Vernacular Architecture Mudra

VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
Traditional houses of Manali

• Frank Lloyd Wright described vernacular architecture
as "Folk building growing in response to actual
needs, fitted into environment by people who knew
no better than to fit them with native feeling".
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a category of
architecture based on localized needs
and construction materials, and
reflecting local traditions. Vernacular
architecture tends to evolve over time to
reflect
the environmental, cultural, technologica
l, and historical context in which it exists
It can be contrasted against polite
architecture which is characterized by
stylistic elements of design intentionally
incorporated for aesthetic purposes
which go beyond a building's functional
requirements. Vernacularism was started
in 1600s, but the term ‘vernacular
architecture’ was coined in 1818.
Factors…
• Climate
• Avaibility of materials
• Construction techniques (local)
• Culture
• Religious beliefs and philosophy
• costing
• Legal aspects
• Nomadic or permanent dwellings
• Humanitarian response
• Avaibility of usable spaces
• Harmony with ecology of the place
• Orientation
• Traffic movement
Manali
• State: Himachal Pradesh
• District: Kullu
• Elevation: 2050mts
• Population: 17,786
• . The small town is the beginning of an ancient trade
route to Ladakh and from there over the Karakoram
Pass on to Yarkand and Khotan in the Tarim Basin.
• Manali and the surrounding area is of great significance
to Indian culture and heritage as it is said to be the
home of the Saptarishi, or Seven Sages.
• The climate in Manali is
predominantly cold during
winters, and moderately cool
during summers. The
temperatures range from 4
°C(39 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F) over the
year. The average temperature
during summer is between 14
°C (57 °F) and 20 °C (68 °F), and
between −7 °C (19 °F) and 10
°C (50 °F) in the winter.
• The valley was sparsely
populated by hunters knows as
‘rakshas’, initially. Then arrived
the shepherds and ‘naur’ tribe
which is caste unique to the kullu
valley.
Architecture style
• The basic
architecture style
of the traditional
houses of manali is
kaccha and semi-
pukka.
• Kaccha: materials
used- mud, thatch,
bamboo, sticks, etc.
• Semi- pukka:
combination of
kaccha and pukka.
Layout planning is complicated due to
constraints of hilly terrain for construction
of buildings and roads beyond certain
degree of slope. It is further complicated
due to the following:
• Difficulty of getting suitable orientation on

the hill slopes.
• Problems of soil erosion and land slides.
• Restrictions by the forest department.
( ban on cutting of the trees).
• Existence of tall shoddy trees and dense
forest area, which obstruct the winter sun
required for the buildings.
• Limitations on the height of the building
due to earthquake risk.
• High cost involved in the site development
due to the cutting and the filling process.
• Non-availability and transportation
problems of construction materials.
Construction techniques
• The traditional house is in the form of a hut, and a hamlet develops when there
are more than one hut and a small temple, dedicated to the local deity is gradually
added. Thus from a singular structure of a hut, a small settlement is developed.
The typical house consists of stone and timber walls, constructed in what is known
as Kath-Kona style, an indigenous style of construction in which the walls are made
with alternate courses of dry stonemasonry and timber without any cementing
mortar.
• In the hamlets located in the, the walls of the traditional houses are
built mostly with the dried masonry, without using any alternate layers
of timber. These walls are plastered with mud both from inside and the
outside.
• A common alternative is to make the lower storey of the house in dry
stone masonry without any layer of timber beams and the upper floor
exclusively in timber. The upper floor is projected on all the four sides
supported by wooden posts and brackets.
• In some parts of Himachal Pradesh, there is a popular use of the Dhajji wall
construction. In this construction system, the walls are made of timber
frames with in-fills of light thin panels made by close packaging of mud
mortar, stone and ballast.
• The hill house usually consists of two rooms. One on top of another and is
built with mud, stone and timber. Usually the ground floor is used for keeping
cattle and storing grain and fodder. The upper floor is the main living area.
Construction materials
• In the vernacular architecture of the Himalayan region wood
is extensively used, as the forests of the deodar wood and
other mixed forests were easily available. Deodar wood has
been used traditionally to impart stability to tall structures.
Construction…
• In the well built structure,
the wood is very carefully
arranged, the beams with
thickness around 30 cms in
depth extending over the
whole length of wall - a
beam on the outside and
another beam on the
inside, the space in
between is filled with
stones.
Roofing techniques
• Over the walls, a frame of the timber rafters and
purlins is laid out for the pitched roof. The
roofing on top is with slates as the material.
To counter the seismic forces, the traditional
structures usually stand on a high solid plinth, made
up of dry dressed stonemasonry. The huge mass
serves as a dampener pad to the earthquake forces
and the dry construction allows for vibration and
hence faster dissipation of the energy.
• Varying topography gives pockets of land for development
which give rise to discontinuous organic mosaic of building
with varying sizes and spaces. No space is perceived in
isolation. Buildings appear visually integrated with each
other, establishing continuity in perception. It is the total
composition, which becomes the most important.
Points to remember
while designing:
•Slope of the ground should

not be more than 30
degrees to reduce the
instability.
•Foundation should not rest
on filled up ground.
•Due to the cold climate,
southern slopes should be
preferred.
•Clearance space of 1m to
1.5m should be left between
the hill face and the building
wall to be protected against
land and snow slides.
•Hill cutting should be
reduced.
Thank you.
•Harsh Chauhan
•Kunaal Gadhavi
•Mudra Tomar

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VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

Traditional houses of Manali

• Difficulty of getting suitable orientation on

•Slope of the ground should

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