Semi - Arid Climate

SUSTAINABLE
ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
CLIMATE REGIONS
SEMI - ARID CLIMATE.
A SEMI ARID CLIMATE ,SEMI DESERT CLIMATE OR STEPPE CLIMATE IS THE CLIMATE OF A REGION THAT
RECEIVES PRECIPITATION BELOW POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION, BUT NOT AS LOW AS DESERT CLIMATE.
CLIMATE / PRECIPITATION / VEGETATION
● SEMI - ARID ALWAYS FOUND ON THE AOUTER AEDGE OF ARID CLIMATE AREAS
THINK OF SEMI ARID AS A TRANSITION BETWEEN DRY AND WETTER PLACES
● CONSIDERING SEMI - ARID IF IT AVERAGE BETWEEN 10- 20 IN/YEAR. SOME

YEARS THESE PLACES MAY GET 20- 40 INCHES OF RAIN ,BUT SOMETIMES
5 -10 INCHES.
● SCATTERED TREES,SHRUBS,GRASSES. ADAPTIONS TO PRESERVE WATER
CASE STUDY - GUJARAT , KUTCH
●It has hot and dry climate and one of the hottest places in Gujarat which is
continuously inhabited by the human beings.
●The summers are extremely hot and the temperature exceed more than
49°C, posing challenges for the survival of humans or for that matter any
life forms. However, the nights in Kutch are pretty cool, with the night
temperature falling considerably.
GUJARAT, KUTCH
● Kutch district of the Gujarat state in India, which has a very high earthquake risk.
● A Bhonga consists of a single cylindrically shaped room.
● The Bhonga has a conical roof supported by cylindrical walls.
● Bhonga construction has existed for several hundred years.
● This type of house is quite durable and appropriate for prevalent desert conditions.
● Due to its robustness against natural hazards as well as its pleasant aesthetics, this
● housing is also known as "Architecture without Architects
SETTLEMENT PATTERN
A habitat in a tropical climatic region is a composition of open, semi open and
enclosed spaces interwoven together forming the public and private realm-
collectively called „built form‟ or „built environment‟.
●A number of streets radiate from one main street in

different directions. While walking towards the
village interiors the streets become quite narrow
and finely carved entrance of row houses with the
repetitive main entrance door with two small niches
and two long windows on both side are seen .
ROAD PATTERN
Streets take angular turns at intervals and all houses have mangalore tile sloping
roofs. Though once in 3-4 years, the initial rainfall here is high.
MATERIALS / STRUCTURES
MATERIALS / STRUCTURES
●The materials used are locally available materials like Mud, Bamboo, cane
leaves, of late Bricks, stone etc.
●The plinth and the foundation consists of consolidated earth with stone and
bamboo posts, the walls consists of mud wall, split grass, earth, cane etc., and
the roof is thatched, made of wheat or maize straws.
●The Structural System consists of mud load bearing wall and the wooden nuts
truss which supports the roof.
●The wooden columns are in house in the mud wall. Much of the behaviors of the
structure depend on the load bearing mud walls.
●The structure Integrity is dependent upon Monolithic wall of mud. The corner
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
● A large lump is roughly moulded

into the shape of a huge
elongated egg
● Size is between 12 to 18 inches.
30-40 cm long and 6 inches in dia.
● The egg is placed one above the
other in circular form.and the
outside is smoothened to avoid
cracks
PLAN / SECTION
An individual
house
OTLA
● Domain for the home and the place for outdoor activities
● Water does not enter the houses in rainy season
● About 500mm high
● Rooms are not attached to avoid cracks because cracks causes damage during earthquakes
● On this platform rest various structures composing the household one or more Bhungas
(Generally up to three), circular houses with diameter ranging between 3 to 6 meters, covered by
a conical thatched roof
ADVANTAGES RELATED TO NATURAL
CALAMITIES
It performed very well in the recent M7,6

earthquakes.very few bhongas were damaged
.that too because of low maintenance and
injuries caused by it were very very low
DISADVANTAGES / ADVANTAGES
● The thick walls ,made of ● The major Structure failure in the region
mud,keep the interior cool when is due to reaction and erosion of walls
the temperature rises to 40+ due to salinity. The Salinity erodes the
bottom part of the wall in the outward
degree celsius in summer and
side,
warm when it drops below 5
● so the cross section decreases due to
degree in winter. erosion so the whole structure is pulled
● As the area is prone to in the opposite.So this reaction due to
earthquakes this type of salinity causes the structure to distort
construction is quite preferable. and eventually fail.
MODERN HOUSE
● Providing multiple floors and adding functioning towards it .

CONCLUSION:
The architecture of kutch region relates to the socio economic setup ,the cultural
identities and good climatic responsives.A good number of climate responsive
design features are revealed during the study of the bhonga houses including
temperature control, enhancing natural ventilation ,protection from natural
calamities such as flood ,earthquake etc...
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURES IN ARID AND SEMI ARID AREAS
APPLICATION METHODS:
● Rain gardens (or bioretention cells) are vegetated depressions that retain
and treat runoff from rooftops, sidewalks, and streets. Unlike conventional
gardens, rain gardens receive most of their water from precipitation.
● Porous Pavement Porous pavement reduces runoff volumes and
contaminant loads by allowing more precipitation to infiltrate into the soil
● Riparian buffers are one example of a watershed-scale approach to green
infrastructure. Riparian buffers restrict development in the land adjacent to
washes, arroyos, creeks, or streams to reduce erosion and preserve channel
form and function.
MAINTAINING CRITERIA
● Create a plan
● Use low water use plants
● Consider good soil
● Use mulch
● Use efficient irrigation system
● maintenance
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
●Reduces flooding: Increasing infiltration, evapotranspiration, and storage where

precipitation falls will reduce runoff and flooding.
●Reduces the urban heat island effect: Removing pavement and planting
vegetation can cool and shade urban neighborhoods in the hot summer months
●Improves water quality: Reducing runoff and allowing runoff to be treated by soils
and vegetation will reduce pollutant loads to receiving water bodies
SOCIAL BENEFITS
●Improves public health: Cooler summer temperatures and cleaner air can dramatically
improve health, particularly for children and the elderly. More pedestrian-friendly
landscapes can also promote physical activity
●Calms traffic: By reducing street widths and introducing curves, green street
techniques can slow traffic.
●Builds communities: By beautifying neighborhoods and creating a unique sense of
place, green infrastructure practices can increase neighborhood interaction. Neighbors
may even work together to integrate green infrastructure into their neighborhood.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
● Reduces landscape maintenance costs: Passive rainwater harvesting and

drought adapted plants will reduce the cost of irrigation and maintenance
● Increases groundwater resources: In the arid and semi-arid Southwest,
groundwater resources comprise ~55% of the water supply.
● Reduces energy use: The energy required to import, treat, and distribute
municipal water could be significantly reduced by using precipitation where
it falls.
THANKYOU

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SUSTAINABLE

ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

● CONSIDERING SEMI - ARID IF IT AVERAGE BETWEEN 10- 20 IN/YEAR. SOME

●A number of streets radiate from one main street in

● A large lump is roughly moulded

It performed very well in the recent M7,6

● Providing multiple floors and adding functioning towards it .

●Reduces flooding: Increasing infiltration, evapotranspiration, and storage where

● Reduces landscape maintenance costs: Passive rainwater harvesting and

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