Koti Banal Architecture of Uttarakhand: Indigenous Realities and Community Involvement
‘Koti Banal’ architecture of Uttarakhand is a reflection of indigenous realities and community involvement. It demonstrates a profound knowledge of local materials and native sensibilities. Investigations suggest that this is an earthquake-safe constructi
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Abstract ‘Koti Banal’ architecture of Uttarakhand is a reflection of indigenous realities and community involvement. It demonstrates a profound knowledge of local materials and native sensibilities. Investigations suggest that this is an earthquake-safe construction style done in timber and stone, which evolved as early as 1000 years ago. This paper is an attempt to study the Koti Banal architecture of Uttarakhand and understand the craft nurtured by the indigenous communities using locally available materials in response to earthquakes. In fact, the Koti Banal architecture is much like the framed construction of modern times. The structural design suggests that these buildings responded well to the forces likely to act upon them during an earthquake. The paper further investigates what are the modifications that have happened in this style of architecture with respect to morphology and materials, through three case studies done in the Garhwal region. This is primarily a descriptive research based on a case study (field study) approach, which focuses on traditional knowledge systems; indigenous building materials; community involvement; and, craft skills of Uttarakhand. Keywords Koti banal architecture Materials Community India
Uttarakhand
Indigenous
Craft
1 Introduction The state of Uttarakhand is known for its unique architecture known as Koti Banal style of architecture. According to the Housing Report on Timber Reinforced Stone Masonry given by the World Housing Encyclopedia (an initiative of Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and International Association for Earthquake Engineering), Koti Banal is the name of a village in the Yamuna Valley. This village employs traditional knowledge systems of construction, which are very S. Saraswat (&) G. Mayuresh Department of Architecture and Planning, IIT Roorkee, Roorkee, India e-mail: [email protected] © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 A. Chakrabarti and D. Chakrabarti (eds.), Research into Design for Communities, Volume 2, Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 66, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3521-0_14
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scientific and earthquake resistant. Existing literature suggests that such architectural style evolved as early as 1000 years before present [1]. Koti Banal architecture did not depend on any building codes and recommendations. At the time of its origin, concepts of science and earthquake resistance were beyond the thought process of people. Despite all these odds the designs of the multistoried houses seem to follow the present day building codes of earthquake safety. Noticeable amongst the earthquake safety characteristics of these houses are—form and proportion; small and single entrance; and, joinery details. Many of the buildings belonging to this style of architecture have proved to be long-lasting as much as 200–300 years (even more in few cases). Such examples highlight traditional knowledge systems; indigenous building materials; community involvement; and, craft skills. Major ea
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