A Review on vernacular and traditional building practices of Himachal Pradesh –Kath Khuni Architecture
Gogulapati Sreeprada
PD001016, MIAD, CEPT, Gujarat, India.
Key words: Kath Khuni, Energy Conservation, Vernacular Architecture, Traditional Architecture; Climate responsive buildings; Sustainable Construction.
Abstract:
The vernacular engineering of the Sutlej valley, commonly known as 'Kath-Khuni' is made with locally available deodar wood and slate stone and it is well suited to the seismic zone of Himachal Pradesh. This paper aims to aid analysis of vernacular architecture by incorporating geo-referenced spatial and textual data to develop a more comprehensive and contextual method of recording and analysing buildings. This allows better
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The vernacular architecture withstands test of time and changes itself dynamically to suit the changing needs of the day. This is the reason that vernacular architecture is hailed as the starting point of bioclimatic design. The Traditional Architecture of Himachal Pradesh is the result of the existing topography, extreme climate, Material, workforce availability etc. Indigenous construction techniques have reacted well to the climatic and other factors. Besides the vernacular architecture consolidates well with the slopes at the backdrop. The Traditional Architecture shapes the foundation of society and social set up of the place. Its wonderful qualities serve as the living legacy and add to vacation spots. It is important for this architecture to retain its coherence. Amid several years man has built up some valuable systems to acquire the indoor comfort considering the surrounding climatic conditions, the accessible materials and different conditions with respect to culture. In the vernacular architecture, buildings were intended to accomplish comfort by utilizing locally accessible building materials and development innovation which were more receptive to their climatic and geographic conditions.
The Kath-Khuni design is a customary building practice perfected over period of time. It includes two neighborhood
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Every staying timberland in Himachal Pradesh have been nationalized. Felling of trees and offer of timber is presently controlled by the State Forest Corporation, and an Enforcement Organization has been built up to keep the illicit felling of trees and carrying of timber. Chasing has additionally been restricted. The legislature has made 33 Sanctuaries, two National Parks. Extra national parks destinations are proposed. This is causing non availability of Deodar wood for construction. There are wild life protection areas
Forests were cut down, making lumber/timber rare. However, despite
Often a structure is designed in a way that will prove durability against climate and environmental activity. For example, Thomas Coram’s painting entitled, “View of Mulberry House and Street” (Fig. 15-6) depicts the houses of the African American slaves with very high, pointed roofs. This specific home design was used by African American slaves in order to keep their houses cooler at floor level. In this case, the function of the high pointed roof in each house was to allow for the warmer air to rise and keep the cooler air down. Another example is that of the Mesa Verde “Spruce Tree House” (Fig. 15-7) which depicts cliff side caves, built as means for stable homes by The Anasazi.
The Architectural Fantasy by Hubert Robert is an oil painting created in 1802. For an architectural painting, is displays much emotion through the use of color, line, and light. The painting does not utilize a multitude of colors but still is able to provide an exciting scene. Although it does not appear to be that large in the gallery, the work would actually be prominent if it were a standalone piece. The artist’s use of perspective, light, and color give the overall composition a balanced look.
Deforestation is still an unbeleafable issue even to this day. With our trees being cut down to make supplies and furniture, we struggle with keeping our ratio of trees being destroyed and trees being planted equal. It seems like that was also the case in the past. There was a significant amount of trees being cut down in 1920, the land looking much more barren than it did in 1650 (Document A, map). These trees, some of them taking more than three thousand years to rise tall, are being cut down.
Also, when the fracking companies clear the land so they can do their business, they are taking away natural habitats for the wild
According to Dr. Lalvani, under British rule, endangered species were protected and national parks were opened. Yet in reality, forests were logged and turned into farms for cash crops like indigo, cotton and tobacco. Resulting in higher temperatures, increased salt content in the soil making it harder to grow crops and reducing the amount of available water (Document 6). National parks are meant to save and protect both the land and animals living there. Logging those forests for the purpose of cash crops didn’t follow these two very simple guidelines.
Mankind has always faced many natural obstacles, one of them being the harsh elements of the weather. In order to protect themselves, humans began to build shelters to keep warm and survive. This acted as the roots that gave rise to the industry of architecture. As time has passed and societies have come and gone, the advancements in architecture have continued to grow, but never again has there been a time more influential and lasting on architecture than the era of the Greeks and Romans. Their architectural achievements revolutionized modern architecture in a way that is still being used to this day.
New designs have been adopted since the onset of architecture, and thus, with the concentration of a history of architecture, new phenomenon and innovations are realized that would help in further explanation and address of other necessities in the same sector. A concentration in the History of architecture and landscape architecture as a course incorporates more than one element of
Though this may seem as a simple objective, two main limitations stand in the way of achieving it. The first is the limited understanding of the human attachment/inclination towards nature. In spite of the growing body of research (Appleton, 1975; Kellert, 2005a; Heerwagen, 2005; Biederman & Vessel, 2006), still it is not clear why certain natural forms and settings arouse positive feelings in human beings. The second limitation is the difficulty of translating this limited -but growing- knowledge in architectural terms; form, form making principles, form language, structural systems…etc. (Alexander, 2001-2005; Salingaros & Bruce, 1999; Kellert,
Medieval Cathedral Architecture The Romanesque style was used from the tenth century to the twelfth century. The style was plain and often dimly lit in comparison to the open and intricate designs of the gothic style. Romanesque cathedrals had thick walls to hold up the heavy roof. This caused there to be few windows and narrow passageways.
Introduction Romanesque architecture started around 1000 to 1200 AD around the middle ages, extending from the decline of the Roman Empire until the begging of gothic architecture. It is one of the most influenced styles of architecture but also one of the most hard to characterize. Unlike other styles it developed independently in diverse locations such as Italy, Spain, England and France. Its characteristics come from the ancient roman architecture that developed into bigger prettier and more complex constructions. However, there are different views in where it spread first as well as where it got more influence from.
Frank Lloyd Wright is considered to be the pioneer of modern architecture. He created an identity for American architecture, while rejecting Neoclassical and Victorian style designs. Wright called this “organic architecture”. It is architecture that is simple, yet modern and co-exists with architecture. He provided a new perspective on architecture and “The American Style”.
Gottfried Semper was a major figure in the field of Interior designing. He was an architect and an art critic who contributed majorly to the study of interiors .He proposed his ideas and thoughts in his book, “Four elements of architecture”, in the year 1952 and it was a huge success. In his book, he developed the theory that origin of architecture could be dated back to the primitive era when human civilization was at its peak. As compared to the modern ideology that architecture consists of structures made from materials, his theory revolved around the four main elements of the primitive era that were essential to human life.
• Mughal rulers contributed by way of magnificent gardens, bountiful orchards and pleasure parks. However, though they spent a large time enjoying nature, they did not make great efforts in the direction of natural forest cover conservation. British Era The British colonialism undoubtedly brought about a depletion of India’s rich natural resource. This was in line with the Judeo Christian Principle that all resources & nature belonged to men and were meant for the exclusive use & benefit of the human species alone.
Sustainable forest management requires three major criteria which are the maintenance of ecological processes within the forest (soil formation, energy flow, biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nutrient and hydrological cycles), maintenance of biodiversity of forest, improving the net social benefits derived from the mixture of forest uses within the constraints by considering the future. Forest provides habitats for more than half of the fauna and flora on the Earth (SCBD, 2001). Forest biome plays an important role in mitigating climate change by serving as carbon sinks (Hassan et al., 2005). Forest land is the most fundamental natural resources which become reduced mainly due to anthropogenic pressures. For proper management of land, it is essential to have information about existing land cover and about the naturalness of the land.