HOUSING TYPOLOGY

IN HILLY AREAS
PRESENTED BY :
SHRUTI GAUTAM
ARCHITECT AND PLANNER

ADJUNCT ASSISTANT PROFESSOR,

ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING,
VNIT NAGPUR
 Content
 INTRODUCTION: INDIAN HIMALAYAN REGION
 Type of Housing Constructions.
 Factor Affect the Housing
 Types of Natural Disasters, Impact and Causes of the severity

 CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION.
 Traditional Approach
• Importance and Its Need.

• Advantages of Traditional Approaches

• Case study- Himalayan Range, Sikkim

 Causes

 Disaster Mitigation and Techniques for construction

 Modern Approach
• Risk assessment

• Planning

• Design

• Construction

 Comparison Between Two Approaches

 HOUSING POLICIES IN HILLY AREAS

 CONCLUSION
 Introduction
 Hills have unique
ecosystem which has
visual resources and is
rich in biodiversity.
 Jammu & Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh,
Sikkim, Manipur,
Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Tripura,
Arunachal Pradesh
Topographic Features in India
and Mizoram are
11%
considered as the hill Mountains
43%
states of India. 18% Hills
Plateaus
28% Plains
 Indian Himalayan Region
 The Indian part of
Himalayas covering an
area about 5 lakh km2
(about 16.2% of
country’s total
geographical area).
 It extends between
latitudes 26 ͦ20’ and
35 ͦ40’ North, and
between longitudes
74 ͦ50’ and 95 ͦ40’ East. ͦ
 Landslide and
Earthquakes are the
major Natural Hazard
affecting the entire
Indian Himalayan
Region (IHR).
Type of Housing Constructions

 Stacking
 Stilt
 Cutting and Filling

Stability of Structure
 Pile Foundation
 Retaining Wall system
 Equilibrium System
Factor Affects the Housing
GEOLOGICAL FACTORS -
 Slope Gradient •Majorly Construction is
 Slope Stability depended Slope
 Water Logging Gradient , Climatic
conditions and Natural
CLIMATOLOGICAL FACTORS - Disasters.
 Rainfall
 Snowfall
•Major reason of affect to
any housing in Hilly areas
NATURAL DISASTER FACTORS - is due to Natural Disaster
 Earthquakes .
 Landslides
 Avalanches
 Flash Floods
 Forest fires, etc
 Natural Disasters in Hilly Areas
 India is one of the most disaster prone country of the world,
vulnerable to almost all natural and man made disasters.
 About 85% area is vulnerable to all kind of disasters.
 57% area is in high seismic zone including the capital of our
country.

Types of Natural Disasters in Hilly Areas

 Earthquakes
 Landslides Landslides are very common in lower
Himalayas.
 Avalanches
Parts of Western Ghats also suffer from
 Flash Floods
low intensity landslides.
 Forest fires, etc
FLOOD
FLOOD
AVALANCHES
EARTHQUAKE
LANDSLIDE
LANDSLIDE
 CAUSE OF DISASTER

 Human error and carelessness

 Global warming
 Violation of environmental laws
and deforestation has also
accounted for floods and other
disaster.
 Water over flow, sewage flow
 Nuclear disaster
 Dominantly geological with fragile
rock formation
 Unconsolidated soil material
 High intensity annual precipitation
 Steep slopes, etc
IMPACTS OF DISASTER
 Mass loss of life
 Mass loss of money
 Chaotic situations
 Disease spread
 Businesses can not run
 Economy falls,etc
Classification of Construction Methods

Construction
Methods

Traditional Modern
Approach Approach
 Traditional Approach
The traditional practice of house construction that had all
the elements of earthquake resistance has been
relegated to the back seat with the onslaught of modern
construction and technology especially in upcoming
town and cities.
 Indigenous knowledge refers to the age old refined methods and
practices developed by previous numerous generations front an
advanced understanding of the local environment, to save their
belongings and lives front any future natural disaster.
 The local people observe signs in the environment which allow them to
take precautions before a disaster occurs
 The northward drift of the Indian Plate makes Himalayas highly prone to
earthquakes and landslide.
Importance/ Need of the Traditional
Approaches

 To use Traditional approaches, to lessen the impact of

disaster
 Promoting a culture of prevention and preparedness by
ensuring that DM receives the highest priority at all levels.
 Undertaking reconstruction as an opportunity to build
disaster resilient structures and habitat.
Advantages
 for quick and effective response
 Traditional approaches as first aid.
 Cost effective and Materials are easily available
 Accessible to the residents.
 EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT
TRADITIONAL HOUSE -
Techniques for Construction

 The whole four—stored house called Chaukat .

 These structures survived many earthquakes and the lack of the
elements of earthquake resistance would have razed these to ground.
 This type of house generally made up of stones, soil and woods
material.
 One of the main thing that there have no any nails for jointing any
window or doors or any part of the house.
 Material used
 Bamboo, wood
 Stone (quartzite)
 Plaster with cement
 When the entire sheet arranged as wall on the house, it is thatched with
cow dung mixed soil.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES USED IN HILLY AREAS
Kath - kuni
 Disaster mitigation
 Adoption of earthquake resistant building construction.
 local dwellers utilized the soil binding plant species in mitigation
of landslides.
 Building structures, mainly bamboo is utilized for its construction.
 For landslide they use check dams, and stone walls made on
steep slops.
 De-siltation of river streams and distributaries.
 Storage of water in underground tanks.
 Use of common medicinal plants .
MODERN APPROACH
 Modern Approach
 Witnessing Disasters the
traditional approach become
old as of now new techniques
are used for the construction.
 There is a structure of process
for any development.
 There are four major points that
should be etched into your
mind when planning to
construct a building in any hilly
region:-
• Construction Site Selection,
and Risk Assessment.
• Comprehensive Planning
• Design of Slopes
• Sustainable development
Site Selection
 Check for Landslide-Vulnerable
areas
 Check for Slope and sequence of
rock structures
 Check for existing sub-surface
water
 Check for existing streams

Risk Assessment
 Development of any site in hilly
areas need different types of
assessments.
• Risk Assessment of Land slides.
• Risk assessment of Earthquakes.
• Results make the Zones of Low,
Moderate and Higher Risk
Zone.
 Comprehensive Planning
 The planning of hill-site development can be divided
into four major sections as follows :-
 Desk Study:- it includes reviewing of geological maps and
memoir so that the engineers are aware and understand the
geological formation of the site of the proposed development.
 Site Reconnaissance:- Site reconnaissance is required to confirm
the information acquired from the desk study and also to
obtain additional information from the site.
 Site Investigation :- It Done in two stages.
 Preliminary stage( Geophysical surveys) and
 Detailed stage(Areas of major cut and Fill., Retaining walls.,
Buildings or Structures with Heavy Loading.)
 Planning of Layout: Final Layout Preparation.
 Designing of Slopes
 Designing of Slopes: (Cutting
and Filling of the Slopes)
 Stability and Safety Factor of the
Design.
 Risk-to-life or Consequence to life
(e.g. casualties)
 Economic Risk or Consequence
(e.g. damage to properties or
service)

 For man-made slopes, there are many factors that can

contribute to slope failures:
 Amiss or improper design, analysis or construction.
 High intensity rainfall
 Lack of maintenance
 Sustainable development

 Sustainable development is the continued ability of a

society, an ecosystem, or any such interactive system
to function without exhausting key resources and
without adversely affecting the environment.

 Construction technique should be developed with

locally available, easily workable materials which are
mostly environmental friendly (like timber, stone mud
and bamboo) and have good climatic resistance
and have little or negligible impact on environment of
hill settlement
 GREEN BUILDING MATERIAL USED FOR CONSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUES

 Steel Construction.
 Cement-wood-boards.
 Sandwich panels.
 Aerated concrete panels.
 Gypsum plasterboards.
Comparison between two Approaches

Type Traditional Approach Modern Approach

Technique Old New( Mechanized)

Risk Assessment Based on Past Based on Scientific

Experiences. Methods

Materials Stone, Mud, Timber Steel, Concrete, Plaster

Board

Cost and Time Less More

Insulation Natural Artificial

 Physical planning consideration
 The planning on the hills is very restrictive as compared
to the plains.
 The major factors that govern the planning are
topography, climatic conditions, orientation, traffic
movement, available usable spaces, sources of water
supply, natural drains and paths.
 Gentle slopes are required so that the cost of site
development is lessened.
 The roads for traffic movement are of gradual gradient.
Less excavation is required to be done to maintain the
ecological balance.
 Slope of the ground should not be more than 30º as far as
possible even in rocky reaches to avoid instability
problems, especially during severe earthquakes.
 Suitable clearance around buildings is necessary.
 Foundation of any part of building should not rest on filled
up ground.
 On hills there should be clearance of about 40º in case of soil, soil mixed
boulder, fractured rock zone, soft rock zone having outward dip, so that any
slip, if occurs may not hit the building.
 Due to the cold climate, the southern slopes are preferred.
 The orientation of the houses is to maximize the penetration of the sun rays.
 The stress is also laid on the preservation of the green cover.
 The site should be developed in such a way that felling of trees is avoided as
far as possible.
 Site susceptible to high winds, storms, floods and landslides should be
avoided.
 Since the inner side of the cut slope may have higher bearing capacity,
building should be so oriented and planned so as to enhance that higher
load comes on inner side.
 Where the site seems to undergo unequal settlement, the site should be so
planned and designed that the higher load comes on harder part of
foundation and soil.
 Terrace in all around the building should have proper slope for efficient
drainage.
 During the site development, terrace may be cut at 1:30 to 1:50 slope and
may be trimmed at suitable slope after the completion of the building work.
 In the steep hilly zones, the stepped terraces will be much beneficial
environmentally and economically, as they result in the least hill
cutting and disturbance to the hill stability.
 Minimum clearance of 1.0 m to 1.5 m should be given between the
hill face and the building wall to avoid dampness and also for
proper light and ventilation.
 Top hill surfaces near the buildings should be properly treated to
make it impervious as far as possible, possibly by thick vegetation or
stone pitching.
Various Housing Policies

 HILL AREA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME.

 SPECIAL AREA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
 WESTERN GHATS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME.
 AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEME
Hill area development Programme

 The Hill Areas Development Programme/Western Ghats Development

Programme which have been in operation from the Fifth Five Year Plan
in designated hill areas.
 THE AIM WAS “TO EVOLVE PLANS AND PROGRAMMES WHICH WOULD
STIMULATE SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH, OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND
PROMOTION OF ECOLOGY OF THE AREAS”

 Designated Hill areas included:

 Two hill districts of Assam-North Cachar and Karbi Anglong.
 Eight hill districts of Uttar Pradesh – Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri
Garwhal, Chamoli, Uttar Kashi, Nainital, Almora and Pithoragarh
 Major part of Darjeeling District of West Bengal.
 Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu.
 One hundred and thirty two talukas of WGDP comprising of Western
Ghats in Maharashtra (51 talukas), Karnataka (28 talukas) Tamil Nadu
(23 talukas), Kerala (27 talukas) and Goa (3 talukas).
Policy includes:
 The measures outlined towards this end include
 An energy policy which would reduce pressure on forests and
provide alternate sources of energy,

 Afforestation of denuded forest land with species which can

provide both fuel and fodder,

 Provision of adequate and safe drinking water by development of

gravitational sources of water,

 Emphasis on improvement of health facilities including

infrastructural facilities in primary health institutions,

 Development of skilled manpower,

Policy includes:
 Evolving a proper land use pattern keeping the socio-economic
and ecological parameters in view,

 Development of horticulture and plantation crops,

 Improvement of livestock,

 Development of industries such as electronics which do not pollute

the atmosphere and lead to high value addition,

 Development of network of transport and communication facilities

with emphasis on feeder paths and roads.

 Evolution of appropriate technology and scientific inputs which

would suit local conditions and harness local resources.
Western Ghats Development Programme

 During the fifth Five Year Plans, the emphasis of the

Programme was on the economic well-being of the
population in hill areas and on the exploitation of
the resources of the hilly region.
 Identification and delineation of macro and micro
watersheds in the entire WGDP areas in the State by a
competent research organization.

 Prioritization of all the identified and delineated watersheds

on the basis of suitable criteria adopted by the State
Government.
 A preliminary or base-line survey of the watersheds taken up for
development to determine the micro or mini watersheds to be taken
up for development in each macro or major watershed, and the
nature of development programmes which need to be undertaken in
each such area, keeping in view its development potential, the
needs of the local people and the financial allocations available.

 Preparation of an INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN for each

macro/micro watershed covering all relevant activities, such as, soil-
conservation, agriculture, afforestation, fuel and fodder development,
minor irrigation, animal husbandry and sericulture.

 Making necessary administrative and institutional arrangements for

the implementation, monitoring and review of the integrated
development programme for each watershed taken up for
development. The thrust of the WGDP was on sustainable
development of the areas covered under the programme during
Seventh and the Eighth Five Year Plans.
During Ninth Five Plan WGDP operated on the
following principles :

 Maintenance of ecological balance essential for the life

support system.
 Preservation of genetic diversity.
 Restoration of ecological damage caused by human
interaction.
 Creation of awareness among the people and educating
them on the far reaching implications of ecological
degradation and securing their active participation for the
eco-development schemes.
Inferences

 These policies talks about the broader concepts for the

betterment of the lives but not about the typology of the houses
any other maintenance programmes.

 Various agencies under this scheme i.e Hudco, Housing Boards

make houses with modern approaches.
Conclusions
 From foregoing study it has been concluded that the traditional
knowledge of the previous generations have witnessed the
weakening of the social fabric of the hill communities in the hilly
ecosystems, and with this many age.

 This is could be due to restriction upon traditional rights of local

people on timber and stone from forest.

 The reduction of timber/wood use is also because of increase in

cost.

 The globalization also insists local people to construct concrete

buildings.
Conclusions
 Many times, the standard made for earthquake resistant building
construction are not being followed;
• This could be probably because of lack of awareness or cost
escalation.
• This transformation has resulted in haphazard construction of
multistoried concrete houses in the seismically active zone of
Himalaya.
 There is a need of location specific awareness programmes for
the communities in the respective areas to adopt the standard
building codes suggested for construction.
 The indigenous traditional house construction should also be
promoted at least in village areas after being blended with formal
prescriptions.
References

 Joshi .V, Rawat M.S, Traditional knowledge of natural disaster mitigation and
ethno medicine practices in Himalaya with special reference to Sikkim, Indian
Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 10(1), January 2011, pp. 198-206
 DISATER MANAGEMENT IN INDIA, Ministry of home affairs, Govt. of India, May
2011
 Sew G.S., Chin T.Y., Hill-Site Development — Planning, Design, Construction
and Maintenance Considerations, IEM Seminar on Geotechnical
Engineering, 2000. Penang.
 Kumar A., Pushplata, Vernacular practices: as a basis for formulating building
regulations for hilly areas, International Journal of Sustainable Built
Environment., January 2013, p- 183–192
 Kumar A., Poonam., Kumar A.,Some Aspects of Sustainable Buildings for Hilly
Regions. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 5,
Issue 5, May-2014, pp- 173-178
 Tiwari J., Study of Building Structures & Construction Techniques in Hilly
Regions: Hotel Dalhousie, International Journal of Engineering Science and
Computing, April 2017, pp- 6320-6324
Thank you
COST REDUCTION TECHNIQUES
NOW IN PRACTICE
 Thinner walls or single brick
thick walls
 load bearing brick work
 Brick-on-Edge Cavity Wall
 Precast stone masonry block
 Modular Brick Masonry Walls
 Precast stone masonry block
 Modular Brick Masonry Walls
 Hollow Clay Blocks For Shell
Type Houses
 Sundried Brick walls with
Waterproof Treatment
 Precast Hyperbolic shell for
roofing
 PREFABRICATED HOUSING
 ‘Prefabricated’ may refer to buildings built in
components (e.g. panels), modules (modular homes)
or transportable sections (manufactured homes), and
may also be used to refer to mobile homes, i.e., houses
on wheels.
 Although similar, the methods and design of the three
vary widely.
Prefabricated housing
 Modular homes are created in sections, and then transported to the
home site for construction and installation.
 These are typically installed and treated like a regular house, for
financing, appraisal and construction purposes, and are usually the
most expensive of the three.
 Although the sections of the house are prefabricated, the sections, or
modules, are put together at the construction much like a typical
home.
 Manufactured homes, once placed on a permanent
foundation, are considered the same as modular or site build
homes for appraisal purposes.
 Manufactured homes are built onto steel beams, and are
transported in complete sections to the home site, where they
are assembled..
 Mobile homes, or trailers, are built on wheels, that can be pulled
by a vehicle. They are considered to be personal property, and
are licensed by the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. "Tiny homes", which
are gaining in popularity, are within this category. They must be
built to the DMV code, and pass inspection for licensing.