Traditional Low Cost Materials and

Construction Techniques

Climatic Zones in India

Regions

Northern

Central

Himalayan

Rajasthan

Ladakh

Madhya
Pradesh

North East

Coastal
Region

Introduction

Factors
Climate

Geography

Materials

Introduction
CLIMATE

Scorching sun in the Gangetic plains.

Tropical conditions of the south.
Dry cold climates in Spiti and Leh.
Perennially damp conditions in the northeast.

GEOGRAPHY

Hilly terrain of the Himalayas and Kashmir.

Flats of the Deccan and the south.
Damp ground of Assam and Bengal.
Dry earth of Punjab.

Introduction
MATERIALS

According to area:

North India ---- clayey soil makes sunburnt bricks and mud mortar.
Northeast ---- bamboo construction
South ---- red laterite stone
Mangalore tiles for roofs
Middle India ---- plethora of sandstone (eg: pink city)

According

to caste:

Brahmins ---- white stone

Kshatriyas ---- red stone
Vaishyas ---- yellow stone
Shudras ---- black stone

NORTHERN

Himachal Pradesh

Climate

Topography

PRIMARY CONSIDERATIONS :-

To protect the building from cold and winds in winter.

Penetration of maximum sunlight in living areas and generating

warmth.

Rain water disposal.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE:
RAMMED
EARTH

DHAJJI WALL

KATHKUNI

LOG HOUSE

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE:
KATHKUNI OR KATHKUNDI STYLE :

A mesh of interlocking horizontal cedar (locally, deodar) sleepers is created - and

in this dressed or raw stone is packed.

A singular characteristic is the absence of vertical members.

The most common type of Kathkuni wall is made by laying apart two square
section wooden wall beams longitudinally parallel to each other to define the
width of the wall.

These are lap-jointed or nailed by the cross joist.

The whole frame work done is known as cheol.

With inherent elasticity, the design has an enormous seismic response.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE:
KATHKUNI OR KATHKUNDI STYLE :-

KALPA

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE

BADRINATH TEMPLE,
KAMRU FORT

SARAHAN TEMPLE

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE:
DHAJJI WALL CONSTRUCTION
Dhajji means quilt of patch work.
Timber and stone.
Presence of timber studs gives a sturdy framework and divides the
brickwork into small sections. As a result the individual sections resist shaking
and this prevents destruction of the wall
Used for walls of upper stories, especially for the gable portion.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE:
Different patterns of dhajji wall

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE:
RAMMED EARTH CONSTRTUCTION:

In this type earth is filled in-situ into vertical mounds in layers of one meter height.

Another common mud construction is consist of sun dried earthen bricks mixed with straw
chippings to decrease shrinkage cracks.

Surface of these walls are leveled by mud plaster which gives it property of proneness to
cracking and washing during rains.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE:
LOG HOUSE

Walls ---- logs laid horizontally parallel to each other to define its width.

Over them, another course of logs, cut to a length equal to the width of the wall are
laid cross wise to cover the entire length of the wall.

Another method --- the wooden logs --- squared and the space between each
course filled with brick work and glazed tiles.

The positive points ---- solidity,

gravitational stability and lateral
rigidity.

Ladakh

Ladakh - Introduction
It occupies western most extension of
high n dry Tibetan plateau.
It is sandwiched between Khardungla
and Zaskar ranges.

The entire region is snowbound with

severe winter and mild summer.
Therefore the building construction
material is roughly dressed stones,
sun baked mud bricks and clay.

Ladakh - Monasteries
Built on flat land.
Entry to the main room after the
portico is always through a small door.
Elevationally these buildings are simple
and follow the load bearing structural
system.
Often there bland facades are treated
with marvelous surface decorations
that include color application and
carvings which would highlight and
give prominence to their existence.
Mud and stone ---- base walls, flooring
and roofs.

Ladakh - Monasteries
Load bearing wall were thicker of about 2 feet to
6 feet thick and at times tapering.
Wood --- load bearing agent such as beams and
columns.
The roofs are flat --- made of mud that is
supported over a mesh of willow twigs.

Ladakh - Monasteries
PLANNING
Ground floor --- storage for food and fodder,
space for animals and a small room serving
as a pit for collecting human waste.
The upper floors have habitable rooms, a
small courtyard in the middle with rooms on
the other three sides.
There is a large multipurpose room, a small
prayer room and a segregated toilet block .
Raised plinth by a foot or two which is made
of random rubble masonry.

Ladakh - Monasteries

Ladakh - construction technique

Load bearing structure with a
stronger base and a lighter top.
The internal walls again plastered
with mud for better insulation.
The roof are flat and have a small
parapet in edge.
buildings rests directly on the rock
below.

The walls are 2-3 feet thick.

Ladakh - houses
The common features are :
Houses were built on two
levels where ground level
was used for storage and
animal shelter and sometimes
rooms for servants as the
upper level have habitable
spaces.
In most of the houses there
is only one single large room
and an oven in the corner
which is multipurpose in
function.

Ladakh

NORTH-EASTERN STATES OF INDIA

INTRODUCTION

the north east comprises of the

seven sisters states of
Aruanachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Manipur,
Meghalaya,
Mizoram,
Nagaland and
Tripura.

Characteristics
Rich bio-diversity
Heavy precipitation
High seismicity

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

Monuments in this region

belonging to the medieval
period i.e., 6th century A.D. To
19th century A.D.

It maintained cultural relation

with the main land. The
present Bangladesh and the
erstwhile west Pakistan was a
part of India before the
partition of the country and
hence the influence on north
eastern
architecture
from
outside.

PLATFORM DWELLINGS

The pile platform houses can be seen among the

hill tribes.

They were built on piles due to the uneven land,

even though they do built on even land but never
entirely without piles.

This kind of houses are seen to be built only by

the people from the hills.

The houses are generally known as bor muthun,

skull house or morang.

The centre line of posts projects through the

ridge, a custom of some tribes only, and this
posts were covered like the roof with toku palm
leaf, or with another palm called jengo.

The post projects so as to enable them to

be lowered as the part in the ground
decays.

The roof comes so far down as to hide the

walls of matted split bamboo, of which
also the platform and the floor are made;
these are supported by cross pieces borne
on saplings, post, and bamboo uprights.
Houses from 30 to 200 ft long and from
20 to 35 ft wide, are often built part on
the ground and part raised, with the fire
places built up of stones.
A notched log serves as a ladder, to get
on the platform or visitors end.
In no case, are the platform posts in
water, for all the changes or villages are
perched on hill tops.

KARBI HOUSES

House location and orientation:

slopes or hilltops are not favored by the karbis

for establishing a village, nor is the vicinity of
streams. For that reason flat areas are always
preferred.

The position of the house is not determined by any

fixed spatial orientation, however one usually find
dwellings oriented towards the village road or lane,
and preferably facing towards the east direction.

When houses are to be build on hilly ground, they

are oriented so that the front side faces the valley
and the rear part faces the upslope of the mountain.

In communities settled on rivers banks houses

usually stand facing the river.

THE DWELLING SPACE

Traditional karbi houses are made up

entirely of

wood,
bamboo and
thatch.

The whole construction is raised

several feet above the ground on a
bamboo platform supported by wooden
posts, under which domestic animals
run freely.

The floor rests on a layer of support

consisting of splintered and whole
bamboo grids to ensure appropriate
rigidity.

This platform is enclosed on four sides

by a fence of bamboo lattice, leaving
only one entry to which one accesses
by a bamboo ladder.

Remarkable is the absence of nails, wires or

metal clippings, as well as windows.

Bamboo splits as well as thongs extracted from

the bark of trees are used to tie structural and
non structural elements.

The eaves in the front and rear sides (more rarely

the overhanging of the gable when the roof is set
up perpendicularly) form two small porches.

Roofs are thatched by using an unidentified

species of grass (karbi : phelang) reaching a
height of 1.5 to 2 meters, available in the nearby
forests.

The eaves do not extend much further down than

fencing level.

It must be noted that karbi houses of important

people bear no special external decorations that
may advertise the status of their owner, as it is
often the case in neighbouring societies.

KHASI SETTLEMENT :

Most of the houses are constructed in accordance with the people's

tastes.

Each dwelling structure has a compound and in some cases cattle sheds
are occupied by each household irrespective of the number of members
and income

The old type of houses are oval shaped.

The foundation as well as the roof are oval shaped.

These buildings are usually raised on the plinths

THE HOUSE IS USUALLY DIVIDED INTO THREE

ROOMS

PORCH

CENTRE
ROOM

SLEEPING
ROOM

The floor of the centre room and sleeping room are covered with planks.
The floor of these rooms are much higher than that of the porch .
The porch is used as the store room in which the inmates keep their
agricultural tools and implements and firewood.

The centre room serves as the kitchen as well as the sitting room.

The centre room is furnished with short wooden stools and higher cane
or bamboo stools (mula). The sleeping compartments are always
provided with wooden bed steeds and boxes where clothes are kept.

Coastal regions
India

Type of coastal
Plain
coastal area

Ground
level-sea

Lake and
sea joints

Lagoon
coastal

Cliff coastal

Plain coastal

Boulders on the shore.

Coconut trees on
coastal edges.
Domestic entrepreneur
factories.
Domestic fishing.
House boats.
Wood refining.

Lagoon coastal

Rocky land basins.

Domestic fishing.
Clear sea water.
Rich in coral.
Cultivation of shell
fish.

Cliff coastal

High cliff.
Large density of coconut.
Plane basins.
Clear water.
High tides.
Some sites filled with
bamboo.

Ground level-sea

Rich pines on coastal

area.
Shell fish cultivation.
Good for sea fishing.

Lake and Sea joints

Narrow sand basins between lake and sea.

Low tides near edge of the basin.
Lake water is non-usable due to osmosis of salt from
sea.
Salmon fish in high quantity.
Good for house boats.
High growth of African fungi leading to depletion of fish
resources.
Local fishing.

TYPICAL HINDU HOUSE

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TYPICAL MUSLIM HOUSE

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