BOOK: ARCHITECTURE FOR KUTCH, GUJARAT, INDIA
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FROM THE BOOK : ARCHITECTURE FOR KUTCH
Reinterpreting the Lifestyle, Culture, Crafts and Architecture of Kutch Region in New Housing
This book presents two aspects of an architectural project: The study of lifestyle, culture, arts and architecture of Kutch – the colorful western region of India and the architectural design and planning of new housing evolved and built in South Kutch from the study and analysis of the region. It lavishly presents the entire project with more than 300 photographs, drawings and sketches.
The new housing is an interesting reinterpretation of the climate, living and cultural patterns, crafts and architecture of Kutch in planning to house designs to construction details. It is evolved through the analysis of traditional architecture and architectonic evolution of forms, spaces and construction. The local crafts are used in new methods of construction, to revive certain crafts and create local employment.
This housing withstood without damage the enormous earthquake occurred on 26 January 2001 in Gujarat state of India. It illustrates an approach of habitat design addressing one of the crucial issues of our times in Asia of responding the context of climate and cultures of a place and its people. The project “Housing in Kutch” received the JIIA award, 1997 from Indian Institute of Architects and has been published in various art and architecture magazines.
ARCHITECTURE OF THE PLACE
Hawa Mahal, Jaipur
Rabari House, Kutch
Housing in Kutch
Architecture is generated by various layers – physical as well as cultural. It is an integrated outcome of living and cultural patterns of people, social structures, history, climate, materials, economy, technology prevalent at that place and the aspirations of the people. Each layer contributes varyingly, weaving complex yet a united whole. These layers form the character of a context, which is very specific to a place. Architecture causes change in form and space with respect to attributes of a place. It is very place specific and any architectural design must respond to this aspect.
Architecture, unlike other art forms is distinct from music, sculpture, literature, fine arts or motion pictures since its expression and physical form is inseparable from its locale. Hence we have Hawa Mahal – the Palace of Winds in Jaipur – a direct result of climate and the social system or Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya at Ahmedabad – a response to the climate and at the same time expressing the humble nature and ideology of Mahatma. This is vivid also in the different parts of India, where each region has its own expression of traditional architectural form and language responding sensitively to its climate and culture. In fact it is true even in various habitats of the world as well, right from the Machiya houses of Kyoto to the hill towns of Yemen to the Georgian houses of Britain.
We tried to address this issue of responding to the place and context, while designing the housing for people of Kutch. It was mainly for migrated families who are settled in cities like Bombay and wanted a second home in their native place. Before designing the architectural scheme it was crucial to understand Kutch region which is a pluralistic place like India itself – with its enterprising people, hostile geography, history, diverse society, traditions, building skills and distinctive character of architecture collectively constituting its own unique culture. Kutch has a tradition of incredibly beautiful crafts, which form an essential part of its habitat. Our task was twofold:
To shape above objectives, the extensive study of entire Kutch region from various aspects made it possible to reinterpret and transform the lessons from the research of climate, living patterns and architecture in the present case of new user; so as not to merely imitate or transfer the pretty imagery which generally happens leading to superficial wrapper architecture by caricature of cultural images. The first part of this book illustrates the study of Kutch region while the second part is the architecture of housing evolved from the study.
The purpose of the research was designing the new housing at Bidada village, Taluka Mandvi, South Kutch and so the emphasis is on architecture. The concentration of the research is towards architectural design to learn from the characteristics of the region. The description of Kutch is not complete though all efforts are made to explain the essence of this wonderful region of India.
We can understand a particular place and its people by their history, origin, living patterns, geography, visual expressions and the built environment. The culture of a society is manifested in various ways and hence the Kutch region is presented in three sections as following:
People and Place
Arts and Crafts
Architecture
“People and Place” examines the climate, geography, seasonal cycles, micro- and macro-climate of the region as well as the social and economic set up of the people and various communities, their origin and history, social structure, traditions and customs, occupation, trade and commerce, financial set up and regional economy of the region.
“Arts and Crafts” is the study of various visual expressions of arts and crafts of the region, products of daily use from embroidery to textiles, pottery to wall paintings, stone to woodwork and metal work to jewellery.
“Architecture’’ documents built form and spatial organisation and analyses regional indigenous architecture – its evolution, structure, public and private spaces, the form and spaces of the typical houses to the whole village extending to the basic form of town and finally city of the Kutch region.
The Housing in Kutch illustrates the architectural design and planning of new housing evolved from the study of the region in the second part of the book. The project is explained in the order of site planning to living patterns and design of individual houses to finally the crafts transformed in construction:
Site planning
Living patterns and design of houses
Crafts to construction
“Site planning” illustrates the overall planning concept and strategy, cluster planning and typology evolved from the study of planning of villages, towns and desert settlements of the Kutch region.
“Living patterns and design of houses” explains in detail, the planning and basic design of all the individual prototype houses based on the climatic and spatial analysis of circular mud houses in the desert area and traditional row houses in villages.
“Crafts to construction’’ demonstrates the transformation of colourful arts and crafts of the region for new construction methods, details and as visual elements of design using local materials and skills.
The book concludes with the overview of the entire project and finally comes to an end with the recent description of earthquake in Kutch and Gujarat state and explains in brief the reasons for facing no damage to the new housing at Bidada village in Kutch.
Reinterpreting the Lifestyle, Culture, Crafts and Architecture of Kutch Region in New Housing
This book presents two aspects of an architectural project: The study of lifestyle, culture, arts and architecture of Kutch – the colorful western region of India and the architectural design and planning of new housing evolved and built in South Kutch from the study and analysis of the region. It lavishly presents the entire project with more than 300 photographs, drawings and sketches.
The new housing is an interesting reinterpretation of the climate, living and cultural patterns, crafts and architecture of Kutch in planning to house designs to construction details. It is evolved through the analysis of traditional architecture and architectonic evolution of forms, spaces and construction. The local crafts are used in new methods of construction, to revive certain crafts and create local employment.
This housing withstood without damage the enormous earthquake occurred on 26 January 2001 in Gujarat state of India. It illustrates an approach of habitat design addressing one of the crucial issues of our times in Asia of responding the context of climate and cultures of a place and its people. The project “Housing in Kutch” received the JIIA award, 1997 from Indian Institute of Architects and has been published in various art and architecture magazines.
ARCHITECTURE OF THE PLACE
Hawa Mahal, Jaipur
Rabari House, Kutch
Housing in Kutch
Architecture is generated by various layers – physical as well as cultural. It is an integrated outcome of living and cultural patterns of people, social structures, history, climate, materials, economy, technology prevalent at that place and the aspirations of the people. Each layer contributes varyingly, weaving complex yet a united whole. These layers form the character of a context, which is very specific to a place. Architecture causes change in form and space with respect to attributes of a place. It is very place specific and any architectural design must respond to this aspect.
Architecture, unlike other art forms is distinct from music, sculpture, literature, fine arts or motion pictures since its expression and physical form is inseparable from its locale. Hence we have Hawa Mahal – the Palace of Winds in Jaipur – a direct result of climate and the social system or Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya at Ahmedabad – a response to the climate and at the same time expressing the humble nature and ideology of Mahatma. This is vivid also in the different parts of India, where each region has its own expression of traditional architectural form and language responding sensitively to its climate and culture. In fact it is true even in various habitats of the world as well, right from the Machiya houses of Kyoto to the hill towns of Yemen to the Georgian houses of Britain.
We tried to address this issue of responding to the place and context, while designing the housing for people of Kutch. It was mainly for migrated families who are settled in cities like Bombay and wanted a second home in their native place. Before designing the architectural scheme it was crucial to understand Kutch region which is a pluralistic place like India itself – with its enterprising people, hostile geography, history, diverse society, traditions, building skills and distinctive character of architecture collectively constituting its own unique culture. Kutch has a tradition of incredibly beautiful crafts, which form an essential part of its habitat. Our task was twofold:
- To evolve architectural form and spatial organisation with respect to the climate and culture of the region and present changes in living patterns of the migrated families, to generate a sense of belonging to their original place.
- To transform and express the various local crafts in the houses, to create a familiar ambiance. Also to use crafts for new methods of construction, to help preserve them, generate work and create employment for the rural worker locally, thus helping to curb migration to some extent. So, from design stage itself an attempt was made to evolve construction methods based on local skills.
To shape above objectives, the extensive study of entire Kutch region from various aspects made it possible to reinterpret and transform the lessons from the research of climate, living patterns and architecture in the present case of new user; so as not to merely imitate or transfer the pretty imagery which generally happens leading to superficial wrapper architecture by caricature of cultural images. The first part of this book illustrates the study of Kutch region while the second part is the architecture of housing evolved from the study.
The purpose of the research was designing the new housing at Bidada village, Taluka Mandvi, South Kutch and so the emphasis is on architecture. The concentration of the research is towards architectural design to learn from the characteristics of the region. The description of Kutch is not complete though all efforts are made to explain the essence of this wonderful region of India.
We can understand a particular place and its people by their history, origin, living patterns, geography, visual expressions and the built environment. The culture of a society is manifested in various ways and hence the Kutch region is presented in three sections as following:
People and Place
Arts and Crafts
Architecture
“People and Place” examines the climate, geography, seasonal cycles, micro- and macro-climate of the region as well as the social and economic set up of the people and various communities, their origin and history, social structure, traditions and customs, occupation, trade and commerce, financial set up and regional economy of the region.
“Arts and Crafts” is the study of various visual expressions of arts and crafts of the region, products of daily use from embroidery to textiles, pottery to wall paintings, stone to woodwork and metal work to jewellery.
“Architecture’’ documents built form and spatial organisation and analyses regional indigenous architecture – its evolution, structure, public and private spaces, the form and spaces of the typical houses to the whole village extending to the basic form of town and finally city of the Kutch region.
The Housing in Kutch illustrates the architectural design and planning of new housing evolved from the study of the region in the second part of the book. The project is explained in the order of site planning to living patterns and design of individual houses to finally the crafts transformed in construction:
Site planning
Living patterns and design of houses
Crafts to construction
“Site planning” illustrates the overall planning concept and strategy, cluster planning and typology evolved from the study of planning of villages, towns and desert settlements of the Kutch region.
“Living patterns and design of houses” explains in detail, the planning and basic design of all the individual prototype houses based on the climatic and spatial analysis of circular mud houses in the desert area and traditional row houses in villages.
“Crafts to construction’’ demonstrates the transformation of colourful arts and crafts of the region for new construction methods, details and as visual elements of design using local materials and skills.
The book concludes with the overview of the entire project and finally comes to an end with the recent description of earthquake in Kutch and Gujarat state and explains in brief the reasons for facing no damage to the new housing at Bidada village in Kutch.