Analysis of Inherent Sustainability of Kath-Kunhi Architecture, Old Jubbal,

Ar. Mayuri Deshmukh, Ar. Prajakta Adhikari, Sarang Karmarkar Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Architecture, Navi Mumbai,

International Journal of Research in Civil Engineering, Architecture & Design Volume 4, Issue 2, April-June, 2016, pp. 73-77 ISSN Online: 2347-2855, Print: 2347-8284, DOA: 05022016 © IASTER 2016, www.iaster.com

ABSTRACT

This research paper focuses on the analysis of vernacular Kath-Kunhi architecture of Old Jubbal in Himachal Pradesh. It also covers the explanation for inherent sustainability of the structures. The paper explains the need of default sustainability to support life cycle of natives in Old Jubbal. For analysis, it constitutes of Aukta house present in Old Jubbal. It is the example of inherent sustainable evolution of Kath-Kunhi architecture.

Keywords: Himachal Pradesh, Kath-Kunhi architecture, Lifestyle, Old Jubbal, Sustainability, Vernacular.

1. INTRODUCTION

A sustainable structure should not only cater to environmental sustainability but also it looks after the social and aesthetical integrity of a structure. Being on the ridge of a tectonic plate, Jubbal experiences common tremors throughout the year. The tall Kath- Kunhi towers are constructed so sustainable that; they survived years of weathering and earthquakes. This proves the sustainability and durability of the structures. The Aukta house is no exception to this. This G+2 structure survived for three hundred years by a unique composite application of timber bands and stone works. After first storey, timber bands are integrated in alternate order staggering at right angles. This makes the stone structure flexible just enough to survive the vibrations. Fig.1.1View of Old Jubbal 1.1 Methodology

The research paper is based on the documentation done in the month of November before the commencement of winters. The documentation includes architectural, historical, socio-economic factors leading to native lifestyle. The local craftsmen's and masons were interviewed and detailed architectural documentation of Aukta house was done. The documentation explored obvious relationship between people, belief and sustainability.

1.2 Limitations

The data from the winters is a secondary data since Old Jubbal is inaccessible due to heavy snow. The documentation only includes the Old Jubbal of Himachal Pradesh. The areas around district may have different set of values in terms of architecture and lifestyle.

73 International Journal of Research in Civil Engineering, Architecture & Design (O) 2347-2855 ISSN Volume-4, Issue-2, April-June, 2016, www.iaster.com (P) 2347-8284

2. INTRODUCTION TO OLD JUBBAL

Jubbal is a small hill town located at an average elevation of 2200mts that lies to the east of in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The town is 90 kilometres inbound of Shimla and cradles on the banks of Pabbar river. A perfect picturesque for a traveller and a habitat heaven attracts people throughout the heaven. The Pabbar River gushes through the entire town side adding to its sheen. Himachal Pradesh is a home to migrants since centuries. In the Kolarian language, folk, deities, their semi nomadic cultural lifestyle, it is evident that the southern Indian subcontinent residence have moved up. They were followed by the Aryan khasas settled in the stretch between Kashmir and Nepal. The Indo-Mongolian kiratas settled in the remote northern Himalayas, practicing Lamanistic Buddhism.[2] By the support of monasteries and trading with other communities assured economic stability. The next set of migrants were the Indo-Aryans who escaped the southern plains from Muslim invasions .These refuges found warmth in the Himalayas and spread their spiritual treasure between the 12th and 16th century.

2.1 Climate of Old Jubbal

Winter lasts from October to February with heavy snowfall in December and January. Lowest temperature recorded is -100c. March to May is summer with temperatures rising up to 200c. Monsoon is the smallest season lasting only 2 months, which are, June and July.

2.2 Religion

Hinduism is the main religion followed by people of Jubbal. There were various castes amongst the population. The Rajput or the royal family were on the top of the caste pyramid, closely followed by the priests and gurus. The lowest caste and also the maximum population was the koli.

2.3 Education

The average literacy rate of jubbal is 82%. There are a couple of schools and high schools. Higher education is pursued in Shimla or Chandigarh. The sex ratio of Jubbal according to 2011 statistics is 48 women to 100 men.

2.3 Festivals

The people of Jubbal are worshipers of many deities of which Pidi Devi is most prominent. They also worship food and hence granaries are considered a holy place. Live stock is also worshipped amongst other important resources. Jagra is a festival celebrated to announce the return of gods. They also celebrate Navratri thrice a year. Rampuri is a mela (fair) which brings together the people of Jubbal with religious and entertainment activities. There are various temples in jubbal, such as the Mahasu Dev Mandir, Navabir Temple, Narsingh Dev Mandir and Shadi Devi Mandir.

3. KATH-KHUNI ARCHITECTURE

Kath khuni is an indigenous wooden stone construction technique employed by all types of vernacular built forms we observed in the Sutlej valley of Himachal Pradesh. The inherent stability, flexibility and strength of Kath khuni buildings made them procreate to their mountainous terrain that is prone to earthquakes.[2][4] The plinth is constructed entirely of stone. The base of the structural wall is two parallel layers of stones installed flat. Depending on the size of the stone, the gap in the middle is filled with an infill of random rubble. This particular style plays an important role in the lifestyle of natives. The kathkhuni architecture is evolved from the quest to survive in very harsh climate. to do so, the climate demands a very sustainable, efficient and functional building. Here the sustainability of a building becomes a need of survival. This need of sustainability has developed a unique arrangement of volumes and functions.

74 International Journal of Research in Civil Engineering, Architecture & Design (O) 2347-2855 ISSN Volume-4, Issue-2, April-June, 2016, www.iaster.com (P) 2347-8284

3.1 Arrangement of Volumes and Development of Sustainable Architecture

The documentation included the Old Aukta house of Jubbal. Aukta house is owned by the head of village Old Jubbal. It represents Kath-Kunhi architecture at its best. The 300 year old house is still strong and functional; providing shelter for a family of 5 and 3 cattle. The gaushala-cowshed is located at the very ground level resting on a random rubble stone plinth. Plinth extrudes a meter and half outside the periphery to provide base for cattle in summer. This arrangement makes sure of the heat produced by the cattle is directly radiated to the habitable spaces above. Aukta house has two floors above gaushala. The first floor is typically a storage space for grains, apples and other life support things. It is covered by a timber cased balcony from three sides. The balcony is at the valley side to protect internal spaces from chilly winds. The second floor is a habitable space with a bedroom, a kitchen and a public meeting space. Second floor is covered by a balcony projecting 1.8 m from all the sides. All the balconies are cantilevered and supported on beams of deodar wood. Toilets are provided on the even at outer sides of the balcony. [1]

Fig 3.1 Ground Floor Plan, Aukta House Fig.3.2 First Floor Plan, Aukta House

Fig 3.3 Second Floor Plan, Aukta House Fig 3.4 View of Second Floor Balcony, Aukta House

Fig.3.5 Cross Section through Aukta House Fig.3.6 Longitudinal Section, Aukta House

75 International Journal of Research in Civil Engineering, Architecture & Design (O) 2347-2855 ISSN Volume-4, Issue-2, April-June, 2016, www.iaster.com (P) 2347-8284

The second floor is completely cladded with timber and no stone is visible from outside, although it has a infill of stones. The roof is a combination of pent-gable and gable roofs cladded with stone shingles. They provide excellent protection from heavy snowfall. [2]The study explains the need of spaces and volumes was tackled by a very different approach to architecture. The locals and the natives never finalized on conclusions in a day. The time and survival made the buildingsustainable. These buildings are the best examples of sustainability embodied in the life of natives. In a city one can live even if the shelter is not sustainable. Natives have evolved architecture which is sustainable by its efficiency as well as by its function.

Evolution of a structure to be sustainable and efficient is not a day process.The native fore fathers of Jubbal have put all their analytical skills and the experiential conclusions by observing nature to develop a full proof system. This process of evolution is followed by cultural, social and economical enrichment of the people. This adds to the basic concept of sustainability contributing to make human life better. It is observed that whenever a beingness of human is challenged by the nature, we tend to evolve intelligent sustainable solutions for it. [3]

Stone rubble walls are used in Kath-Kunhi architecture to maintain internal temperatures habitable. In winters the temperature outside is generally below freezing point. Whereas the observations say that the internal temperatures are habitable for humans as well as cattles.

The same material ‘stone’ is used as roofing material. They use shingles of slate stone to cover the tops. The shingles rest on the intricate framework of deodar wood joists and purlins. The typical pent gable roof is in common phenomenon observed in Old Jubbal. The complex roof system developed over years of trial and error has proven the limit of sustainability; vernacular architecture can attain. [9] These roofs are not only weather shields but also they contribute in structural integrity should the seismic forces traverse the structure.

“Kath khuni is a forgotten art. Now a day’s all new constructions are done using RCC. The main reason is deforestation and highly expensive Deodar wood and contradicting cheap RCC. Temperatures in Jubbal range from -100c to 200c which is very huge span. This can cause technical problems in RCC buildings and cause danger to the occupants.”

4. SUSTAINABILITY AND LIFESTYLE

Analysis gave us very important data about the lifestyle of the structures and people. They seem to work coherent with nature to making the situation win-win. By adapting the various techniques, people in Jubbal have learned to survive in very harsh conditions. They have elaborate respect towards nature and its powers. They try to harness them by praying gods of particular power. It is believed that these Gods protect humans from bad nature and bad energies. Apart from their belief, the people seemed very practical in day-to-day life. People found ways by trial and error method to solve their problems.

Now a days we talk about sustainability as a rating or a numeric value. But the people of Old Jubbal have proven that the sustainability is a both way term. The sustainable architecture is what it supports the life of those people. Whereas the people develop architecture which is sustainable in terms of their survival.

All side hauling balconies of Kath-Kunhi style is a characteristic sustainable element developed by natives. Typically cantilevered up to two meters covered with timber panels, function as wind blockers. They have small windows on the valley side whereas fairly big openings on mountain side. The smaller openings are often provided with small detachable shutters allowing full protection from chilly winds. The air lock between habitable core and the balconies presents best example of passive

76 International Journal of Research in Civil Engineering, Architecture & Design (O) 2347-2855 ISSN Volume-4, Issue-2, April-June, 2016, www.iaster.com (P) 2347-8284

heat containment. Balconies also play important role in social life, providing interaction spaces around the core. This is one of the best examples where sustainability is really playing a role in social life of natives. [6]

Another important feature of Kath-Kunhi construction is dry masonry stone construction. During an earthquake stones spaced on each other without mortar undulate within a flexible wooden framework allowing a quick dissipation of energy. Dry masonry allows the walls to move with the flow of seismic waves but not break apart due to the wooden framework.

5. CONCLUSION

We conclude that the sustainability in Old Jubbal is not induced phenomenon instead is a intricately developed social and structural phenomenon out of the need to survive. People do not necessarily consider the aspect of sustainability while designing the structures. The sustainability evolves as structures are developed over a method of trial and error combined with years of experience. This is where the sustainability no longer remains a rating or a numeric value. Unlike it is developed and evolved naturally to tackle mother nature.

REFERENCES

[1] Jay Thakkar, Skye Morrison, Matra,(SID Research Cell, CEPT Ahmedabad 2008) Pg No.32. [2] Jay Thakkar, Skye Morrison, Matra,(SID Research Cell, CEPT Ahmedabad 2008) pp. No.82,83 [3] Ashwani Kumar, Basis of Formulating Building Regulations for Hilly Areas, Malyiya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, 16-01-2014. [4] Ashwani Kumar, Bhimakali Temple at Saharan: An Architectural Marvel, Indian Journal of Applied Research, ISSN 2249-SSSX, Pg No.11. [5] Sandeep Sharma and Puneet Sharma, Traditional and Vernacular buildings are Ecological Sensitive, Climate Responsive Designs-Study of Himachal Pradesh (International Journal of Chemical IJCEBS Volume 1, Issue 4, ISSN 2320-4079, EISSN 2320-4087. [6] 11-16-2014, Interviews, Ojas Deleja, Local Contractor, Old Jubbal [7] Steven V. Szokolay, Introduction to Architectural Science, The Basis of Sustainable Design, (Architectural Press in imprint of Elsevier ) 23167. [8] Luis Janeiro-GE04-2321, Towards a Methodology for the Sustainability Assessment of Technologies, April 2011.

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