CLIMATE IN INDIA

Cold & Dry Regions

• • Regions that lie in the cold climate zone are
situated at the high
• altitudes. The temperatures ranges between
20 – 30 C in summers;
• while in winter, in rages from -3 – 8 C, making
it quite chilly
 Essential features in designing of a house

• Building will have sloping roof.

• Windows will have wooden panels.
• Timber paneled wall will be used instead of brick
or stone masonry.
• Bedroom will be on south west of the house.
• Kitchen will be on south east of the house.
• Dinning will be on the south.
• Bathroom will be on the north west of the house.
• Natural light is important in the house.
• Flooring of the house must be of timber.
•Living area should be in the north of the
building.
• Utility rooms should be in the south.
• Cross ventilation is very important for healthy
living.
• Tress can be planted near windows to the
block cold air.
 Design Criteria
• Increase thermal resistance
• Increase thermal capacity
• Increase buffer spaces
• Decrease air exchange rate Roof insulation, wall insulation and
double glazing
• Thicker walls
• Air locks / lobbies
• Reduce shading
• Utilize heat from appliances
• Trapping heat
• Orientation and shape of the building
• Uses of trees as wind barriers.
 Cold climate

COLD AND Cold

CLOUDY
and (•
sunny(•
HIMACHAL
LEH LADAKH
PRADESH
) (SHIMLA)
 Roofing in the cold and dry region
• Gable roofs are used in hilly areas, as these
roof types are able to shed snow in the hilly
areas.
• The main used material for roofing in hilly area
is timber, as it is locally available from the
trees.
• Trees which are used for this purpose are
cedar.
 HIMACHAL
PRADESH - cold and cloudy
- DEV BHOOMI- ABODE OF
GODS
• It is situated in the laps of
Himalayas –
surrounded by number of
ranges
• Main occupation :
Agriculture – Wheat,
Maize, Rice, potato, ginger,
garlic,
mushrooms, olives
 Climate : cold and cloudy
• SHIMLA experiences of huge variations in it’s climatic
conditions
(The variations of climatic conditions are divided
according to altitude)
1. 450- 900 m – hot and sub humid tropical – southern
lower
traces
2. 900-1800 m – warm and temperate
3. 1900-2400 m – cool and temperate
4. 2400-4800 m – cold glacial
5. 3000 m – snowfall
Octobers - very cold
December-march –
snowfall
Feb-April - spring season
June rainy - season starts
TOPOGRAPHY
AREA: 55673kmsq
• Shares borders :
• Numerous mountain ranges, like
Shivalik ranges
• (450-6500)m above the sea level
• Latitude : 32’ 22’ 40” north to
33’12’40”north.
• Longitude : 75’ 45’ 55” to 79’
07’20” east.
• 38% of total area under forest
• Satluj is most prominent river,
others are Chenab, Ravi, Beas and
Yamuna.
 Settlement patterns : Typical village along
stepped contours
The traditional settlements appears to have the color of the land and
appear just
right almost ecologically planned. The landscape materials, techniques o
making, all
contribute to a common formal language of settlement.
Typically located along the contoured sunny slopes admits backdrop of
hills and snow
clad mountains and appear to organically grow out of the fold of the
landscape.
KATH KHUNI TECHNIQUE
• Made of alternate courses of dry stone masonry and wood
without cementing mortar.
• Layering and inter locking timber and stone provides strength,
stability and flexibility (Earthquake resistant).
• These heavy walls allow a good thermal insulation by providing
high time-lag of more than 8 hours. This makes the interior of the
house cooler in summer and warm in winter for maximum part of
the year.
• Above the plinth walls are strong with alternating stone layer, as
the wall rises up it is only the wood frame that is stacked above
another wood frame. This distributes mass optimally.
• Interiors of wall are finished with mud plaster and lined with
wood on account of its good insulation and binding properties.
• Resist sliding or overturning during land movement.
• Dry masonry construction allow stones to undulate within a
flexible wooden frame work to allow energy of earthquake to
disperse.
KATH KHUNI TECHNIQUE
KATH KHUNI TECHNIQUE
Foundation :
• Stone plinth – 0.6 – 1 meters for two storey buildings.
3 meters for tower temples.
•. The upper floors are made of timber planks and timber-joints
WALLS:
FLOORING
• In the ground level mud
& cow-dung were used
for flooring above the
plinth made of random
rubble masonry. The
upper floors are made of
timber planks and
timberjoists

KITCHEN
• Kitchen made of mud,
placed at center which
helps in keeping the
indoor warm.
• Balconies: Provide a good sun-space
or solarium.
• Cantilevered balcony resting on stone
wall
• Wooden members supports it to
provide stability.

• Courtyard: Sunny
courtyard to
perform various activities
during day time
ROOFING :
• Pitched roof with locally available
timber. Slate
used for roof covering. Below the
roof a ceiling is
constructed with timber.
• The light-weight roof construction
and the air
between the roofing and attic-floor
provided a
very good thermal insulation against
the passage
of heat.
• Low pitched roof provides a good
solution to
drain off the rain-water/ snow from
the
dwellings
ATTIC
• Multifunctional space
• Served as abode of god.
• Storage of grain.
• Windows – ventilates and helps to dry the grains .
• Protects from rain.
• Insulates the house
LADAKH
INTRODUCTION

• Ladakh region is at the highest altitude , belongs to the

Tibetan Buddhist sphere, western neighbouring
region is Kashmir.
• Mountainous region
• Little vegetation
• Cold desert
CLIMATE: COLD AND SUNNY
• Temperature variations.
SUMMER :Day 17 : 24° C (March –
September)
Night 4 : 11°C.
WINTER : Day -14 : 7°C ( October –
February )
Night below 0° C -20°C.

• RELATIVE HUMIDITY :
Consistently low 10 – 50 %.
• WINDS : Occasionally intense.
• SKY : Fairly clear throughout the
year.
• CLOUD COVER: Is less than 50%.
• RAINFALL: 15cm annual average.
(very less).
 TOPOGRAPHY:

• Ladakh is land located between two mightiest

mountains ranges karakoram in north and
great Himalayas in south. Ladakh has its own
range, ladakh range and zanskar range
• Dras, zanskar and the suru valley on the
Himalaya’s northern flanks receive heavy
snow in winter, when it melts in the summer it
becomes only source of the water for the
crops here as there is very less or no rainfall.
• Because of thin air in its atmosphere the heat
of the sun is more intense then at lower
altitude vegetation is very sparse in ladakh except
along stream beds and wet lands, on high slopes
and in irrigated places.
 SETTLEMENT PATTERN:

• Leh is the biggest town of ladakh.

• The settlements of various sizes are located along the meandering
river Indus flowing
from east to west. This creates northern settlements facing south to
allow maximum
sunlight.
• The houses are located on slopes
of the mountain rather than the plains
or valley in order to increase the time
duration of sun.
• Also they are close to water bodies and
Fertile land.
URBAN PLANNING:

• Leh is typically located on plateau on

the northern banks of Indus river.

• The old town is on southern slopes

of mountains where as newer parts
are extended in plains in south west
direction.

• The highest point of Leh is occupied

by houses of nobles and lower side
by commoners and main bazzar area
ARCHITECTURE – SPATIAL LAYOUT

• Most of the houses are two storey

buildings

• Larger houses are based on courtyard

while smaller ones don’t have the
Courtyard

• The ground floor is low in height , used

in keeping livestock, storage purposes
and also to collect toilet waste.
• Upper floor is used for living purposes usually consist of prayer
room, store, toilet, kitchen , drawing and bedroom.

• Sometimes kitchen area and sleeping area are same to add

warmth inside the house
.
• Main hall is furnished with carpets and smoke chimney.

• The main living room is fitted with large window facing the sun it
traps solar radiation as and indigenous green house mechanism
without opening the windows in some cases these windows are
provided with double glazing to hence the insulating properties.
• MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
• Primary building material is earth and timber available
locally.

• Both are natural materials offering climatic comfort in

condition of Ladakh

• They are used due to their high thermal insulating

properties.

• Mud plaster is applied on walls.

• Quartzite stone is used in
making lower
storey palaces or forts where
protection
from water is required

• Stones are used in

lower parts of walls
to provide protection
and strength.
• Sun dried earth block- 300x150x150 mm used for walls of thickness 300 or 450
mm.
• Soil available is alluvial soil found in banks of Indus .
• Floors of lower storey are
made
of mud while upper storey by
Timber

• It is observed that
traditional
construction of earth block
and
timber was able to offer
temperature difference of 40°
C
in extreme winters. When
outside is -20 inside it is 20 C
recorded.
• The sills and jambs are articulated by the plaster band often coloured in red or black
these timber lintels and plaster bands are the distinct features of ladakhi
architecture