HOT AND DRY

CLIMATE
Indigenous Architecture of the Region
 INDEX
Introduction to Hot and Dry climate
Features
Design Considerations

Case studies
Bhunga Huts, Kutchh
City Planning of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Nathmalji ki Haveli, Jaisalmer

Inferences

Conclusion

References
The hot and dry zone
lies in the western and
the central part of India
Rajasthan
Parts of Gujrat
Parts of Maharashtra.

Source: NBC 2005

Features of the climate zone:

Terrain: Usually flat with sandy or rocky ground conditions

Vegetation: Sparse vegetation comprising cacti, thorny trees and bushes.
Water Sources: Few sources of water on the surface, and the underground
water level is also very low.
Solar Radiation: Intense solar radiation (values as high as 800-950 W/m2),
the ground and the surroundings of this region are heated up very quickly
during day time.
Diurnal Variation: High, that is, more than 10 C.
Annual Rainfall: Less than 500 mm.
Winds: Hot winds blow during the day in summers and sand storms are also
experienced.

Source: NBC 2005

Design Considerations of the climate zone:

Main objective in such a climate is to control solar radiation and

movement of hot winds.
Measures:
Resist heat gain:
o Proper orientation decreases exposed surface area.
o Increase thermal resistance by insulating the building envelope.
o Cavity walls or thicker walls.
o Decrease ventilation during day-time.
o Increase shading by overhangs and chhajjas.
o Increase surface reflectivity.

Promote heat loss

o Increase ventilation during night-time.
o Increase humidity levels by trees and water bodies.
 Bhunga Hut

Kutch district(also spelled asKachchh) is adistrictofGujaratstate in

westernIndia. Covering an area of 45,652km, it is the largest district of India.
The population of Kutch is 21 Lakh, literacy rate is 59.79%. People of this region
are of very low or low income class. It is also earthquake prone area.

BHUNGA HOUSES

The bhunga is a traditional construction type in the Kutch district of the

Gujarat state in India, which has a very high earthquake risk(seismic zone V).
A bhunga consists of a single
cylindrically shaped room.
The bhunga has a conical roof
supported by cylindrical walls. bhunga
construction has existed for several
hundred years.
This type of house is quite durable and
appropriate for prevalent desert
conditions.
Due to its robustness against natural
hazards as well as its pleasant
aesthetics, this housing is also known
as "Architecture without Architects.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE BHUNGA
Bhunga is circular in plan, with
cylindrically shaped walls and topped
with conical roof.
The inner diameter of the bhunga is
typically between 3m to 6m.
A bhunga generally has only three
openings one door and two small
windows.
DURING EARTH-QUAKES
It performed very well in the recent
M7.6 Bhuj earthquake in 2001.
Very few bhungas experienced
significant damage in the epicentral
region, and the damage that did occur
can be mainly attributed to poor
quality of the construction materials or
improper maintenance of the structure.
It has also been observed that the
failure of bhungas in the last
earthquake caused very few injuries to
the occupants due to the type of
collapse.
PLAN

Room for men

Veranda
for Kitchen
men
Women Storage or
Gathering space and another room
children
ELEVATION
New Types of Bhunga
Recent bhungas constructions have used wide variety of construction
materials.
These include the stone or burnt brick masonry either in mud mortar or in
cement mortar.
Traditional roof consists of light-weight conical roof, while some recent
constructions have used heavy manglore tiles on roofs.
Some recent constructions have used circular strip footing below the wall,
while traditional construction simply extended the walls below ground level.
Wall and Foundation Construction

Due to circular shape of wall in plan, inertial forces developed addition, the
thick walls required for thermal insulation have high in-plane stiffness which
provides excellent performance under lateral loads.
The roofing in wall are resisted through shell action providing excellent
resistance to lateral forces.
In materials are generally very light
weight, and develops low inertia
forces.
Since the roof is constructed from
extremely ductile materials such as
bamboo and straw, the performance
of these roofs is usually very robust.
The bhunga wall is usually extended
below ground up to the required
foundation depth, and separate
foundation is not traditionally
constructed
In newer constructions, proper strip
footing is also used.
Roof Construction
The conical roof of a bhunga is
supported at its crest by a vertical
central wooden post, which rests on a
wooden joist.
The base of the roof and the wooden
joist are generally directly supported
on bhunga walls.
Sometimes, the roof load on wooden
joist is transferred to diametrically
placed timber posts (vertical
members) adjacent to the cylindrical
wall.
This reduces the roof-load on the
walls.
Roof Construction

Placing wooden beam Setting kingpost on Placing the rafters

wooden joist

Filling bamboo rafters Setting the thatched roof Securing the roof with rope
Bhungas construction details

In several bhungas, the roof joist is not directly supported on the cylindrical
walls, but is supported by two wooden vertical posts outside the bhunga, which
further improves seismic resistance of the inertia force generated in the roof.
In some instances, reinforcing bands at lintel level and collar level have been
used to provide additional strength.
These bands are constructed from bamboo or from RCC. These increase the
lateral load-carrying strength greatly and increase the seismic resistance of the
bhungas.
Even in situations where the roof collapses, its low weight ensures that the extent
of injuries to occupants is very low.
Masons who constructs Bhungas and materials used
These constructions are carried out by local village masons.
The locally available soft stone can easily be cut or chiseled into rectangular
blocks, which are used for wall masonry.
The local soil is used for mud mortar and to make adobe blocks. Locally
available timber and bamboo are used for roof.
The entire construction process, which is carried out by the mason with very
few unskilled laborers, can be completed within 30 days.
The construction of this type of housing takes place in a single phase.
Typically, the building is originally designed for its final constructed size.
bhungas are never "designed" in the modern context. However, bhunga
architecture is a very unique aspect of traditional desert architecture of Kutch
region in which the size, location and orientation of the bhunga are planned for
very good structural and functional results.

Construction Economics
Rs 160 per sq m (US $4 per sq m) per house in the case of a
conventional bhunga constructed using sun-dried brick, mud and thatch
roof. Rs. 1075 per sq m (US $23 per sq m) per house in the case of a
bhunga constructed using a single layer thick burnt brick wall in cement
mortar, and with timber conical roof.
Only unskilled or semi-skilled labor is required for its construction.
Jaisalmer
Traditional Building Planning
Jaisalmer was founded in the year 1156 ad. by Maharwal Jaisal Singh who was
looking for a secured location for the state capital.
He thus founded this fort city on one of the hilly out-crops of the Arawali range
called `trikut` because of its triangular shape.
The landscape of surrounding region is flat, rocky and barren, the region is
characterized by sparse vegetation and scarcity of water.
Layout Planning & Architectural Styles in Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer is divided into two parts the Upper Town (Citadel) and the Lower Town.
For various socio-cultural reasons, the town plan of Jaisalmer developed in the
form of "padas. ,
Its overall irregular polygon shape with a double line of fortification.
The Upper Town was the royal fort and square area where as lower is the
residential and common man area.

Architecturally, Jaisalmer fort consists of two layers of wall.

- The outer wall (the lowest) is composed of solid stone blocks.
- From the inner wall, Rajput warriors used to throw boiling water, oil,
- massive blocks of rocks on the enemies, when they got trapped between
the inner and the middle walls.
The architecture of these forts is a blend of Islamic, Persian and Indian(Rajputana)
styles of architecture.

The buildings are analyzed at their various levels of organization:

- formal and spatial planning,
- composition of elevations (interior and exterior),
- architectural components and details.
Street
Planning
Narrow winding streets (not more than 3m) with
densely built construction on both sides.
All major streets were oriented in the east-west
direction at right angles to the direction of
dust storms.
The height of the building compared to the width of
streets is large to create shaded cool environment
for the pedestrian and other social activities on the
streets. STREET PLAN OF JAISALMER
There is a significant difference in the street
patterns of the upper and the lower city. The radial
pattern in the upper city is contrasted by the
somewhat irregular grid iron pattern in the lower
city.
Generation of form in space is
affect of opening these
horizontal and vertical
elements in space.It depends
on size,number and location of
openings.

1. Main Chowk has full

enclosure with two streets
opening the visual link.
2. Neighbourhood Space
activity linked to houses opens
to the residential streets.
3. Angan near the house.
4. Transition space in house
and street.
Main Village Square is village
community space,
at intersection of main streets.
 b

d
a
c

a) Layout along the street. b) alteration in the street

c) Royal Street. d) cobbled common street
 The street orientation ensures that the
building facades are either shaded by
jharokhas or chajjas projections.
An e-w street orientation, in summer the sun
would be shining on the south facade from
9.30am to 2.30pm.
The corresponding solar altitudes during this
time are 54 to 86 and even small horizontal
projections are sufficient to shade the south-
facing building.
The north face of the building receives solar
radiation before 8 am and after 4pm with solar
altitude being less than 35.
At this time the building opposite shades the
northern facade even if the street is relatively
wide.
In jaisalmer the layout of town is the first
mechanism of control against climate.
 The streets are narrow with buildings shading each other to reduce the solar
radiation, and consequently the street temperature and heat gain of
buildings.
Figure below shows the street temperatures in summer and winter in
Jaisalmer as compared to temperatures recorded at the meteorological
station.
It is seen that street temperatures can be upto 2.5oC lower than the ambient
air temperatures due to mutual shading of buildings.
At high latitudes in the northern hemisphere, the solar radiation is
predominantly from the south, hence wider east-west streets give better
winter solar access.
Material Used
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.
50 mm thick panels of limestone used on upper levels for elements on
projecting wall facades.
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.
HOUSE FORM
The whole idea of a house in Jaisalmer is developed around the idea of
'privacy'. This has generated very specific elements and expressions.
The ground floor has no openings facing the street except the entrance door.
A kind of platform called otla is developed in front of the houses where people
do not have such a strong notion of privacy.
The house starts to open up as one moves inward. Although the need for
privacy from the house across the street is less as compared to from the
strangers passing by on the streets, but even that has been carefully worked
out by inclining the stone jali work of the jharokhas down at an angle of 45
degrees.
With compact organization, the house and the streets 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 extremely important
feature of the house. The idea of an inward looking house is also reinforced
because of climatic reasons.
The interior open spaces like courtyards, terraces and balconies have special
significance under such situations. They accommodate variety of activities
during different seasons and different times of the day.
The inhabitants change in their use as the morning changes to noon and the
noon changes to evening. Spaces are also used differently in summer and in
winter.
 Depending upon the socio-economic status of the inhabitant, there are three

types of houses in Jaisalmer .
a) House of the poorest
o The simplest town house consists of a single room, a verandah and
a courtyard.
o Larger houses of this type have another verandah over the
entrance and some houses have an additional room on one side of
the courtyard.
o These single storey structures are owned by the poorest people and
have been built in the peripheral areas of the town.
o Undressed stone with Mud mortar finished with mud plaster.
b) Middle income people

A two or three-storey
structure, this house type
can be considered the
typical house of Jaisalmer.
It is similar to the first
house type in plan, with the
only difference that
additional rooms and small
enclosed terraces are
located at the upper floors.
The front part of the first
floor has a balcony
projecting onto the street.
c) Rich Merchant People or The Haveli
The most complex and interesting residential buildings in Jaisalmer are the
havelis 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.
There are underground rooms as well, sometimes at two levels one below the
other.
The uppermost storey comprises terraces enclosed by wind pavilions and high
parapet walls. In some cases, the house is built around two courtyards.
Roofing

Two types of construction used for floors and roofs

Traditional method: laying closely spaces timber beams and covering them
with a layer or reed or grass matting with a layer of earth on top.
Because of lack of availability of timber in the desert, stone beams are being
used.

The heat inside of the building is controlled by the use of textures in

Jaisalmer, this minimizes the heat gain by providing shading due to texture.
Summer in day time when the major heat source is sun the exposed textured
surfaces will be cooler than plain surfaces.
Passive Cooling Features
The natural cooling systems used at Jaisalmer include:

1. Dense clustering of buildings.

2. Sun control through orientation and structural projections.
3. Cooling of sunlit surfaces by use of fins.
4. Massive construction for roofs and walls.
5. Courtyards and other air ducts for ventilation.

The effectiveness of each of these

cooling methods has been evaluated
by temperature observations and
this will be reported in a subsequent
paper.

Details of carved panel

Courtyards
In the warm conditions prevailing in Jaisalmer and due to scarce availability of
water the only effective means to achieve thermal comfort is to increase
ventilation.
This is effectively done by the combined effect of courtyard and thermal vertical
shafts. the courtyard is the most significant element of climatic utility in a hot
climatic region.
Figure below presents the
measured temperature at
Jaisalmer, showing the maximum
of courtyard temperature as 4C
less than that of the outdoor air
temperature.
Control of Heating by Texture of Surfaces:

The heat inside of the building is controlled by the use of textures in Jaisalmer.
This is organized at three levels.

1. At the town scale the buildings are of unequal height with parapets and high
walls, creating uneven sky lines and desired shading of each other.
2. Secondly, the building facades have large number of projections like
jharokhas and chajjas which provide shade to the facades.
3. Thirdly, the front part of the facade which remains exposed are controlled
by creating deeply carved patterns. Use of such devices minimizes the heat gain
by providing shading due to texture.

- Such devices also result in increased convective transfer of heat because of

increased surface area.
Nathmaljis Haveli
Architecture
The haveli exists as a perfect example of the blend of Rajput and Islamic
architecture.

Entrance
The two yellow elephants carved from yellow sandstone are the unique
structures of the mansion. These elephants stand at the main entrance and
appear to be guarding the haveli. Boundaries guarding both the wings meet
at a single faade at the entrance of the mansion.

Interiors and Jharokhas

The interior of the mansion features miniature paintings. The intricately
carved jharokhas and balconies add to the beauty and grandeur of the
mansion. The carvings on the walls and pillars are so fine and intricate that
visitors cannot escape observing the fine craftsmanship. The pillars and
walls have images of horses, cattle and other animals carved over them.
Tourists can also see several floral depictions on the walls of the mansion.
Plan

The building is planned around two courtyards, the one in the front is much
smaller than the rear one .
The front part of the building is three storeys high and has the main living
quarters.
The rear portion is two storey high and contains the ancillary accommodation.
The building also has a basement construction for secure access room.
Section

The entire building is of unequal heights with wind pavilions and high parapet
walls , creating an uneven skyline and shading in the process.
Building Form

At the second level they have a number of projections like sunshades and
balconies.
At the lowest levels, the flats parts of the building faade are deeply carved
creating finned surface.
Uneven building forms also influences radiative heat loss from walls.
Also increased wall area of the uneven building mass radiates a greater
amount of heat to the sky and consequently stays cooler than a more compact
mass.
Building Material

The material used for walls in this

haveli is mostly light sandstone
whereas limestone has been used for
the upper storeys and faade since it
can be easily carved.
The stone joints are made without
mortar and are held together using iron
cramps.
Due to thick walls and mud plaster, it
reduces the thermal load on the
building.
Light and Ventilation

The courtyards provide the necessary light and ventilation for all the
surrounding rooms.
While the front receives some sunlight during the summer, the rear courtyard
is completely exposed to sun.
The streets and the two narrow shafts are completely protected from the sun.
The differential heating of the vertical ducts ensures continuous airflow
through the house.
Openings

Windows and balconies are generally fitted with jallis or lattice windows
(shutter like windows) for privacy as well to restrict dust but at the same time
let in wind.
Doors are built with stone frames and fitted with timber doors.
Haveli is full of holes and fenestrations which maintains privacy and also
Presence of
facilitates jharokhas
venture and jaalis add on to indoor
effect.
air movement.
There are timber
shuttered window
openings towards the
street and a large
number of small
ventilation holes in
the upper part of the
room.
Together, these
openings ensure heat
removal by
ventilation.
Roofing
The roof is made of closely spaced timber beams and then is covered by a
layer of reed or grass matting and finally laid by a layer of earth on top .
These are then finished with stone flooring or mud plaster .
The layer of earth and grass matting keeps the interiors cool.

Flooring
Flooring was done to reduce
heat gain.
Top layer of mud so as to
sprinkle water and lower the
temperature of the room.
 Inferences

Orientation of building:
Orientation of building in this climatic zone should be such that non-habitat
rooms can be located on outer faces to act as thermal barrier.
Longer walls of building should face North & South so that the
building gets minimum solar exposure.
Preferably the kitchen should be located on leeward side of the building to
avoid circulation of hot air and smell from the kitchen.
Windows and Openings in Walls:

Windows and large openings in walls with heavy shutters should be provided
on northern and western faces as light coming from north is always diffused
and indirect.
Also direction of breeze, which is from west at most of the places, enters
from opening on west side.
Windows area should be 15 to 20 percent of floor area.
Internal courtyard caters for cross ventilation & thermal buffer.
Suitable radiation barriers in the form of canopies, Chajjas, long verandahs
etc. should be provided on the West side of the building.
Sufficient number of ventilators close to the bottom of slab should be provided
for hot air to escape the room.
Orientation of Walls:

Thickness of wall plays an important role in heat insulation of building.

Thicker outer walls are preferred as it behaves as an insulating barrier.
Painting of walls from outside also plays an important role.
Walls with light and shining paints on outer surface have good reflective
quality and do not absorb heat.
The surface of walls should be smooth and non-dust catching type.
Walls constructed with hollow blocks / bricks and Cavity Walls can
also be provided as they provide very good thermal insulation.
Insulation of Roofs:

Roofs should be built up with good insulating material having slope in

windward direction and which reflects the radiation and does not absorb
heat.
False ceiling can be used to improve thermal performance of building.
Terracing should be provided on the flat roof with mud phuska, lime concrete,
foamed concrete or burnt clay block paving over roof slab.
Top roof surface should be made reflective by providing whitewashing or any
reflective paint.
Growing of Vegetation:

Large shady trees whose roots do not strain foundation and basement should be
planted near external walls to provide shade.
Zoning of Spaces:

Outdoor sleeping area for summer nights preferably is provided.

Spaces to be used in day time to be provided inwards.
 Conclusion
In such a climate, it is imperative to control solar radiation and movement of hot
winds.
The design criteria should therefore aim at resisting heat gain by providing
shading, reducing exposed area, controlling and scheduling ventilation, and
increasing thermal capacity.
The presence of water bodies is desirable as they can help increase the
humidity, thereby leading to lower air temperatures.
The ground and surrounding objects emit a lot of heat in the afternoons and
evenings. As far as possible, this heat should be avoided by appropriate design
features.
 Refrences
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/33761/jaisalmers-architectur
al-wonders-beat-the-heat
/
NBC. 2005
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/arch499/Jaisalmer/jaisalmermain.htm
INDIAN VERNACULAR PLANNING, author Ar. Kaninika Dey Sarkar
SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS IN HOT AND DRY CLIMATE OF INDIA,Rajesh
Sharma
Study of Jaisalmer
HOUSING REPORT(Traditional rural house in Kutch region of India), Madhusudan
Choudhary, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Ravi Sinha