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CHAPTER 3

STUDY AREA AND STUDY HOUSES

3.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

‘The principles that produced the traditional architectural solutions

must be respected. This is the only way modern architecture can surpass
human and ecological quality; the achievement of vernacular architecture in
the hot arid regions of the world’ (Fathy and Shearer 1986).

This chapter discusses about the delineated study area and the
houses selected for study. Further it describes about the climatic zone in
which these houses are located. The macro climate analysis has been
explained, so as to co-relate the same with the micro climatic study of the
houses selected for experimentation. A brief about the chettiyar dwellings and
their lifestyle, culture, traditions and occupation are also explained. An insight
into the houses under study has been introduced.

3.2 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF DELINEATED STUDY

AREA, KULIPIRAI VILLAGE – PUDUKOTTAI DISTRICT.

• Karaikudi is known as the capital town of Chettinadu

villages. The district lies in between 9°50’ and 10°40’north
latitude and 78°25’ and 79°15’east longitude.

• The study area lies at 10°18’north latitude and 78°39’ east

longitude (Figure 3.2).
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• The boundaries of this district of the study area are Thanjavur

and Tiruchirappalli districts in north, Sivagangai in south,
Tiruchirappalli in the west and Thanjavur district and Bay of
Bengal in the east.

• Pudukottai district has an area of 4657 sq km.

3.3 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF THE STUDY AREA

The Kulipirai village has a population of 2843 with 1315 males and
1525 females according to 2001 census of Government of India. It has a
household of around 925 in number. Among that, the traditional houses
constitute 550 in number covering 60%. The rest are modern houses.

This semi arid zone lacks in good vegetation which results in

scorching radiation in the tropical conditions. This village topography is in
majority plains and is gently sloping towards the north-west, where the village
pond is located.

The Figures 3.1 to 3.3 are self explanatory describing the location
of the study area in India. The Google aerial map as shown in
Figure 3.3 shows the houses selected for study. The orientation of the streets
and houses are self explanatory.
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Figure 3.1 Map indicating the Geographical location of the study area
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Figure 3.2 Way to Kulipirai village – the study area

Traditional house no 1 Traditional house no 2

(PLCT HOUSE) (TNRM HOUSE)

Modern House
1 and 2

Figure 3.3 Aerial View of Kulipirai village (The Delineated study area)
indicating the Traditional and Modern houses.
Map Source: Google Earth
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DELINEATED STUDY AREA

Kulipirai - Chettinadu, Pudukkottai district,
Tamilnadu

Warm humid climate

Year of study-2009 and 2010

Year -2009 Year -2010

1. Traditional house 1 1. Traditional house 2
(TNRM house )
(PLCT house)
2. Modern house 2
2. Modern house 1

Figure 3.4 Flow diagram indicating the study area, study period and
study houses

3.4 CLIMATIC ZONE OF THE AREA OF THE HOUSES

SELECTED FOR STUDY

It is this intuitive adaptive capability to respond to the forces of

climate like sun, wind and humidity that sets apart bioclimatic architecture
from senseless, arrogant, and merely style-based creation (Rappoport 1969)
and bioclimatism integrates the micro-climate and architecture to human
thermal comfort conditions (Singh et al 2009).

All the houses selected for study are located in the warm humid
climatic zone where the maximum temperature in summer reaches up to 40º
celsius with the humidity normally ranging from 65% to 85%. This type of
climate is mainly found in the coastal belts, in some cases this warm humid
climate extends for about 50 to 60 kilometers from the coast towards the land.
However, the study area - Kulipirai village lies at around 35 kilometers west
 51

of Bay of Bengal, and hence the warm humid zone prevails over the study
area. The summer would be sweating because of more humidity and high air
temperature causing a high discomfort for the habitants. And hence, as Olesen
says the “People in warmer environment reduce their activity level and
change their posture as an unconscious action to adapt themselves to the
environment” (Olesen and Parsons 2002).

India is a tropical country with “diverse climatic conditions

resulting in diverse shelter forms” (Edward and Kurian 2008). The
atmospheric parameters–air temperature, relative humidity and air movement
have an important role in providing thermally comfortable indoor
environment. Researches on the aspect of thermal comfort and energy
efficiency of buildings are underway throughout the world (Arens Humphreys
et al 2010).

India is a country of varied climate; various regions having similar

characteristic features of climate are grouped under one climatic zone. The
influence of climate in the evolution of forms is evident from various styles of
architecture that we see today. The layout, orientation, scale of buildings and
settlements should therefore be controlled in relation to the climatic zones.

According to a recent code of Bureau of Indian Standards, 2005

Part 8/ Building service, vide section 1: Lighting and ventilation Cl-3.2.1, Fig
2, page no. 9 of part 8) the country may be divided into five major climatic
zones: Hot and Dry (mean monthly temperature >30 and relative humidity
<55%); Warm and Humid (mean monthly temperature >25-30 and relative
humidity >55-75%); Temperate (mean monthly temperature 25-30 and
relative humidity <75%); Cold (mean monthly temperature <25 and relative
humidity – all values); Composite (This applies when six months or more do
not fall within any of the other categories).
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Figure 3.5 India map showing the various climatic zones

(Source: National Building Code 2005 Part 8/ Building service, vide

section 1: Lighting and ventilation Cl-3.2.1, Fig 2, page no. 9 of part 8)
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3.5 MACRO CLIMATIC DETAILS FROM

METEOROLOGICAL STATION-2011

3.5.1 Season wise Macro Climatic details from Meteorological

station-2009 and 2010

From the data of the nearest meteorological station shown in

Tables 3.1 and 3.2, it is clearly understood that the summer season of this
region used to be very hot and sweaty. The monthly mean maximum
Table 3.1 Climatic Details from Government Meteorological Station-2011

Average
Unit Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
/Year
Average temperature
°C 28 25 27 29 32 32 31 31 30 29 28 26 25
over 18 years
Average high
temperature °C 33 28 31 34 36 37 35 35 34 33 31 29 28
over 18 years
Average low
temperature °C 25 21 22 24 27 27 27 26 26 25 25 23 22
over 18 years
Highest recorded
temperature °C 41 32 38 40 41 41 41 39 38 37 36 35 32
over 18 years
Lowest recorded
temperature °C 16 16 17 18 20 20 18 22 21 20 20 18 17
over 18 years
Average dew point
°C 20 18 19 20 21 21 20 20 20 21 22 21 20
over 13 years
Average number of
days with fog days 6 1 1 1 - - - - - - 1 1 1
over 18 years
Average morning
relative humidity % 82 91 90 88 82 75 68 71 72 81 87 91 90
over 15 years
Average evening
relative humidity % 49 53 43 37 39 39 41 44 45 54 62 68 66
over 15 years
Average wind speed
km/h 17.7 14.5 12.9 14.5 14.5 19.3 27.4 27.4 27.4 19.3 14.5 14.5 16.1
over 14 years
Average number of
days above 29.5°C days 140 - 2 16 26 27 22 19 18 9 2 - -
over 18 years
Average number of
days above 24.5°C days 304 15 25 31 30 31 29 30 30 29 26 17 11
over 18 years
Average number of
days below 19.5°C days 148 31 25 16 2 1 1 2 3 6 10 21 30
over 18 years
Average number of
days below 14.5°C days 3 1 1 - - - - - - - - - -
over 18 years
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temperature during the hottest month (May) is 39.4°C and the monthly mean
minimum temperature during the coldest month (Jan) of the year is 18.9°C.
The Relative Humidity during summer was found to be around 75% to 85%
and during the most humid months, the relative humidity is in the range of
78% to 92%, whereas the air temperature is in the range of 34.5°C to 39°C
(Source-Meteorological Station –Kudimianmalai, Tamilnadu).

Table 3.2 Season wise Macro Climatic details from Meteorological

station-2009 - 10

N.E
Factors S.W. Monsoon Winter Summer
Monsoon

Mean Monthly Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min
Temperature (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC)
(Out side)
31.8 29.9 28.3 25.4 27.4 25.7 39.4 29.3
Relative
72.5 80.3 78.2 73.3
Humidity
Wind speed
(Km/Hr) 9.8 4.57 4.1 5.2
(Outside)
Sunshine
6.0 5.6 8.76 8.57
(Hrs/Day)

3.5.2 Rainfall

The Rainfall starts with the arrival of the monsoon from the middle
of June. The regular rainy season continues up to the middle of September.
The total annual rainfall is 940 mm. The normal rainfall for the district has
been recorded as 800 mm. However, during the two decades the district has
experienced rainfall only below normal. Most of the rain occurs during North
East monsoon. The season wise rainfall details are given in the Table 3.3. The
mean monthly average rainfall of the district was 77.13 mm and the heaviest
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rainfall in the district used to be recorded normally in the month of November

(162.2mm, 2009).

Table 3.3 Details of the season wise rainfall

Details of the season wise rainfall

1 Season Normal (mm) Actual (mm)
2 South west 393.9 79.0
3 North east 404.7 101.0
4 Winter 52.3 19.0
5 Hot weather 132.4 16.0

3.5.3 The Wind Speed

The average wind speed has been indicated as 4.2 (km/hr).The

average wind speed is in the range of 13.4 to 15 (km/hr) from May to
September. The predominant wind direction is from East to West.

3.5.4 The Sunshine

From the Table 3.2, it is clear that the sunshine has been noted as
8.57 hours per day.

3.6 CHETTINADU - AN OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION

TO CHETTIYAR DWELLINGS

Vernacular buildings are the structures built by local people using

locally available materials and affordable technology to deal with the local
and day-to-day needs (Singh et al 2009).
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Chettinadu, in the South-Western part of Tamil Nadu situated

approximately 35 kilometers west of the coastal Line of Bay of Bengal, is
spread across the districts of Sivagangai and Pudukkottai. The cities-Madurai
in the west and Tiruchirappalli in the north are the two important cities nearest to
Chettinadu region. Both are located at around 75 kilometers approximately from
this region. Chettinadu is a region which includes Karaikudi and 74 other villages
spread across Sivagangai and Pudukkottai districts of Tamil Nadu state in India.

Karaikudi is known as the capital town of Chettinadu villages. The

district lies between 9°50’ and 10°40’ North latitudes and 78°25’ and 79°15’
East longitudes. The study area - Kulipirai Village lies at 10°18’North latitude
and 78°39’ East longitude as shown in Figure-3.1. The traditional houses of
Chettinadu in Tamil Nadu, India represents the principle of climate oriented
architecture. The climate is warm- humid, based on the climatic zonation map
of India. The design of vernacular buildings is the outcome of the traditional
knowledge based on trial and error approach. This type of architecture
addresses the local climate constraints and shows maximum adaptability and
flexibility. This provides uniqueness to vernacular architecture and is often
used as a symbol to represent a particular community or cultural setup
(Plemenka 1982).

These Chettinadu houses are naturally ventilated buildings and are

in accordance with traditional lifestyles. Having created an interest, this
traditional architecture attracts many researchers’ attention to evaluate its
specialty. Majority of these studies focus on qualitative analysis of the
relationship between the building types, materials, construction techniques
and the local climate but lack field tests and quantitative analysis. It is
difficult to establish the real performance of traditional buildings in providing
a comfortable indoor environment without quantifying and monitoring the
actual comfort parameters over a period of time.
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3.6.1 Territorial

Chettinadu is a semi-arid zone of 1,550 Square kilometers, in the

heart of Tamil Nadu (South India). It is inhabited by majority of Chettiyars
who are spread over two cities and 74 villages. Since the foundation of these
settlements, the Chettiyars have upheld a vision of urban planning and
development which makes this area unique.

3.6.2 Historical background

The Chettiyars belong to a heredity of wealthy traders and

financiers who make their wealth by expanding their business to the whole of
Southeast Asia; they are into the gold and diamond business since 19th
century. Now-a-days, most of the young family members migrate to many
other parts of the world. Chettinadu is also famous for the traditional
Chettinadu food. The most important part of Chettinadu are their mansions,
which are rich in cultural heritage, art and architecture.

3.6.3 Street Planning and Buildings

The Chettinadu villages have unique settlement patterns that were

constructed following the grid iron pattern of streets, specific water
management, artistic creativity, etc., Every traditional house is built on
rectangular plots with 5’ to 8’ high plinth platform. These houses are
essentially composed of inner courtyards, and in some huge houses there are
around 3 or 4 courtyards.
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North

West East

South

Figure 3.6 Plan and Section of the typical Chettinadu house selected for
study

3.6.4 Chettinadu House Planning

Sustainable buildings can be defined as those buildings that have

minimum adverse impacts on the built and natural environment, in terms of
the buildings themselves, their immediate surroundings and the broader
regional and global settings.

The traditional house taken for study is about 200 years old. The
houses were built on rectangular plots. The front door opens into one street
and the back ends into the next street. A floor plan for a Chettinadu house as
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shown in Figure 3.6 illustrates an outside veranda for guests in the front of the
house, a series of courtyards for ceremonial functions, cooking and it ends
with the rear side of the house leading to female section of the house. The
houses are linearly designed. The basic idea behind planning such a huge
house is that the Chettiyars have,

• Combined living/Joint family

• To conduct family rituals in the house

The reason for such huge buildings is that they were diamond
merchants, who sold diamonds and precious stones - that richness refelcted in
their houses, resulting in the construction of huge houses. The individual
house planning details are discussed in Chapter 4.

3.7 CONCLUSION

From this chapter, a clear understanding of the study area, its

geographical location, the study area climatic zone and its various macro
climatic variables are clearly witnessed. This chapter also explains the house
planning and traditions of the Chettiyars which paved the way for the
researchers to undertake the research in these palatial houses.

But these traditional palatial houses which were built on bioclimatic

principles are vanishing one-by-one in these modern days. Bioclimatism is an
integral part of vernacular architecture and a deciding parameter towards
achieving sustainability of modern architecture (Plemenka 1982).

Therefore to bring out its legacy back to these modern days, it is

important to understand climate responsive architecture imbibed in these
houses, so as to put it back once again in the future sustainable society.