Abstract
Globalisation, urbanisation, human neglect, socio-economic conditions, discontinuity, weather and climate have been identified from literature studies as the root causes hindering the vernacular architecture. The objective of this article is to explore such causes and impacts on vernacular architecture. For this purpose, ‘Kavunji’a village near Kodaikanal, Tamilnadu is identified. Due to the geographical location and the landform, the vernacular architecture in this village is recently undergoing modifications and extensions. To comprehend the salient characteristics of vernacular architecture, six typologies were identified. The thrust of this paper is to explore the reasons that contributed to modifications and additions in dwelling units and effects on the people’s attitude towards the maintenance of the built environment and form at regular intervals is declining rapidly as it requires tremendous efforts, fiscal resources, energy, and time. As a result, people are utilising modern materials to modify and extend the existing dwelling units, completely ignoring the essence of the context. The authors have identified syntactic analysis as a potential tool to comprehend the changes in the spatial relationship. With this as the focus, dwelling units limited to two-storeys with and without modifications were identified for an in-depth study. The semi-public space thinnai at the main entrance from the street is converted into a bathing space. Besides, additions of rooms occur only on the rear side of the dwelling unit. From this study, the authors reinstate that syntactic analysis effectively explores and interprets the efficiency of the spatial layout in dwelling units that have undergone modifications and additions.
Highlights
When the term ‘vernacular’ is applied to architecture as ‘vernacular architecture’, it can be interpreted as the ‘architectural language of the people with its ethnic, regional and local dialects’ (Oliver, 2007)
It is against this background, the authors have investigated the timeless and continuity of vernacular heritage at Kavunji, located near Kodaikanal, Tamilnadu, India
Liao (2016) and Liu et al (2019) have identified that there has been a lack of studies exploring the transformation of vernacular architecture. It is against this background; this study focuses on the diverse factors that have posed severe threats to the vernacular dwellings and the construction practices in a rural settlement
Summary
When the term ‘vernacular’ is applied to architecture as ‘vernacular architecture’, it can be interpreted as the ‘architectural language of the people with its ethnic, regional and local dialects’ (Oliver, 2007). It is observed that vernacular architecture is an expression of both tangible and intangible factors specific to a context. These factors include social, cultural, geographical, economics, religion, spatial, physical, technological and aesthetic factors (Rapoport, 1969). The settlement and house forms have evolved over decades and demonstrate the cultural ethos of a community, the knowledge on planning, construction processes and techniques that have been developed over generations pragmatically. In this context, vernacular architecture is referred to as ‘architecture without architects’ (Rudofsky, 1987). Vernacular architecture is the emergent outcome of extensions and additions to a smaller unit, designed on-site and constructed by the user or by the local craftsmen celebrating the community’s cultural values
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
