Climate control Strategies in traditional built form - Lucknow Context (Page 5)

By -

Courtyard planning. The courtyards are found in most of the traditional houses of Lucknow. With compact organisation, the house and the streets have become very close to each other, so the most natural thing was to close the house to the exterior and open it to the interior thus making the courtyard an important feature of the house. The idea of an inward looking house is also reinforced because of the climatic reasons. They are mostly centrally located and are open-to-sky or partially shaded with overhangs. This also provides shaded spaces which results in reducing heat gain. Due to the incident solar radiation in the courtyard, the air in the courtyard becomes warmer and rises up. To replace it, coo air from the ground level flows through the openings of the room, thus producing the airflow. During the night, the process is reversed. The cooled surface air of the roof sinks down to the court and enters the living spaces through the low-level openings and leaves through the higher-level openings.

Massive walls:
The walls of traditional buildings are massive with a thickness varying from 45cm to 60cm. The thick walls are constructed with lakhauri bricks and mortar of lime and surkhi. The walls are sometimes pointed or mostly finished with lime and stucco plaster. Thick walls store a larger amount of heat due to large heat capacities and create a larger time lag. This helps in keeping the insides cool during daytime when it is most inconvenient outside. On the other hand, in winter, heating requirements are reduced due to the heat stored in the walls, which is radiated during the night.

Heavy roof:
The thickness of roof in traditional houses of Lucknow varies from 30cm to 45cm. Two types of construction techniques are used for roofs. One method used is by laying closely spaced timber beams covered with reed matting and a thick layer of lime concrete on top. The second type of roof construction comprises the Jack arch roof with lakhauri bricks on steel girders covered with thick lime concrete with brick ballasts and surkhi. The roofs and floors are finished with lime and cement plaster. The massive roof construction ensures a very small decrement factor and a larger time lag.
 
(Continues...) 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Transient Communities: A Search for Identity through Ethnicity (page 6)

By -
Image
The third zone is the service zone in the form of courtyard for cooking and Serving food. The toilets also are located here. Sometimes there are exclusive bhojana halls to serve food. The Central axis is how ever maintained and the planning is Symmetrical. Some Viduthis are divided into two, three or four divisions, paralleling each with their own central axis about which it is planned. These axes run parallel to each other starting at their respective entrance with well detailed main door flanked between the colonnaded thinnais on either side. The Illupakkudi Viduthi has two divisions, one for administrative functionalities and other for performing rituals. The soorakudi Viduthi and Pillayarpatti Karpaga Vinayagar Nagarathar Viduthi has exclusive bhojana halls. The Mathur Viduthi is the biggest of all. It has two divisions with a common wall between them. Both the halves are accessed from the main road. The western half, with more elaborate entrance is further divided into three...
Read more

Transient Communities: A Search for Identity through Ethnicity (page 5)

By -
Image
When disputes between Nakarattars arose due to private misunderstanding, Nakaravitutis along with temples and Saivite monastries (matams), provided venues for extraordinary meetings of the Community to resolve disputes. These meetings Were held under the jurisdiction of a respected elder or elders in the Concerned Community and were called Panchayats - on the pan (Indian model) - although disputes were typically mediated or arbitrated by a single person. Besides Nagarathars from different places get together attemple festivities making their affiliation to the temples and the bonding to their Pangalis stronger. These Nagarathar pilgrims stay in the Viduthis by paying any minimal amount feasible to them, as Mahamai. The Viduthis hold an Undiyal (Hundi- money Collection box), in which the pilgrims deposit their Mahamais which is used for the running of the Viduthi. Spatial vocabulary of Nagaraviduthis in Chettinad: In the traditional context of Chettinadu, the edifice of Vidut...
Read more

Transient Communities: A Search for Identity through Ethnicity (Page 2)

By -
Image
Thus, in analysing the impact and consequence of migration on the tradition and culture of the migrant community, a contradiction prevails between the two notions: One states that there is a break in Cultural and traditional ties from that of the homeland, and the other, states the existence of continuity of tradition and Culture of migrant community. Historical Background: The British founded Madras in the 17th century as a trading Centre. By 1674, three distinct areas of the town of Madras was recognisable: the Inner Fort, containing the factory house; the outer Fort or white Town, the European quarter with 118 houses; and the Black Town to the north of the Fort, an Indian residential area of 750 houses already dotted with bazaars and markets. In the Course of 17th century, the East India company encouraged the Armenians and Jews, who were experienced merchants to move to Black Town from other parts of the country to assist the British in establishing trade networks." One suc...
Read more