TRANSFORMATION IN SPATIAL ORGANISATION OF SPACES FROM TRADITIONAL TO MODERN IN

REFERENCE TO CHANGING LIFESTYLE

ABSTRACT
The housing typologies have been through series of transformations over the years owing to its history,
geographical diversity, social and cultural settings, etc. Other than these, the other factors which affected the
transformation of architectural spaces are materials being used and technologies implemented to develop the
buildings. These transformations provide us with the insights into the development our societies have gone
through, the structure and fabric it has achieved and architecture that has evolved through the process due to
changes in lifestyle of the population.

In this article, we will look at the transformation of old Havelis which have turned out to be milestones and
cultural hubs , also how transformation should take place to retain/restore the glory of heritage and history ,
which is vanishing rapidly in the present system of housing.

INTRODUCTION
In this article, we are going to discuss about how traditional residence has evolved with the time and changing
lifestyle of human beings. Furthermore, we will also discuss the major transformation of Havelis of Delhi, to
observe the transformations, which traditional housing has gone through.

TRANSFORMATION OF HAVELIS :
In many places, the original haveli owners moved out and others moved in, and the havelis succumbed to the
twin insatiable pressures of a growing population and commercialization. In a typical story of haveli decline, the
joint family splits up and sub divides the haveli.
But, looking on the other side of the coin, there are also people who want to conserve and protect the architectural beauty
of what has been handed down to us by our fore-fathers, so we will see examples and what all factors should be considered
to restore the beauty of Havelis without intervening with its basic beauty.

Typical HAVELIS of OLD DELHI :

The Mughal aristocracy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries lived in grand mansions called havelis. A map of the
mid-nineteenth century showed at least a hundred such havelis, which were large walled compounds with mansions,
courtyards and fountains. A haveli housed many families. On entering the haveli through a beautiful gateway, you reached
an open courtyard, surrounded by public rooms meant for visitors and business, used exclusively by males. The inner
courtyard with its pavilions and rooms was meant for the women of the household. Rooms in the havelis had multiple uses,
and very little furniture.

HAVELI DHARAMPURA :
Haveli Dharampura, built in 1887 CE and currently owned by BJP leader Vijay Goel, is a 19th-century haveli in Chandani
Chowk area of old Delhi that was awarded a special mention in UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage
Conservation in 2017.

Built during late Mughal and colonial periods, the facades of havelis were magnificently carved in buff and red sandstone
adorned with floral patterns, sculptures and fluted modulations. With a centrally placed courtyard surrounded by rooms the
interiors followed courtyard planning. Beautiful jharokhas , Chattris , small decorative balconies, fluted columns, well
designed chabutras , traditional baithkas (drawing rooms) and marble floors are features of the Mughal Architectural styles.
HISTORY OF HAVELI AT DHARAMPURA:
It was originally designed to have a mixed-use pattern, both residential and commercial. Shops on the lower ground
floor that open towards the street and the remaining floors, designed as residence portray the mixed use of haveli.

The ground floor with a grand entrance and first floor were constructed at the same period, while second floor clearly
seems to be a later addition at much later stage in the mid 20th century.

It is also estimated that the haveli was owned by a Muslim family before being purchased by wealthy Jain traders.

A proof of the rich past was unearthed during the restoration work, with the discovery of secret rooms. The haveli has
several small secret rooms, where money and other precious belongings were hidden to prevent theft.

Owners put their money in the walls and basement rooms as well.

TRANSFORMATION PROCESS :
The first thing done, was to remove all the later additions and partition walls; they tried to stick to the original
architecture of the building.

Next, the stone pillars, which had lost their original value under thick paints, were cleaned and found to be in perfect
condition. Each and every carving detail was still legible.

The old salwood joists and planks of the ceiling were termite affected some of which had to be replaced and others
were reused after appropriate anti-termite treatment.

Since the traditional building construction was with lime plaster, which is not in vogue anymore, it was a big challenge to
find the masons.

The ongoing conservation work in the Red Fort was of help and some of the masons from there were employed.

All broken and collapsed walls, roofs were rebuilt matching the original materials.The original brick masonry was found
in good condition, which was maintained and consolidated with a water proofing layer.
BEFORE RESTORATION

AFTER RESTORATION
CONCLUSION:

Here we can observe that as the lifestyle of humans change, transformation in traditional housing has taken place.
Change at in these housing be it havelis of Delhi, pol of Ahmedabad, Wadas of Nagpur or any other traditional
architectural house is obvious due to population pressure and changing lifestyle of residents. On the contrary from
various sources we can see that traditional housing is also an essential part of sustainable urban development.
However, the traditional form of building shall transform in such a way that they may be appropriate for the changing
social order of the present. The key approach in this shall be to retain the integrity of building material and
construction technology with minimum and reversible interventions as we can see in this example of Dharampura
Haveli in old Delhi.

Thus, by observing transformation of old Havelis which have been turned out to be milestone and cultural hub , we
can understand how transformation should take place to retain/restore the glory of heritage and history , which is
vanishing rapidly in the present system of housing.

REFERENCES:

[1]Article source: Spaces Architecs@ka

[2] https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/fresh-perspectives/a1537-evolution-of-housing-in-india/
By-

Sanjana Sahajramani-173521050043