kerala

AMRESH KIRAN RITWIK SUNEET SUZANNA

VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF KERALA AND TAMIL NADU

The term “vernacular architecture” stands for the art of constructing buildings and shelters which is

spontaneous, environment-oriented, community-based knowledge

VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF KERALA AND TAMIL NADUAMRESH KIRAN RITWIK SUNEET SUZANNA

INTRODUCTION


VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF KERALA


KERALA

• Located in south-western region of the Indian peninsula

• Wedged between the Arabian Sea in the west and Western Ghats in the east

LOCATION…

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE…

• equatorial tropical climate

• three climatically distinct zones:• eastern highlands (rugged and cool

mountainous terrain)• central midlands (rolling hills)• western lowlands (coastal plains)


KERALA

• control of the indoor environment is basis of traditional architecture

• the traditional architecture of kerala evolved through ages by the influence of many factors of which the climate is most important

• major problems - excess of moisture, heavy rainfall, intense solar radiation and effect of high temperature

INFLUENTIAL FACTORS…


RESIDENCES

• square or rectangle in plan, are oriented strictly to the cardinal directions

INTRODUCTION…

•this makes the spatial planning more perfect to control its environment with maximum comfort in all distinct seasons

• a modular concept with four blocks built around an open courtyard strictly adhering to the ancient rules of geometrical grids, proportions and scale

• thatchu shastra and vasthu, governing sciences


RESIDENCES

TYPES OF HOUSES: VEEDU…

• range- caves, huts etc, to hamlets, pathinarukettu

• shelter to joint-family kinfolk or tharavad (tharavad--kinship system)

• consequently huge shelter


RESIDENCES

TYPES OF HOUSES: VEEDU…

•five types of spatial house structures • ordinary folks and tribal people/ adivasis (cheri,

chala, kudi, variyam or pisharam or pumatham) • Ekasala, an I-shaped single rectangular hall house,

belongs to farmers or middle-class non-farmers • Nalukettu, a courtyard house, belongs to landlords • the great mansion Ettuketu and Patinjarukettu

(double ettukettu) or much bigger structures, belong to very rich landlords • commoner houses


RESIDENCES

THE SINGLE HALL HOUSE

• wretched huts and hamlets

• one hall divided into inner and living spaces by means of temporary structural dividers

• the materials are locally available: bamboo reeds, wooden poles, mud and local grass or leaves

• the walls - wattle (bamboo splints woven together and covered with a mud plaster) and red or white mud stripes, sometimes decorated


RESIDENCES

THE SINGLE HALL HOUSE


RESIDENCES

EKASALA / FARMER’S HOUSE• Farmer’s House• the grain store • designs vary from a small box

(pattayam), to a house grain storeroom (ara) and a house for grain storage with a treasury building (pattayapura/ pathayapura)

• typical single hall partitioned into three arrayed rooms, enriched or fronted by a gallery/veranda


RESIDENCES

EKASALA / FARMER’S HOUSE

• the rooms are multifunctional and could be used as bedroom, storage or treasury • beneath the ara, there is a semi basement storage room called nilavara

• the ara has two doors. one faces the interior and is for daily use while the other side faces the exterior or rare gallery / passageway to get the paddy in

•The middle room is thus regarded the most important part which is utilized as ara.

• Kalavara


RESIDENCES


Order of Preference of the four salas

• length- owner’s hasta unit

• width:length= 1:3And perimeter calculated

• yoni number added- 1-e, 3-s, 5-w, 7-n


RESIDENCES


• expansion• proportions applicable to core• core extend by passage halls• upwards


RESIDENCES

Dwisalas and trisalas

Types of dwisalas

Types of trisalas


RESIDENCES

NALUKETTU AND NADUMUTTAM

• the houses of brahmins, landlords and the royalty are usually courtyard mansions called nalukettu

• The Nalukettu can be multiplied to make a double nalukettu with two courtyards (ettukettu), and a fourfold nalukettu with four courtyards (patinyarukettu) following the needs of spatial extension


RESIDENCES


• CATTUSSALAS

TYPES OF CATTUSSALAS


RESIDENCES


• the plan or spatial boundaries for certain designs follow patterns that are prescribed in vastu.

N

TYPICAL LAYOUT OF A NAALUKETTU

SOUTH KERALA

NORTHKERALA

CHRISTIAN SYRIAN VEEDU

MUSLIM VEEDU


RESIDENCES


CENTRAL KERALA

NORTH KERALA SOUTH KERALA


RESIDENCES


• the enclosed courtyard - ‘ankanam’ is usually sunk and therefore called ‘kuzhi (pit) ankanam’

•the protruding roofs of the ‘salas’ form shady verandas and protect the rooms from direct sunlight, keeping them cool even on the hottest of days

• western and eastern verandahs are left open, northern and southern verandahs are enclosed or semi-enclosed


RESIDENCES

COMMONER HOUSES


RESIDENCES

CHALA HOUSES

CHENGANNUR

WAYANAD

SHANGGHUMUGAM


RESIDENCES

ROOF STRUCTURES• shingle and bent roof construction

• reflects the logic of tropical sloping as seen in the shingle, hip, saddle roof and the span of eaves of the roof slopes

• basic structural elements - kazhukol (rafters), uttaram (wall plate), montayam (ridge), vala


RESIDENCES

ROOF STRUCTURES


CONCLUSION

• influence of geographical factors• north kerala - more massive appearances in

laterite construction• it uses hipped roofs, wooden carvings and

openings

• south kerala and central kerala - lighter structures in timber• use of the bent or gabled ridge roof

• environment or climate• use of shingle roofs and protruding eaves as response to tropical rain, wind • use of grilled windows and porous walls as response to tropical sun glare


PADMANABHASWAMY COMPLEX

• built in 1400- 1500

• edifices reflecting variety of styles depicting socio- political influences over the years

• building sciences applied- astronomy, astrology, mathematics, religious values, social moves, building technology

• The palace complex is inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long

• Located at the foot of the Veli Hills, a part of the Western Ghats

• The river Valli flows nearby

Palaces and TEMPLES


Palaces and TEMPLES

• The palace complex consists of several structures:

• Mantrasala, literal meaning, King’s Council Chamber

• Thai Kottaram, literal meaning, Mother’s Palace

• Nataksala, literal meaning, the Hall of Performance

• A four-storeyed building at the centre of the Palace complex

• Thekee Kottaram, literal meaning, the Southern Palace

Entry• from the west• high door with pitched roof structure abutting it

• Progress through succession of courtyards formed by buildings or walls to reach core


• Most beautiful parts of the entire palace complex

•Has windows, with coloured mica, which keep the heat and the dust away

• Inside of the council chamber remains cool and dark

• Delicate and beautiful lattice work

• Floor beautifully done, with a fine and perfect finish• Dark coloured • Made of a mixture of varied substances, including burnt

coconut shells, egg white etc• This particular floor finish and texture could not be

duplicated in any other construction

Mantrasala (Council chamber)Palaces and TEMPLES


Thai Kottaram (Mother’s palace)

• The oldest construction in the entire palace complex

• centre piece or focus•basic reference point in relation to which location and openings of other buildings have been determined

• Inner courtyard, called ‘nalukettu’• Sloping roofs from all four sided taper down• Four pillars on four corners support the roof

• On the south-west corner there is a small room, the chamber of solitude or ‘ekantha mandapam’• Intricate wood carvings • Of particular interest is a pillar of single jackfruit wood,

with very detailed and beautiful floral designs.

Palaces and TEMPLES


Nataksala (Hall of performance)

• relatively new building, constructed at the behest of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, (reign from1829 to 1846)

• He was a great connoisseur of arts, especially music and dance

• Has solid granite pillars and gleaming black floor

• There is a wooden enclosure, with peepholes, for the women of royal household

)

• As old as the ‘Thai kottaram’ • Now, it serves as a heritage museum, exhibiting antique household articles and curios

Thekee kottaram (Southern palace

Palaces and TEMPLES


Four-storeyed central building (UPPIRIKKA MALIGA)

• Four-storied building is located at the centre of the palace complex• Top floor (called upparikka malika)- worship chamber

• Walls covered with exquisite 18th century murals, depicting scenes from the puranas, and also few scenes from the social life of the Travancore of that time

• Several rooms just below the worship chambers, which included the king’s bedroom• The ornamental bedstead is made of 64 types of herbal and

medicinal woods, and was a gift from the Dutch merchants

• rooms have built-in recesses in walls for storing weapons like swords and daggers.

Palaces and TEMPLES


Ground Floor Plan

a.Gateb.Centre for ceremoniesc. The old mintd.Entrance Porche.Weapon Storef. Kitcheng.Templeh.Dance hallj. Audience hall for Europeansk. Ministerial audience hall

m. Hall for performing artsn. Large feeding hallp. Mother palaceq. Small feeding hallr. Bath housesu. Tankv. King’s residencew. Woman’s residencey. Wellz. Palace offices

Palaces and TEMPLES


Section, Padmanabhapuram

a.Gateb.Centre for ceremoniesc. The old mintd.Entrance Porche.Weapon Storef. Kitcheng.Templeh.Dance hall

j. Audience hall for Europeansk. Ministerial audience hallm. Hall for performing artsn. Large feeding hallp. Mother palaceq. Small feeding hallr. Bath housesu. Tankv. King’s residencew. Woman’s residencey. Wellz. Palace offices

First Floor Plan, Padmanabhapuram

Palaces and TEMPLES


Elevation, clock tower

Roof Plan, Padmanabhapuram

Palaces and TEMPLES


TEMPLES

Section, King’s Residence

Section, Mother’s Palace

a. Courtyardb. Store

c. Roomd. Passage

e. Verandahf. Balcony

Palaces and TEMPLES


VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF TAMIL NADU


TAMIL NADU

• Located in south-eastern region of the Indian peninsula bound by both western and eastern ghats

• kerala in west, bay of bengal in east; karnataka and andhra pardesh in the north

LOCATION…

• sub-humid to semi-arid climate• heavily dependent on the two monsoon seasons • january – may dry season

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE…


CHETTINAD HOUSES

• The Chettinad houses are built on a rectangular traversal plot that stretches across two streets

• the front door openS into the first street and the back into the second

INTRODUCTION…

• Looking in from the main threshold, your eye travels in a straight line across a series of inner courtyards, each a diminishing rectangle of light, leading out to the back door.


CHETTINAD HOUSES

• entrance • raised platforms of 45 cms

used as sleeping place in the nights and also as transition area to front room

THE OUTER AREA…

•the house has got seating on both sides called the thinai at a height of 80 cm

• gathering space for the men of the house , also used to conduct business

• the area restricts the circulation of the visitors inside the house.

• ornamental teak door with a wooden board on top called the surya palakkai

• ornamentation of the front façade and the door differs from house to house based on their economic position

•

• the platforms lead off on one side into store rooms and massive granaries and on the other, into the (kanakupillai) or accountant's room

THE HUGE FRONT DOOR…


CHETTINAD HOUSES

• pattagasalai which is a vertical one with corridor around it

• pillared corridors running on each side that

THE FIRST COURTYARD…


CHETTINAD HOUSES

lead into individual rooms, each meant for a married son, each with a triangular slot cut into the wall for the evening lamp

• the aisles are used for chatting and sleeping during normal days and used as the function areas during marriages etc.

• the second courtyard has large dining spaces on either side

• the third courtyard is for the women folk

THE OTHER COURTYARDS…


CHETTINAD HOUSES

the wealthier the merchants the larger the house, often spreading out to a second floor

• fourth, or nalankattai comprised the kitchens, leading out to the backyard with its women's well and grinding stones.

• first floor is accessed by three sets of stairs

• there are small rooms on two sides on the first floor which are used as habitable rooms and as storage rooms.

• the houses have a very high compound wall, so high that only the façade of the first floor is visible from the street.

THE OTHER SPACES…


CHETTINAD HOUSES

THE MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION…


CHETTINAD HOUSES

• main material used is teak wood

• the flooring is of china tiles and athangudi tiles

•ferok tiles and nattu oodu are used for the sloping roofs of the courtyard

• the pillars are of granite

•these tiles have colorful patterns

• stained glass is used only in the front façade and courtyard

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