projects.

I have been able to evoke the delights of discovering the hidden paradise with internal patios and fountains I have learned to work within the framework of a new discipline of symmetries, proportions, and rhythms which reflect the cosmic order and perfect balance underlying the apparent chaos of the universe An architecture based on appropriate technology will fail to convey its message unless it also employs a language that is appropriate and meaningful in the context of a specific culture

I had the pleasure of meeting Kamil in Lahore a few months ago, when he very kindly accompanied me to show some of his building projects currently under construction.

…within these same environments the opportunities have also existed for architecture to act as a catalyst in promoting a meaningful debate which addresses issues which should be central to the discourse of architecture in these environments: Architecture can play this role by positing strategies for urban development in the context of high rates of population growth, high rates of urbanisation, and persistent poverty; by exploring the validity of urban forms and morphologies which have evolved over the millennia in this particular geographic context; by imaginatively exploiting available material resources and skills and developing appropriate technologies; by designing buildings which are responsive to the climate of their region; by developing an architectural vocabulary which is meaningful to the people and relevant to their culture and history; by creating relationships of spaces and buildings which are sensitive to prevailing

The sensibilities of the architect are moulded by his academic training. He is sensitised to the role of “function” and of “pure aesthetics” of sensible form, but not to that of religion as a factor in the design process. Thus it is only in deference to a valued client’s sensibilities, or as a cultural metaphor rather than as religious symbol; that the average architect may be persuaded to incorporate some token reference to traditional forms into his otherwise “modern” designs. 31

social values and norms; and by clarifying the issues in the current debate on modernity and tradition in these societies.

3) PRARTHNA Architect: Suhasini Ayer The housing of Prarthna started as a conventional housing development with an array of Apartment blocks comprising of different types of Housing units. But after the first 2 blocks it became clear that a mixed land use of row houses and apartments would be more appropriate for the needs of Auroville. Auroville is a society of extreme cultural, social and economic diversity and often the lifestyle of the people are very different to be accommodated within the narrow range of different housing types of 2 bed/bath or 3 bed/2 bath………….We needed to explore a more site specific and climatically suitable principle of housing

As this was then the unifying element in the housing, one could then freely explore the internal layout of the houses to the needs and lifestyle of the occupant.

Like most of the projects done by the Architecture Dept, Auroville Building Centre the guiding principles are

Taking this into account the neo-urbanism model of using streets and semi private green spaces was adapted into the site plan. This was enhanced by evolving a building language that was inspired from the vernacular forms of costal Tamil Nadu. The concept of using transition spaces that are verandahs, sit outs and terraces as the living spaces with a cascade of shading roofs in terracotta tiles as the skyline.

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Solar passive design

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Participatory design process with the end user

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Flexibility of functions within spaces

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Low input construction techniques and materials

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Recycling of waste water

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Minimalism of built form

necessarily derive from the past, which were developed over many years and responded to the climate, used materials that were less disturbed our ecological balance. It will need many groups of people in many towns and cities, who are concerned enough to conserve some of the past and to plan the future with a greater awarenass. Perhaps one day we will learn to maintain our commercial viability but at the same time respect the spirit and the qualities of traditional design.

VANISHING VERNACULAR VOCABULARY The changing face of the domestic architecture of India,It asks question about why vernacular houses in the city are being replaced with modern concrete constructions.It then looks at the new residential areas where the vernacular vocabulary is emerging in a fragmented way to make a ‘Style’.In the end,it looks at one of the many houses from the past that are being sold to ‘dismantling contractors’ so that ..the land can become useable again for constructing a multi-storeyed residential buildings.

CONSULION The vernacular dwelling is the unconscious expression of a people’s cultue. More than the architecture of secular or religious institutions, houses mirror the needs, desires, and living habits of a time because they are the direct result of the interaction between people and their environment.

The vernacular house is a small part-palaces, deorhis, kotlas, monuments, mosques, tombs and from the present development-modern shopping complexes, commercial buildings, administrative buildings and large institutional buildings. Each house was from a different locality with varied surroundings.Each house had differences in the elements of the house. Some had one courtyard,some two and some none. The balconies of the houses were also different.the construction techniques and materials also varied subtly.

The unity of construction and landscape were lost. Mostly today’s urban,residential buildings activities do not repect the architecture values or practices of the past .Also lacking is a feeling for harmony and proportion But now as “the Earth Institute of Auroville” change the techniques in vernacular architecture.

What does it mean to share one’s concern? It is to share, what we know about the richness of this architecture with the others.to share our knowledge of the building materials and their advantages, about how new architecture can evolve from this, that new ways of building must 33