THE HIMALAYAN

VERNACULAR
ARCHITECTURE
KATH KHUNI ARCHITECTURE
DEODAR TREE
 Cator and cribbage type of building.
 It employs locally available stone and wood.

 Kath khuni implies wood in corner angles.

CONSTUCTION PROCESS:
 Himalayas and one of the strongest of Indian
conifers. It has straight veins and grows up to 50
meters.
 Being very durable, it is used in structural work
of all kinds. A well-known folk saying is that this
Himalayan wood will last for 1,000 years in
water and five or ten times that long in air.
 A typical house in Himachal is usually two or
three-storey high while a temple may rise much
higher from a single storey to a tower with seven
storeys
SANDWITCH METHOD

 It is followed by construction
of double-skin wall made
with alternate courses of dry
stone masonry and wood
without any cementing
mortar.
 It involves laying two
wooden beams
longitudinally parallel to
each other with a gap in-
between.
METHODS:
 Loose in-fill material is packed as filler and the
external and the internal skins of the walls are
held together by cross braces or dovetail called
maanvi.
 The heavier stone bases carry the lighter wooden
structure at upper levels.
 The surface is usually plastered for internal
walls with mud.
 The next space integral to the house is the
cantilevered balcony, projecting either on one or
all sides of the structure, which rests on the
wooden beams fixed in the wood-and-stone walls
BALCONY:

 The most critical element in

the house is the balcony that
acts as an important
extension to the living room.
Structurally, it rests on
cantilevered members
sometimes supported by
brackets.
 The supporting wooden
posts also support the roof
structure, in many cases are
molded and richly carved.
ROOFING:
 The last phase of construction is the roof which is
made to rest on wooden beams followed by purlin
and rafters; it has substantial overhanging and is
covered with slate stone or wooden shingles.
 The geometry of the roof is usually pent and
gable but several variations are observed.
CONCLUSION

 The indigenous buildings of Himachal Pradesh

reflect a remarkable
 Understanding about appropriate use of local
materials, construction
 Techniques and joinery details that stand strong
against the climatic and seismic forces of nature