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Revive vernacular architecture and indigenous technology

Saturday, 09 August 2014 | MAYARANI PRAHARAJ        

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Saturday, 09 August 2014 | MAYARANI PRAHARAJ

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is celebrated on August 9 and people from different nations are encouraged to
observe it to spread the United Nations’ message on indigenous peoples. The UN 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
recognised that “respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices tributes to sustainable and equitable development
and proper management of the environment.”

T
T The phrase indigenous knowledge has different connotations such as traditional knowledge, local knowledge, rural people’s knowledge.
Indigenous knowledge is the traditional knowledge of the local community existing within and developed around the speci c conditions of
TT women and men indigenous to a particular geographical area. Indigenous people are the holders of unique languages, traditional knowledge
systems and vernacular construction technologies for sustainable management of natural resources.

However, in the modern world, vernacular architecture and indigenous technology are fast disappearing or are subject to accelerating social
change. Indigenous buildings, repeated over generations, become time-tested responses to local climatic conditions.

From igloos to bamboo houses, from thatched roofs to terraced roof, people create shelter and comfort in unique structures in response to
their locations on the globe. A lack of understanding of materials and their usage has led to a slow decay of vernacular architecture.
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India has a long history and enriched culture. There is abundant reservoir of indigenous knowledge in every part of the country. The
vernacular building technologies in India are being passed down from generations to generations and they take into account the local
climate, available materials and the strong cultural ethos.

This was the result of repeated cycles of trial and error and the experience of generations of builders, which satis es the occupants’
demands for thermal comfort and durability. Different regions of India have different types of indigenous building technology.

Odisha is the land of enriched cultural heritage and traditions. It has a vast reservoir of vernacular architecture and indigenous knowledge
existing in rural society. Vernacular architecture can be de ned as architecture born out of local building materials and technologies, which
are climate-responsive and a re ection of the customs and lifestyles of a particular community. Contemporary architecture can also be
vernacular if it is generated from an understanding of local materials and indigenous methods of building constructions.

The vernacular forms for building are those that have existed in the region in their primitive forms, as a sloping roof surface to bear rainfall,
a circular house form to combat cyclonic winds, a mud roof that keeps out the heat of the sun, or an internal courtyard that makes the
shaded open space.

In Odisha, vernacular architecture still exists and people are still using vernacular architecture with some indigenous technologies.

The main factor in uencing development of vernacular architecture is related to the availability of local building materials. The typical Odia
house in a village has stone wall and gable roof on a wood or bamboo frame thatched with straw. In the simple village houses, there are
some very sophisticated design systems like sloped thatch roof with Attu (mud ceiling with bamboo/timber rafter), Kadi Baraga roof, etc.

The Kadi (timber beam) and Baraga (timber rafter) applied for at roof construction. Due to porosity of the Attu built on bamboo or wooden
frames; hot air goes out, keeping the building cool in summer and also acts as re protection. Mud, on account of its easy availability, good
insulation and good binding properties has been extensively used.

This Attu, whose peculiar form is characteristic to this particular area, proves to be a distinct identity of the area. In Kadi Baraga roof, the
structural arrangement includes Kadi and Baraga without any reinforcement applied for at roof construction. Such buildings prevented loss
of life during the Super Cyclone that hit the Odisha coast in October 1999.

The designing space has been improved over time as per the need from single unit to double unit and multiple units separated by enclosed
courtyard. The orientations of the buildings were mostly chosen on the basis of topography, solar movement and wind direction. Design
features have been mostly in uenced by the local skill and craftsmanship.

A typical vernacular house consists of a common verandah, a small room for cattle, entrance room and other rooms arranged around the
courtyard. In most of the day and night time, people use this courtyard for different works, mostly for social interaction.

It does not include toilet which is located at the back side of the house. In the row housing, there is a long verandah connecting all the
dwellings which permits social gathering as well as the storage of paddy. There are vast open spaces in the front and backside of the
building.
The front side is used as gardens and the back side as both gardens and drying yard. The external garden is used as a comfortable outdoor
space. The trees provide shade and the lower shrubs channel cool breeze for natural ventilation.

Globalisation causes people to change the vernacular pattern of living. The vernacular pattern of living has been changed. Similarly, the
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housing patterns in rural areas of Odisha cause people to change their living patterns.

New buildings are constructed and older buildings are replaced or modi ed. The lessons of vernacular architecture regarding climate control
have also been generally ignored. Dwellings constructed as a large enclosed glazed space with no provision for ventilation and protection
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from the sun. For that, people are increasingly 2 Fe b r u a r y 2upon
01 9 air-conditioning to maintain comfort levels in summer. This is the main
cause of climate change gases and global warming.

However, vernacular buildings retain some indigenous construction techniques for thermal comfort. With the passage of time such buildings
are vanishing due to change in functional requirements. New building materials and new construction techniques have been adopted.

Changes have been made by introduction of alternative building materials. Many new constructions do not integrate to the local
environment and social context which otherwise cause serious damage to the environment. The cost of maintenance and acute shortage of
skilled craftsmen are also responsible for loss of rich architectural heritage of the region.

The vernacular buildings are climate-responsive and a better option for rural people of Odisha. Similarly tribal houses in Odisha are built in
a row leaving a street in between with locally available materials. The walls are made of wooden poles stuck close to one another and
plastered with earth.

The changes of architecture in urban areas are happening faster than in rural areas of Odisha. These changes of architecture in the urban
context fail to ful l some of the sustainability criteria such as economic, social and environmental aspects while the vernacular architecture
showed its sustainability.

To nd out a solution for overcoming this adverse situation for the built environment, a proper study of vernacular architecture and
indigenous technology is needed.

There is considerable recent interest in research and development related to indigenous construction technologies found in different parts
of the country.

Most research activities are, however, limited to documentation. Only very limited research effort focuses on developing quantitative
understanding of behaviour of these structures so that the technologies can be further improved and analytical methods for their use
developed.

Many vernacular technologies are energy-ef cient although some of them are currently no longer properly functioning because of changed
cultural and traditional practices.

In this regard, the key challenge is to learn fundamental lessons and principles of vernacular architecture and nd ways of integrating those
principles into development programmes to plan new settlements or to upgrade the existing ones.

Studying indigenous technologies to understand the sustainable strategies used in vernacular architecture may contribute to the eld of
sustainable development.

 (Dr Mayarani Praharaj works in the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)

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