COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TRADITIONAL HOUSES (BHOONGA

HOUSES) AND MODERN HOUSES OF RAJASTHAN

SK AISHWARYA RANI

RASHMI MARCELLINA

Abstract:
Rajasthan is situated in the western region of India and its land is more varied
than any other region. It has a diversity of geophysical features, which add to
the richness and variety of its cultural expressions. It has the Aravalli range of
mountains, fertile plains, deep wild glens, forested valleys, lakes, wild life
sanctuaries, and the desert sand dunes of burning heat and freezing cold, which
experiences hot and dry climate which is hot thorough the year and extremely
hot in summer usually they have very little rainfall, making the climate
extremely hot. Here is the comparison of modern and traditional houses of
Rajasthan which experiences this hot and dry climate. Here it explains how
these two houses adopt to such a climate prevailing over there.
Keywords: Bhoonga houses, vernacular materials, modern materials.
INTRODUCTION
Comparison of two houses in the same region in the same climate over different
period of time. Here, Architecture is the integration art and climate responsive
buildings. the houses on Rajasthan are built in such a way that it can withhold
such a climate which is extremely hot in day time and extremely cold in night
time.
TRADITIONAL BUILDINGS OF RAJASTHAN
(BHOONGA HOUSES)
The Bhoonga houses are traditional
houses of Rajasthan and Gujarat
especially in the Kutch region. The
Bhoonga houses are built to adopt the
climatic and environmental conditions
of Rajasthan. The Bhoonga houses are
climate responsive buildings which
can overcome the extreme hot and cold
climate in Rajasthan. The houses are
simple hut built with the locally available vernacular materials. The materials
used in these are stone, wood, burned brick, mud and straw. These houses have
simple circular plan with the inner diameter about 3 to 10 meters. These houses
have a single door and a window which gives the better air movement inside the
houses. These houses uses bernoulii’s principleof pressure difference for better
air movement. This principle is possible because of small windows and door.
bernoulli’s principle of pressure difference – a slow-moving fluid exerts more
pressure than a fast-moving fluid.
Figure 1: Bernoulli’s principle of
These houses havepressure difference
thick walls about 300 to 350
mm. Because of the massive walls it takes more
time for the penetration of sunlight into the
building. During the penetration, the intensity of
radiation will reduce. The thick massive walls
Figure 2: wall thickness of made of mud keeps. The circular plan and the
bhoong houses mesh of mud plaster used in the walls makes the
houses resist heavy wind pressure and it can
withstand earthquakes easily.
 The houses are not directly raised from
the ground level, they are built on a
platform which are about 50 cm high.
These platforms are suitable to avoid
rainfall inside the building. This is because
of the sandy condition of soil in this region
which cannot absorb water easily. The
houses do not share common walls, there
are separate spaces for men and women.
The distance between two spaces is about 3
meters. Separate spaces are provided for
two main reasons in terms of privacy and
also mud walls gets easily affected to
Figure 3: separate spaces for men
cracks.
and women
The roof structure is sloped roof laid above the conical structure. The materials
used for the construction roofs are thatches and bamboo which resist the heat
inside the building during summer. The main feature of these traditional
bhoonga houses is the interior is cool during summer and hot during winter.

Figure 4: Example of bhoonga Figure 5: Wall mural in the front

These traditional houses elevation
of Rajasthan are climate
house
responsive, energy efficient buildings and are built only
with locally available materials and these houses are cost effective. These
houses are the vernacular as well as the traditional houses of Rajasthan and
Kutch region of Gujarat.

Figure 6: Sloping roof

with vernacular
materials
 MODERN HOUSE IN JAIPUR

The house is located the capital of Rajasthan which was built in the beginning
of 20th century. The house is built in such a way to adopt the climatic
conditions of Rajasthan. The house was designed and
built during the colonial period with rapidly changing
Indian society and new life styles, therefore reflects
the features of the period. This house acts as a link
between the traditional Rajput architectural setup and
that of planning of modern Jaipur. The house is
diagonally aligned and the southwest facing more
fenestrations which gives more direct sunlight during
the evening time, so that the intensity of sunlight is Figure 7: showing the site plan
not so harsh.

Figure 9: stack effect

As courtyards are Figure 8: element

the key showing of
thelight
ground
andfloor plan in Indian context,
ventilation
this house also built in a Indian context but located in the rear side of the
building surrounded by corridors leading to different spaces of the house,
 oriented in the north east direction. The courtyards are built with the strategy of
stack effect to provide attic lighting and ventilation.
Stack effect: The principle in which uses stack ventilation (stack ventilation
uses temperature differences to move air. Hot air rises because it is lower
pressure.)
The rooms are also provided with clerestory windows also uses stack effect to
provide attic ventilation into the house. With the clerestory windows and
courtyard, the hot air rises up and cool air stays inside the house and it gives
comfortable space for living.

The first floor of this house is constructed in three parts. The overall house is
not projected to the first floor, the northeast portion of the house is not

Figure 10: first floor plan

projected to the first floor which acts as a terrace portion. This terrace portion is
guarded by buildings on either sides and shaded during the day time and can
also be used in the day time.
 The rooms in the first floor
oriented in the south west
direction are used for sleeping
during winter as good
morning light enters the
room. As same, the rooms
below are used as living space
during winter.
The windows are large and
Figure 11: different spaces of the house with are raised from below the sill
its climatic response level as to provide good
ventilation into the building. It also provides jail worked windows which are the
typical for Rajasthan context which are provided to get rid of sandy winds.
The house is built with stones and it is of complete rubble masonry, lime is used
as plaster and kota stones are used for flooring. Lime plaster which gives
cooling ibside the building. White paint is used in the exterior of the house as
which colour absorbs lees sunlight and reflects more.

figure 12: ventilators above thel intel figure 13: big windows typical to hot
level region

Figure 15: courtyard and the corridors around

Figure 14: jali to avoid sandy winds
Traditional house Modern house(Jaipur)
(Bhoonga houses)
Plan form Circular plan with single rectangular plan with
spaces multiple spaces for
different uses
Form Separate spaces Cluster form
Materials Burnt brick, mud, straw, Cement, glass, wood,
bamboo, stone kota stone, white paint
Roofing Sloped roof with straw Double storeyed
and bamboo building with flat roof
Ventilation Small and minimum Big windows, clerestory
number of openings windows, and a
courtyard.

Table 1: Comparison between bhoonga houses and modern house, jaipur

The two different styled houses are built in different time period yet they both
have the characteristics of climatically responsive buildings. The elements,
orientation, spatial organisation, materials used in the buildings makes the
building climate responsive. Since, these buildings itself have the elements
which can withhold the climatic condition of the region, these buildings might
be considered as energy efficient buildings.