PALIYAM NALUKETTU

AMAL SRIDARKEERTHANA V MENONNIHALA JEBINSRUTHY SIVADAS

INTRODUCTION

• LOCATED IN THE VILLAGE OF CHENDAMANGALAM NEAR PARAVUR IN ERNAKULAM DISTRICT.• BUILT TO HOUSE THE FEMALE MEMBERS OF THE PALIYAM

FAMILY.• AROUND 450 YEARS OLD. • IT IS TYPICAL KERALA STYLE HOUSE WITH A CENTRAL

COURTYARD (NADUMUTTAM) AND ROOMS PLACED ON ALL FOUR SIDES OF IT.

SITE PLAN

ORIENTATION

• NAALU KETTU FACES SOUTH- DIRECT SUNLIGHT FROM LATE MORNING TO EARLY AFTERNOON• IT’S A SINGLE STRUCTURE WITHIN A COMPOUND WALL• AT THE TIME OF CONSTRUCTION IT WAS AN ISOLATED AREA WHICH

ALLOWED FREE CIRCULATION OF WIND AND AIR WITHOUT ANY OBSTRUCTION• VERY FEW TREES AROUND, ALMOST BARREN.

PLINTH

• PLINTH HEIGHT= 75 CM• VERANDAH HEIGHT= 60 CM• SINCE PARAVUR WAS A FLOOD PRONE AREA THIS PLINTH HEIGHT

PROTECTED FROM THE FLOODS TO AN EXTEND• PROTECTION FROM INSECTS AND OTHER ORGANISMS• PROTECTION AGAINST DAMPNESS

• TWO STOREYED• GROUND FLOOR CONSIST OF :KITCHENKIZHAKKINITHEKKINIDELIVERY ROOMSARAHIDDEN BASEMENT

• FIRST FLOOR CONSIST OF THE FOUR PRIVATE BEDROOMS WHICH ARE JUST SEPERATED USING WOODEN BOARDS • VALLYAMMA IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE MOST SUPERIOR AND HENCE

HER ROOM IS THE LARGEST OF ALL WHICH IS AGAIN IN THE FIRST FLOOR.

WALLS AND COLUMNS

• MATERIALS USED: WALLS- MADE OF LATERITE WITH SAND FILLING AND LIME PLASTERINGCOLUMNS: ENTIRELY MADE OUT OF TIMBER

• WALLS WERE 30CM THICK WHICH PROVIDED INSULATION AND KEPT THE INTERIORS COOL

FLOORING

• SURKHI FLOORING : COOL INTERIORS• EGG PLASTERING: MAKING THE FLOOR SMOOTH AND SHINY• THE DELIVERY ROOM HAD TILES LAID WHICH WAS IMPORTED

DURING THAT TIME FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES.• FLOORS WERE MADE IN THREE DIFFERENT LEVELS- THE ARA AND

THEKKINI WERE RAISED TO A HEIGHT OF 45 CM AND THE BASEMENT BELOW THE ARA.

COURTYARD

• PLAYS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE HOUSE• MICRO CLIMATE MODIFIER• OVERHANGS OF 1 METRE WIDTH ARE PROVIDED INORDER TO

PROTECT RAIN FROM GETTING TO THE INTERIORS• CONTINOUS CIRCULATION OF AIR WITHIN THE INTERIOR• ENABLES PASSIVE COOLING.

• VERANDAS ON ALL FOUR SIDES THAT LEAD TO VARIOUS ROOMS.• MOREOVER, SINCE LADIES WERE NOT ALLOWED TO GO

OUTSIDE, THEREFORE THIS WAS THEIR ONLY PLACE FOR INTERACTION.

VENTILATION

• THE NALUKETT INCORPORATES THE PRINCIPLE OF KARNASUTRA. AN OPENING IN THE FORM OF A SMALL HOLE IS PROVIDE IN THE SOUTH WEST AND NORTH EAST CORNERS. THIS ALLOW THE PASSAGE OF AIR, LIGHT ANG MAGNETIC FLUX DIAGONALLY THROUGH THE HOUSE.

• WINDOWS: PROVIDED AT A HEIGHT OF 60 CM FROM THE FLOOR UPTO A HEIGHT OF 160CM.

MADE OF TIMBER FRAME AND TIMBER PANELS THE OVERHANGS EXTEND SO AS TO LIMIT THE DIRECT ENTRY OF SUNRAYS THROUGH THE WINDOWS

• THE FIRST FLOOR HAD WOODEN JALLIES BELOW THE WINDOWSALL AROUND THAT OPENED TO THE COURTYARD. • EVEN THE ARA AND SECRET PASSAGE IN THE BASEMENT

WERE ALSO PROVIDED WITH VENTILATION.• THERE WERE NO WINDOWS PROVIDED FOR THE PRIVATE

BEDROOMS.

ROOF

• TRADITIONAL PITCHED ROOF WITH A SLOPE OF 45 DEGREE SUPPORTED OVER TIMBER FRAMES• COVERED WITH TRADITIONAL ROOFING CLAY TILES• THE PITCHED SLOPE ENABLES THE EASY DRAIN OF RAINWATER• EXTENDED OVER THE VERANDAH AT A LENGTH OF 1M WHICH

PROTECTS THE WALLS FROM DIRECT HEAT AND RAINS

MACHU

• SIMILAR TOA FALSE CEILING PROVIDED BENEATH THE ROOF.• MADE OF TIMBER.• VREATED A LAYER OF AIR BETWEEN THE CEILING AND THE ROOF

WHICH ACT AS AN INSULATOR THAT PREVENTS THE CONDUCTION OF EXTERIOR HEAT THROUGH THE ROOF.• VENTILATIONS ARE PROVIDE BETWEEN MACHU AND THE ROOMS.

POOMUKHAM

IT IS THE WELCOMING SPACE OF THE HOUSE.IT HAS A RAISED PLATFORM FOR GATHERINGS.THE SLOPING ROOFS ARE CLEARLY VISIBLE HERE.

VALLYAMMA’S ROOM

IT IS THE LARGEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE. HAD GLASS WINDOWS WHICH INCREASED HEAT COMPARED TO THE OTHER ROOMS. JALLIES ARE PROVIDED BELOW THE WINDOWS FOR AIR CIRCULATION. TIMBER PANELLING DONE ON ALL FOUR WALLS.

THEKKINI

KIZHAKKINI

ANALYSIS- TEMPERATURE

• MATERIALS USED HELPED IN REDUCING THE TEMPERATURE.• OVERHANGS WERE PROVIDED AT A CONSEIDERABLE LENGTH WHICH

PREVENTED THE DIRECT EXPOSURE OF WALLS TO SUNLIGHT.• PROVISION OF MACHU.• COURTYARD.• THICK WALLS.

WIND

• THE BEDROOMS WERE PROVIDED IN THE SOUTH WEST AND WEST DIRECTIONS WHICH MADE MAXIMUM UTILISATION OF NATURAL WIND.• KARNASUTHRA THAT RUNS FROM SOUTH WEST TO NORTH EAST.• KITCHEN WAS PLACED IN THE NORTH EAST DIRECTION SO THAT THE

WIND WOULD FLOW OUT OF THE KITCHEN.

RAIN• PITCHED ROOFS AND EAVE BOARS HELPED IN THE

DRAINAGE OF RAIN WATER.• OVERHANGS PROTECTED WALLS FROM COMING INTO

DIRECT CONTACT WITH RAIN.