Havelis

Introduction
Nestled in the dusty and semi-desert part of Rajasthan is a group of towns that
constitute the colourful region of Shekhawati. Here the streets are lined with
residential buildings popularly known as Havelis. Shekhawati meaning the land of
Shekhas clan derive its name from Rao Shekha
NE region of Rajasthan state is called Shekhawati which covers three districts namely
Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu
Most of the Havelis were created 75-200 years back but they present before us the
most appropriate solutions to the climatic constraints even today.
2. sustainable factors.
It was a male dominated society where women were restricted inside the house. The
men performed the outside activities and women took care of all the household
matters. It was a clear-cut demarcation between the activities, thus the workspaces
and there was hardly any visible interaction between the two genders. This demanded
a segregation of space as we find in terms of minimum of two courtyards.
There was economic stratification prevalent. But in Shekhawati, majority of the
community comprised of rich traders who were endowed with all wealth and comforts.
The availability of resources and lack of fenestration resulting in monotonous flat
facades, called for the painting of flat walls to make interesting facades. The economy
was also prevalent from the size of the haveli number of courtyards, use of rich
colours like gold and silver in paintings and carving of doors and window shutters.
Stone was locally available in abundance. Sand was there all over. Mud and clay were
scarce and were preciously used for agriculture. Lime quarries were not very near but
an easy access to them was secured. The use of stone was economical and
climatically appropriate, thus we find all buildings unanimously in stone constructed
with lime mortar.
Climate is hot and dry with sandstorms like rest of thar desert
3. primeval physiological objectives

Reduction of intense solar radiation on external surfaces- by textures and

niches and jaalis and patterns

Lowering down of internal temperatures- sometimes the paving of inner

and outer walls are different.

Sufficient air ventilation wind towers and stack effect again.

Maintaining the privacy of women- different spaces like courtyards and

segregation of spaces.

4. ground floor and first floor plan

a rectangular deep plan and a very narrow frontage on the street, built around a
courtyard or a series of courtyards.

Raised platform on either side of the main entrance gate along the streets
known as otla or basali semi private zone and an extension of the house in the
street.

The courtyard nucleus of the house- Use changes with time of the day and
season of the year. Primary source of light and ventilation. internal courtyard
with high building mass all around it leads to induced ventilation, lowering of
temperatures by convective cooling and natural lighting

Compact settlement plan- the heat production from the buildings is very low
thus a compact planning helps in reducing heat gain.

Multifunctional rooms For example: the kitchen spills out into the angaan or sal
which is also used as the family area in the day and for sleeping at night.

heavy building envelope stores larger amount of heat due to large heat
capacities and creates a larger time lag
inner courtyard was generally kept soft with some vegetation (generally Tulsi) in
the centre while the outer courtyard was paved with stones. In between the two
was a transitory space with deferred entry and a small opening Fig 15. All
activities of washing, bathing etc were performed in the inner court and also
since it was more shaded, it remained cooler than the outer hard one. This
heated the air in the outer courtyard and the lighter air rose up. This induced
draft of cooler air from the inner courtyard. Thus the transition space always
received cool air draft and was generally called the Barsati and was the
favourite place to sit during day and rainy season.

5. sections

Ceiling heights- The habitable rooms were found to have ceiling height larger
than 3.5 m while the other spaces like the ones made as viewing gallery for
women which were to be used temporarily and occasionally, were only 2.5
1.8 m high. This meant a larger air mass resulting in lower temperatures
Flat roofs with insulation layer- the roofs are constructed flat with stone slabs
jointed with lime mortar. Above that a layer of inverted earthen pots to
create an air layer for insulation. On the top of it again a layer of lime mortar
finished with reflective smooth material like broken pieces of porcelain pots
of white wash to reflect most of the sunlight falling on it.
Small openings with thick shutters, jali screens and Jharookhas- due to hot
and dusty winds, natural ventilation inside the building during day is not
desirable. Thus small openings are provided.
Wind towers The staircase mumty was taken higher and each room was
provided an opening from it to allow forced ventilation. This allowed
convective cooling during night and induced ventilation during day.
External smooth surface painted in light colours- Carving was not possible on
the local stone available around Shekhawati. Thus instead of providing a
rough surface, which would also have allowed inter granular shading, a
smooth surface was created. To break the monotony of the flat white
surfaces, painting was done with variety of colours all obtained from natural
stones or vegetables

6. slide compact planning

Compact settlement plan- the heat production from the buildings is very low thus a
compact planning helps in reducing heat gain. It also allows mutual shading by
buildings. It reduces the area of exposed surfaces

Minimal surface area to volume ratio thus resulting in taller buildings with shared
wall surfaces

Udaipur

Havelis display a unique architectural style that evolved around the

courtyards to ensure safety and privacy of the womenfolk and protection
from the heat of the long and harsh summers.
Though not indulgent in its embellishments, the front faade has an air of
aristocracy to it.
Jaisalmer
Situated in the heart of the Thar Desert, Jaisalmer is famous for its richly carved
building facades (Fig.1). Less known perhaps is the fact that the town and
buildings in it overcome the problem of the severe desert summer by special
passive design features.
Depending upon the socio-economic status of the inhabitant, there are three types
of houses in Jaisalmer. The simplest town house (Fig. 5) consists of a single room,
a verandah and a courtyard.
The second type of house (Fig. 6) belongs to the middleincome people. A two or
three-storey structure, this house type can be considered the typical house of
Jaisalmer.
The most complex and interesting residential buildings in Jaisalmer are the havelis
(Fig.7) built by the rich merchants or courtiers. In these four or five-storied houses,
the courtyard is surrounded by rooms or verandahs on all sides.
The common building material used in Jaisalmer is stone of which there are two
types. Light yellowish sandstone is used for walls, which are 0.45m or more in
thickness. In better quality construction the stone is dressed and joints made
accurately without any mortar. The individual stones are held together by stone
keys cut into the blocks themselves or by iron cramps. In poorer people's houses
the stone is undressed and the walls are built in mud mortar and finished with mud
plaster. At upper floor level, where the building facade projects out, 50mm thick
panels of limestone are used as wall elements.