The Riverfront Settlement study of Ecoxim

(Study of the form of cultural Landscape)

Researcher : Kshama P. Sawant Guide: Arch. Jose L.Noronha

Chapter 1 : Introduction
Introduction
Man's adaption with the environment brought forth change in his physical
landscape. These change in his physical landscape. These changes are identified
as cultural landscape and present man's relation to man and the earth.
Pomburpa is a small village in the Bardez taluka in the north district of the state
of Goa in India. The settlement in the village of Pomburpa are nestled amidst
varying landforms along the bank of river Mandovi. Pomburpa has 9 wards
that are Veloti, Porio, Ecoxim, Palmar, Golla, Arao, Voli, Oiaulim, Anadiwada.
Ecoxim is a rural settlement within the taluka of Bardez that has evolved along
Mandovi river. The identified geographical settings are the riverfront, the
khazan lands and the hilly terrain, social status and lifestyles based on socio-
economic and socia-cultural features.

The research attempts to study the settlement which will be looked at different
scale responding to various contextual variations in terms of geography and
socio-economic factors.

Need For Study

Ecoxim, a rural settlement within the village limits of Pomburpa, has evolved along
Mandovi river. The study will be useful as no previous documentation has been done on
Ecoxim. The study will explores the natural pattern of settlement and house form in
harmony with ecological cycle. The entire village will be looked at different scales being
settlement level, cluster level and house unit level. Also "it is necessary to co-ordinate the
growth of rural area with the future development of towns and cities to form an integral
part of a balanced development"(Barne Gowda, urban planning, pg18). And thus study of
the settlements in villages is equally important as those of towns and cities. Therefore study
of these pattern will not only contribute the historical record but also will help to draw
important conclusions for development.
Research was done on Pomburpa houses for and the focus of the Research was to investigate
the influence of physical features (riverfront, Khazan lands and the hilly terrain) and socio-
economic features (occupation, region, social status, festivals, lifestyles and western
influence) on the settlement and house forms of Pomburpa but the research was only
restricted to only 3 geographical setting in the village within which the house forms are
situated.

Aim
To study and analyze the settlement pattern of the riverfront settlement of Ecoxim.
Objectives
In order to achieve the aim the following objectives should be achieved:
1. To analyze the settlement pattern with respect to physical, socio- economic,
socio-cultural and administrative contexts.
2. To study the interaction between the settlement pattern and its interaction
with the riverfront.
3. To document the building and activity footprint (domestic as well as
public), so as to establish the relationship between them.

Scope and Limitations

The focus of the research emphasis on the influence of physical features and
non- physical factors on the built form of Ecoxim, Pomburpa. The study area
is one of the oldest settlements in Pomburpa having traditional vernacular
houses. The village has undergone a lot of development in recent times, with
modern houses replacing the traditional houses of Pomburpa. Thus the study
will look at the old traditional settlement of Ecoxim. Due to limitation of time
the study of entire riverfront is not feasible.
The other major constraints of the study were limited resources available and
limited co-operation by the people due to which only the accessible houses and
clusters were studied.

Methodology

First stage: Formulation of the project

1. Site selection
2. Understanding the area at different scales with different layers.

Second stage: Literature Review

1. Understanding various theories on the influence of context on
architecture.
2. Developing a theoretical base for the project, keeping in mind the
specific context of Ecoxim.
3. Linking the theories to the Aim and Objectives.

Third stage: Data Collection

1. Primary sources(field visits, maps, photo documentations, surveys and
census data)
2. Secondary sources (books)
3. Interview with the Residents to understand the culture, beliefs and
history of the place.
Fourth stage: Analysis of Data
1. Criteria for selecting settlement typologies.
2. Detailed study of the settlement typology.
3. Study the socio-cultural, socio-economic, administrative
contexts and their impact on the settlement morphology.
Chapter 2 : Alternate theories on House Form and Settlement
Pattern
2.1 Theory on House Form
House Form and Culture (1969) by Amos Rapoport
This book gives the theoretical basis to understand the factors that shape the built
environment. The author has very well presented the relation of culture and house
form with a number of illustrations from various settlements across the world.
In order to understand the evolution of a type of dwelling it becomes important to
understand the factors that have influenced its design. As Rapoport says, The
different forms taken by the dwellings are a complex phenomenon for which no single
explanation will suffice. People with very different attitudes and ideals respond to varied
physical environments in differing ways. These responses vary from place to place because of
changes and differences in the interplay of social, cultural, ritual, economic and physical
factors. Thus he says that house form is not simply the result of a single casual factor
but is the consequence of a complex set of forces:
I. Cultural (non-physical) factors being a sum total of social, economic, religious as
well as political factors.

II. Physical factors being a sum total of climatic conditions, knowledge of

construction and technology, availability of materials.

Thus in order to understand the evolution of house form both physical as well as
cultural (non-physical) factors have to be considered. The study therefore analyses
the built form of the study area based on these two types of factors.

2.2 Theory on Settlement pattern

A Pattern Language (1977) by Christopher Alexander
This book illustrates the working of various aspects of design. It describes the
detailed patterns right from regions, towns, neighborhoods (macroscopic level) to
cluster of houses, houses, rooms and construction details (microscopic level). It
explains in a sequence from the larger patterns to the smaller patterns, from the ones
which create structures to the ones which beautify them. The author says that no
pattern is an isolated entity; each pattern can exist in the world, only to the extent
that is supported by other patterns.
Settlements evolve in a way that includes human decision, choices and specific ways
of doing things. The basis for any settlement can be understood through the human
behavior and the way of life or lifestyle that people follow. While designing their
environments people always rely on certain language which, like the languages
we speak, allow them to express and communicate an infinite variety of
designs/patterns which gives them unity and identity. These patterns can never be
designed or built all at once, but have grown gradually over time and are designed
in such a way that every individual pattern is always helping to create or generate
these larger patterns, which over a period of time makes a community.
In order to study a region, a sequence has to be followed that moves from larger
patterns to smaller patterns i.e. from the ones which create structures to the ones
which beautify them. Thus the study is carried out at three levels: settlement level,
cluster level and individual unit level.

2.3 Analytical framework

The study is carried out at settlement level, cluster level and individual unit level.
The settlement and cluster patterns are analyzed at macro level by applying patterns
from A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander (1977) and factors giving rise to
these patterns are studied. The individual units are analyzed using theories from
House form and culture by Amos Rapoport (1969) in order to understand the factors
that largely affect the built form. Based on the inferences, conclusions are drawn

2.4 Inferences
The theories thus provide a base to understand the factors that influence the
settlement and the built form. The language that the community uses to express a
variety of values/beliefs in the form of patterns helps to understand the traditional
fabric of the settlement. Thus the settlement is analyzed using some of the patterns
from A Pattern language while the house form is explored through the examination
of socio-cultural beliefs and lifestyle that people follow.