International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment (2013) 2, 183–192

Gulf Organisation for Research and Development

International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment

ScienceDirectwww.sciencedirect.com

Original Article/Research

Vernacular practices: as a basis for formulating building regulationsfor hilly areas

Ashwani Kumar a,⇑, Pushplata b

a Department of Architecture and Planning, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, Indiab Department of Architecture and Planning, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India

Received 13 June 2013; accepted 16 January 2014

Abstract

Planning and design of buildings in a hill settlement are tedious and challenging task due to difficult terrain, steep gradient, adverseclimatic conditions, rich flora and proneness to natural hazards. In response to these harsh development conditions, numerous vernac-ular practices and styles have evolved with local materials and indigenous techniques to fulfil the needs of people, which cause minimaldamage to environment and are sustainable. But, in spite of numerous benefits of these vernacular practices, these are often not used fornew development due to increased demand for more built spaces due to rapid growth, availability of new construction materials andtechniques and reluctance of residents to adopt vernacular practices.

Numerous multi-storeyed buildings with contemporary materials and techniques are being constructed in different hill settlementswithout respecting the context, which affect health and wellbeing of residents and cause severe damage to sensitive fragile environmentin and around hill settlements. Building regulations, which are enforced in hill settlements to regulate development and minimise its illimpacts on environment, are contextually not appropriate and lead to contextually inappropriate development and environmental deg-radation in environmentally sensitive hill settlements. As vernacular practices are proven to be sustainable, therefore it is essential to takelessons from sustainable vernacular practices for new development and formulation of building regulations for achieving contextuallyappropriate and sustainable development in hill settlements.

Keywords: Hill settlements; Vernacular practices; Building regulations; Environmental protection

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1. Introduction

Numerous vernacular practices and styles have beendeveloped for planning of settlements and construction of

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buildings in the Himalayan region of north India duringpast centuries to meet the requirements of local people.These vernacular practices are developed by the people,for the people, without any technical/professional training;with the help of locally available, natural and environmen-tally friendly construction materials and indigenousconstruction techniques which people have learned, devel-oped, and refined over centuries. These vernacular prac-tices and styles are developed with the objective to havesufficient protection against harsh climatic conditions andnatural calamities. These traditional practices offer best

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184 A. Kumar, Pushplata / International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment 2 (2013) 183–192

suitable solutions for functional utility and livability. Rit-ual beliefs, customs, social structure, profession, economicstatus and culture are often reflected in vernacular build-ings through their form, scale, size, colour, materials andfacades. Vernacular practices have minimal impact on envi-ronment in and around hill settlements and different salientfeatures of vernacular practices evolved in hilly areas likethe use of local materials, thermal comfort, environmen-tally friendly design, smaller foot print, contextual appro-priate development are also considered as the essentialrequisites of sustainable development (Kumar andMunoth, 2011).

Along with various benefits of vernacular practices andstyles, vernacular buildings have some crucial issues andconcerns like, need for regular maintenance, low strengthof materials and/or building components, unavailabilityof skilled craftsmen who can work with traditional materi-als, shortage of traditional materials and reluctance of res-idents to develop their buildings with vernacular practiceslead to reduced use of these sustainable vernacular prac-tices for construction of new buildings in hilly areas. More-over, increased urbanisation, need and construction ofmulti-storeyed buildings; improved transportation to pro-mote the use of contemporary materials in hill settlements.Improvement in living and economic conditions, improve-ment and increase in building services; better, fast and eas-ily understandable and workable construction techniquesand equipments further affect the use of vernacular prac-tices for planning and design of new buildings in hill settle-ments. Massive development with contemporary materialsresults in pollution, loss of vegetation, increase in soilerosion, increase in surface runoff, lowering of watertable, flooding, change in micro climate and increase in

Figure 1. Massive multi-storey

occurrences of instability, which cause severe damage tosensitive and fragile environment in and around hill settle-ments (Fig. 1).

To minimise different ill impacts of new and massivedevelopment on natural environment in and around hillsettlements and to maintain environmental quality, variousbuilding regulations are enforced, but problems related toenvironmental deterioration persist and further intensifiesin hill settlements (Pushplata and Kumar, 2012). Thus,highlighting the need to draw lessons from sustainable ver-nacular practices for formulating building regulations anddesign of new buildings in hill settlements of North India(Fig. 2a). In light of the above, to draw important lessonsfrom traditional practices for new development in hill set-tlements, various salient characteristics of traditional settle-ments which are sustainable are discussed in the sectionbelow.

2. Salient characteristics of traditional settlement in hill

regions

Various salient characteristics of traditional settlementswhich are crucial for planning and design of new buildingsin hill regions are:

(i) Traditional hill settlements in India are usually devel-oped on relatively flatter terrain than surroundingareas (Fig. 2a and b), which are often consideredmore stable and less prone to natural hazards likelandslides and cloudburst.

(ii) Traditional settlements in hill regions of India aremostly located on southern slopes to have sufficientsolar exposure throughout the day and protection

development in hill regions.

Figure 2. Settlements in different Himalayan regions.

A. Kumar, Pushplata / International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment 2 (2013) 183–192 185

from northern cold winds, so that comfortable livingconditions can be achieved with minimal consump-tion of energy.

(iii) Proximity to surface water source is one of the maincriteria for selecting site for settlement in hill regions,as ground water table is usually low, especially nearridges and mid land areas and it is difficult constructdifferent water structures (like well or step well) tofetch water from higher depth.

(iv) Settlements in hill regions are classified into three cat-egories as ridge, mid land and valley settlements.Each type of settlement has its own peculiar issuesfor development which are unique and not presentin other types of settlements. Planning and designof buildings vary in these settlements. For example,in ridge settlement important buildings like temples,shops, public buildings like post offices and schools,open grounds and other public areas/spaces are oftenlocated on or near to the ridge and general houses arelocated on relatively lower areas. Whereas, in valley

settlement main public spaces, temples and otherpublic and community areas and open grounds aregenerally located in valley (lower areas) and housesare located in upper regions on sloping terrain.

(v) Traditional settlements become integral part of thenatural environment of hill settlements, as differentvernacular buildings merge well with surroundingsand have minimal impact on environment of hillyareas.

(vi) Developmental activities in traditional settlementsare generally carried out with due consideration tothe context and buildings are generally constructedalong the contours to reduce site development work(i.e., cutting and filling of slopes).

(vii) Vernacular buildings are generally clustered along theopen space (Saini, 1991) which is used by residentsfor different activities, social and religious gathering,celebrating functions and ceremonies. The placementof buildings around the open space is such that everybuilding gets sufficient direct solar exposure and no

186 A. Kumar, Pushplata / International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment 2 (2013) 183–192

building cast its shadow on other buildings. Whileclustering different buildings along open space, build-ings are judicially oriented to achieve maximum solarexposure and minimum wind exposure.

(viii) Vernacular buildings in hilly areas are mostly rect-angular in shape and constructed with locally avail-able materials, which are having good climaticresponse. Floor to ceiling height is usually keptbetween 8 to 9 feet which is low as per contempo-rary building standards and as adopted in newbuildings. Symmetrically located small openings(generally one window for each room) are providedto have daylight and ventilation which result in lowillumination level inside the buildings. But, thesebuildings with symmetrical small windows have bet-ter seismic response than most of the contemporarybuildings with modern materials in hill settlementsof North India.

(ix) Non-engineered indigenous construction techniquesare adopted for construction of buildings which aredeveloped with local materials, have good climaticresponse, maintain indoor comfort conditions andhave very good response against earthquakes. Tradi-tional construction techniques adopted in construc-tion of houses in the north Indian Himalayanregion are shown in Table 1 and Fig. 3.

In spite of various above discussed merits and environ-mentally friendly nature of vernacular practices prevailingin hill regions, these practices cannot be directly used forplanning and design of buildings in the present context,due to change in living habits, lifestyle and requirementof services for comfortable living. However, important les-sons can be drawn from the existing vernacular practicesfor planning and design of settlements and formulationof buildings regulations, so that sustainable developmentcan be achieved in hill regions. Different building regula-tions which can be formulated/modified on the basis ver-nacular practices are discussed in the section below.

Table 1Wall construction techniques used in different hill regions.

S no. Constructiontechnique

Materials used Buildingcomponent

A

1 Kath-Kuni andKoti banal

Stone and timber Wall Sa

2 Dhajji-Dewari Timber stone/mud Wall K3 Taaq system Timber and brick Wall K4 Stone houses Natural stone dressed

or undressedWall K

U5 Wooden houses Timber Wall, roof, floor,

staircaseK

6 Mud houses Mud L7 Sun dried bricks

housesEarth Walls O

8 Dry stone walls Stone Wall K9 Brick houses Baked bricks Walls O

3. Building regulations to be formulated based on vernacular

practices

Building regulations such as ground coverage, materialregulations, earthquake resistant construction and safetyregulations, site development and slope protection regula-tions, aesthetic and facade design regulations and spacestandards and norms for hilly areas can be formulated ormodified based on existing vernacular practices of hillyareas of India.

3.1. Ground coverage

Vernacular/traditional buildings have compact planning,small footprints and low built to open ratio, especially inlower Himalayan regions and lot of space is kept openaround buildings which can be used for different activitiesand/or for growing vegetation. This helps in minimisingthe impact of development on surrounding environment.In contrast to these vernacular practices, contemporarybuildings in hilly areas are designed with high foot printsand ground coverage and have high built to open ratio. Thispattern of development results in less space around buildingswhich is often inadequate for growing vegetation and/or itsuse for different activities. Therefore, provisions related tosmall building foot print and lower ground coverage by tak-ing lessons from vernacular buildings and utilisation of openspace between buildings for landscaping and vegetation canbe incorporated in existing regulations to reduce the impactof new development on environment of hilly areas.

3.2. Material regulation

Vernacular practices are developed with locally avail-able, easily workable, and natural building materials whichare mostly renewable in nature (like timber, thatch, mudand bamboo), have good climatic response, and have noadverse effect on the health of residents and little or negli-gible impact on environment of hill settlements. Though

reas where it is used Characteristics

himla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Garhwalnd Kumaun regions

Good seismic and thermal response,good aesthetic value

ashmir and Chambaashmir Good seismic and thermal responseashmir, Jammu, Himachal,ttarakhand

Good thermal response

ashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand Good seismic and thermal responseeh, Ladakh, Lahaul Spiti Good thermal and climatic responseuter Himalayan regions Good thermal and climatic response

angra Chambauter Himalayan regions Good response against weathering

agencies

Figure 3. Different wall construction techniques adopted in different hill regions.

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cutting of trees for obtaining timber will result in loss ofprecious vegetation, it needs to be suitably augmented byplantation of new tress in hilly areas. In contrast to this,contemporary materials are manufactured from raw mate-rials, which are available on particular locations and aretransported to different parts of the country after manufac-turing. These materials have high embodied energy andcause lot of pollution during manufacturing and transpor-tation, and are mostly inappropriate to the context of hillsettlements. Adoption of locally available building materi-als with new construction technologies will result in betterclimatic responsiveness, lower consumption of energy andreduction in environmental degradation. Therefore, theseprovisions should be made compulsory through buildingregulations.

3.3. Earthquake resistant construction and safety regulations

Safety against natural hazards is the most seriousconcern for planning and design of buildings in hill

regions. Many vernacular practices like dhajji wall,kath-kuni, koti-banal, taaq and wooden buildings havegood response during previous earthquakes (Fig 3)(Rautela and Joshi, 2008). However, presently adoptedconstruction practices in hilly areas do not have goodearthquake response and may result in serious damageand loss of precious human life and resources duringoccurrences of earthquake. Therefore, vernacular prac-tices with suitable modifications can be adopted fordesign and construction of earthquake resistant buildingsin hill regions. Materials like timber and thatch used intraditional buildings which are vulnerable to fire and ter-mite attack can be replaced with more durable and fireresistant materials like steel or aluminium. Same is wit-nessed in Pehalgam hotel, Srinagar, which is constructedin dhajji wall style with modern materials like bricks andsteel as shown in Fig. 4. The adoption of such earth-quake resistant practices with durable and fire resistantmaterials can be made mandatory through buildingregulations.

Figure 4. Modern building constructed in traditional construction style.

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3.4. Site development regulations

In traditional hill settlements the cutting and fillingmethod of site development is often adopted and thedebris produced after cutting of hills is used to fill partswithin site and/or used for construction of differentbuilding components like walls and floors. Buildings aregenerally constructed on flat and hard strata obtainedafter cutting of slopes and filled portions of site aremostly kept open and used for different routine activities.Utilisation of debris produced after cutting of slopeswithin site can be made mandatory through building reg-ulations, which intern help in reducing environmentaldegradation caused by illegal dumping of debris pro-duced after cutting of slopes into valley or low lyingareas near water sources.

Figure 5. Different retaining su

3.5. Slope stabilisation and protection

Natural materials like stone, bamboo, tree branchesobtained from pruning of trees, thatch, pine leaves etc.are used for slope stabilisation and protection in traditionalhill settlements. These materials merge well with surround-ings and these protected portions do not appear differentfrom surrounding areas. Whereas, in contemporary prac-tices, improvement of aesthetics/visual quality of rein-forced concrete retaining walls used for slope protectionis a critical issue, which affects the aesthetic value of hill set-tlements (Fig. 5). Use of natural materials like stone orbamboo with other contemporary materials and techniquesof slope protection will result in better aesthetic quality ofretaining surfaces. Use of natural materials as finishing sur-face for retaining structures which are exposed and visiblecan be made mandatory through building regulations toimprove the aesthetic quality of retaining structures.

3.6. Aesthetic and facade design regulations

Every vernacular style has its own peculiar built form,pattern, materials, colour and decorative elements whichimpart aesthetic quality to buildings and create interesting,unique and easily distinguishable facades. Varieties ofsloping roofs used in vernacular styles help in integrationof vernacular buildings into mountainous surroundingsalong with fulfilling functional needs (Fig. 6). All buildingsin a traditional hill settlement have building facadeswith similar elements, features and decorative treatment.Modern buildings constructed with contemporary materi-als have dull, uninteresting and unattractive facades whichappear as visual blight in magnificent hill settings (Fig. 7)

rfaces used in hill regions.

Figure 6. Different roofing styles adopted in hill regions.

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(Pushplata and Kumar., 2009). The adoption of traditionalbuilt forms, patterns and facade elements for improvingaesthetic quality of new buildings in hilly areas is utmostnecessary in the present scenario of development. Buildingregulations need to be formulated or modified to mandatethe use of traditional forms, pattern, and decorative ele-ments into modern buildings. Also, provisions related toadoption of similar building forms, features/elements forfacade design, roof type and profile, and colour for allbuildings in an area/zone can be incorporated in buildingregulations of hill settlements.

3.7. Space standard and norms for development in hilly areas

Space standard and norms for hill regions in India arenot developed by any professional organisation or agency(TCPO, 2004). For designing of new buildings and formu-lation of building regulation in hill settlements, space stan-dard and norms specified in the National Building Code2005, are adopted which are not conducive to the contextof hill regions due to peculiar geo-environment characteris-tics of hill regions. Contemporary buildings developed inaccordance with these non-contextual building regulationsare climatically and environmentally nonresponsive. Thereare variations in minimum space standards adopted inbuilding regulations or present in the National Build-ing Code and are as adopted in vernacular or traditional

buildings. For example, floor to ceiling height for a con-temporary building is usually considered as 3.0 m whereas,in most of the vernacular buildings floor to ceiling heightusually varies from 2.40 m to 2.70 m. Height of the door(lintel level) is generally considered as 2.10 m above floorlevel in contemporary buildings, whereas in traditionalbuildings maximum height of the door is 1.80 m. Likewise,the window to floor area ratio specified in existing spacestandards and norms is higher than actually found in manytraditional buildings due to the presence of smaller open-ings in cold climatic conditions. Space/area provided invernacular buildings to fulfil different functional require-ments need to be considered as the basis for deciding spacestandard and norms for hill regions.

Along with above mentioned building regulations whichneed to be modified on the basis of vernacular practices,other important lessons can also be drawn from vernacularpractices and styles for planning and design of buildings inhill settlements.

4. Lessons learnt from vernacular practices for new buildings

Different lessons learnt from vernacular practices of hillsettlements for planning and design of new buildings in hillsettlements can be grouped into three main categories as,lessons learnt at settlement level, area level and buildinglevel.

Figure 7. Modern buildings having uninteresting facades in hill regions.

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5. Settlement level

5.1. Site selection for development

Different considerations related to site selection asobserved in traditional settlements can become basis for siteselection for new development in hilly areas. Similar to tra-ditional settlements in hilly areas, site selected for new devel-opment should be on southern slopes to have adequate solarexposure; should be located on leeward side of hill to havesufficient protection from cold winds; should have adequateaccess to basic services; and should be developed on stableand firm ground/terrain so that new development shouldbe less prone to hazards like landslides and cloudburst.

5.2. Land use distribution

Lessons drawn from vernacular practices can becomebasis for deciding land use for new development in differentareas/zones of a hill settlement. Similar to traditional set-tlements flat areas on ridge, valley and midland can be usedfor public use like public buildings, schools, temples, shops,parks, playground etc., and residential and private build-ings can be developed on sloping terrain either above valleyor below ridge in a hill settlement.

5.3. Settlements developed as integral part of natural

environment

Traditional settlements in hill regions are developedwith nature as these settlements merge nicely with natural

contextual settings and cause minimum disturbance to nat-ural environment. Similarly, new buildings in hill regionsshould cause minimum disturbance to natural environmentand should be contextually appropriate and should mergewell with surroundings to become an integral part of natu-ral environment (Fig. 8).

6. Area level

6.1. Clustering of buildings

Similar to vernacular practices in hill regions, new build-ings should be grouped along the open space which can beused by all residents for different activities and social inter-action. The orientation of buildings and open space shouldbe such that these buildings should have maximum solarexposure and minimum wind exposure. The size of openspace and height of buildings are so decided that one build-ing should not cast shadow over others.

6.2. Identity/character of area

Every community/mohallah within a traditional settle-ment has its own identity and their buildings show theirsocial and economic status and occupation. Though, allbuildings generally represent similar vernacular style,building of different communities varies from each otherin terms of size, organisation of rooms, elevation/facadetreatment, extent of detailing, decoration and ornamenta-tion and colours. Similar principle can be adopted for plan-ning and design of new buildings in different areas/zones in

Figure 8. Traditional settlements merge well with surroundings.

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hill settlements which can impart distinct identity to differ-ent areas/zones and at the same time different buildings ofvarious communities should be woven together to formholistic image of a scenic hill settlement.

7. Building level

7.1. Development along contour

Similar to vernacular buildings, new buildings as far aspossible should be designed along the contour to have min-imum site development work.

7.2. Compact size and opening along longer direction

Similar to vernacular buildings, new buildings should becompact, having small foot print and most of the openings/windows should be provided along the length of building(longer side) and shorter side of building (width) should bekept intact without openings to have better seismic response.

7.3. Minimal disturbance to natural environment and

contextual development

Like vernacular buildings, new buildings should be envi-ronmentally friendly, so that they should merge with the

surroundings and cause minimum disturbance to naturalenvironment. The use of locally available materials anddevelopment according to site and surrounding condi-tions will lead to contextual appropriateness, which areessential for environmental protection in and around hillsettlements.

8. Conclusion

Vernacular practices and styles adopted in traditionalhill settlements have a great potential to become the basisfor new development and formulation of appropriatebuilding regulations for hill settlements. There is a needto understand the peculiar context of hill settlements forsuitable modification of existing building regulations tomake them appropriate for new development in hill settle-ments. Different observations and findings (lesson drawn)made after the understandings of vernacular practices pres-ent in hill settlements are most crucial for formulation ofappropriate building regulations in hill settlements to havecontextually appropriate and sustainable development.

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