Pol Housing

Introduction

• The word Pol is taken from the Sanskrit word Pratoli which means
entrance to an enclosed area.
• A pol is a housing cluster which consists of many families of a particular
group, linked by caste, profession, or religion.
•Community living and sharing are crucial social aspects of the pol housing
that brings the members of the community a sense of belonging.
•ŸSome pols contain old beautiful houses with having intricate wooden
carved facades with columns and fresco work done around court walls
or ceilings.
 Spatial Planning

•ŸDensely packed clusters of rows

•ŸTraversed by narrow streets,
• Usually terminating in squares with community wells
and bird feeders (chabutaro) for feeding birds.
•ŸExample of an optimum utilization of urban land.
•ŸThe pol has dealt with the harsh realities of climate
of Ahmedabad.
•ŸA typical pol would have only one or two entrances
and also some secret entrances known only to people
residing in a pol.
•The old city of Ahmedabad located on the Eastern
banks of the Sabarmati river is made up of around 596
pols within a fortified compound.
•ŸThe earliest ‘Pol’ to be built was the ‘Mahurat Pol’
and was built adjacent to Manek Chowk.
Pol a Medieval Urban centre in Gujarat
Residential precincts

Urbanized form of Ahmedabad was found in 1411 as Fortified Development

within which Traditional Housing form immerged

It is a outcome of Hindu Muslim riots in the time of Maratha ruling

Nucleolus of Housing is based on social division such as families or cast or religion

Houses are confined to long linear contiguous plots

Interior courtyard are the typical characteristics of Housing

Hierarchy in Public semiprivate & private spaces are achieved by relationship between
khadkies ,streets & courtyards

All the structures are wooden structures with masonry walls

Role of the columns is supportive elements as well as space definer

Wooden carving & brackets are the typical characteristics of ornamentation

From main road a small road covered on both side with houses are called - POL.

Houses facing each other has wonderful community feel in pole , kids tend to play there on pole
streets , woman tend to sit on the ottas as semicobverd space of the house facing each other
on pole street

Now in pole if you find big ground then it is called - CHOWK.

Sometimes enriched by placing chabutras for the birds to collect food, work as interesting
public space also the community space within the housing structure

If one POL joins another POL the connection section known as KHADAKI
And this is the area where most of the unique thing you might find out such as kids meetings of
different clusters or it is sometimes being used as play ground

So many houses are with very great peace of art

on wood.

At some of the places poles are standing from

last 200 years.

In the above picture you can see the picture

of two pole. Pole one and pole two. The small
square box represents the house.
 Factors of change

•ŸSocial Environment
• Culture
• Climate
• Available Resources
• Technology
• Financial Status

Factors affecting the House Forms

• This is a housing typology which was built a long time ago in direct response
to the climate and culture of Ahmadabad.
• Major inhabitants belong to trade and business.
• Entrance of the pol is marked by gateways and there is no through traffic.
• Houses directly abut the streets.
• After the laying of the supply lines few changes in pols .Pols were laid
orthogonally instead of labyrinth manner and even though planned they
retained their character.
 Massing

climate

Typical pol in elevation

1 Chowk
2 Room
3 Parsal
4 Kitchen
5 Bath
6 Puja
7 Toilet
8 Otla
9 Store
10 Terrace
JETHABHAI NI POL:

B C D E
Location : Khadia, Dariapur
•ŸThis pol is believed to have established about
280 years ago, named after Jethabhai Patel, a
wealthy merchant.
•ŸDue to the linear arrangement of the houses in
the pol, they all open out on to the street.
•ŸThe first interface of the house with the street
is the otla which acts as a transitional element
which serves as the space for daily interactions
and socializing.
•ŸThere are two schools, a kindergarten and a
primary school and four religious shrines .
•ŸThe festivals, ceremonies and other special
occasions are celebrated in the pockets of open
spaces along the street.
•The big chowk in the entrance provides a
buffer or a transition from the street and
it’s the main element which differntiates
the house.
•the semi covered chowks breaks the
monotony of the movement in the house.
•Ÿ All the old wooden columns, carvings, battens,
etc. are in good condition.
•ŸThe additions made to the traditional elements
are also in harmony with each other.
•ŸDue to the presence of three chowks at
intermediate distances , the spaces adjacent to
those chowks are cooled by them.
•Ÿ Even though the function and approach of
design towards the spaces are different yet as the
traditional spatial and decorative elements are
continued in all the spaces, it has a
homogeneous language.
Kadva ni Pol
ŸLocation : Khadia, Dariapur

• The first residents in the Kadva pol belong to the

Kadva Patel caste.
•Ÿ This pol is residential in nature and its immediate
surroundings also form residential neighborhoods that
are caste specific belonging to the people that share
common trades, skills or adopt the same religion.
•Ÿ It is an aggregation of dwellings that evolve from a
definite spatial structure that is articulated to suit
the independent requirements of every family while
simultaneously responding to the forces of physical
and social context.
•ŸBuilt up Area : 69% of the entire pol

•ŸNo. of units in Kadav pol : 56 (exclusive of the other

Ÿ
subpols)
•ŸThe occupants even at present times reflect a strong
community bias confining the sale or rent of the house
only to the people belonging to the Kadva pol caste.
 B G H
A

E
• At present the ground floor alone
remains occupied by one family
consisting of 4 occupants.
•ŸThe 1st floor is used as a guest
room and the other two floors
remain unoccupied
FACTORS AFFECTING THE HOUSE FORMS IN KADVA POL (UNIT LEVEL)
PHYSICAL FACTORS
•The family belonging to these
houses are middle income group
•ŸThere is only one entrance which
give the people the sense of
security.
ARCHITECTURAL SPECIFICATIONS:
•The transition point is linear as we
progress in the linear axis of the house
the privacy quotient increases.
•It has its own unique character yet it is
in harmony of the adjacent houses.
•The chowk in the central area of the
house acts as the open space which is
source of light and ventilation. It also
acts as an interaction spot through
which one can have visual connection
with the upper floors.
ŸEXPERIENCES AND EFFECTS OF BUILT UP
ENVIRONMENT ON THE USERS:
ŸDue to the absence of the boundary
wall the house directly opens into the
street in the front and the rear which is
the unique character of the pol houses.
Ÿ ATTITUDE AND PERCEPTION OF THE
PEOPLE WITH RESPECT TO THE BUILT
ENVIORNMENT
•The otla of the house informally becomes
the part of the street and the entire pol.
•They have multi purpose use of the chowk
such as cooking, washing, sitting
communication with the upper floors etc..
•The occupants can relate to the house in
the dense housing as each house stands
house.
•The space and volume of the house is
sufficient for the nuclear family.
•The transition to the upper floors through DENSITY:
the steep staircase varies on the three ŸThis pol is quite densly packed with
floors. very few pockets of large open spaces
•ŸThe path of the light and air is also linear at particular distances.
and vertical through the chowk.
Ÿ GOVERNING FACTORS AND RULES:
ŸThe pol is governed by caste based
stratification
2.SOCIO CULTURAL FACTORS:
ŸRELIGION, FESTIVALS
, TRADITIONS AND
LIFESTYLE OF THE RESIDENTS:
ŸThe six sub pols inside the
Kadva pol differ from each
o ther based on residing people
and their respective castes yet
they are homogeneous.
ŸThere are two shrines a temple
and a primary school in
the pol.
BIBBLIOGRAPHY:-

The Ahmedabad Chronicle

Imprints of a Millenium :- Vastu Shilpa Foundation
Reference from B.Arch Thesis of Steven Canara