BHUJ(KUTCH,GUJARAT)

LOCATION
Bhuj a city and a municipality in Kutch district in the state of Gujarat, India.

GEOGRAPHY
Bhuj has an average elevation of 110 meters (360 ft.).on the eastern side of the
town is a hill known as bhujiyo that separates Bhuj city and Madhapar town.it has
one big lake named Hamirsar and several small lakes.
Architecture types of bhuj
 Y shaped branching of streets forming interconnection (square chowks) at
regular intervals.
Bhunga houses
Bhunga houses
 The Bhunga is a traditional construction type in the Kutch district of the Gujarat
state in India, which has a very high earthquake risk.
 A Bhunga consists of a single cylindrically shapes room.
 The Bhunga has a conical roof supported by cylindrical walls. Bhonga
constructions has existed for several hundred years.
 This type of house is quite durable and appropriate for prevalent desert
conditions.
 Due to its robustness against natural hazards as well as its pleasant aesthetics ,
this housing is also known as “Architecture without Architects.”
Construction of the Bhunga
 Bhunga is circular in plan, with cylindrical shapes walls and topped with
conical roof.
 The inner diameter of the bhonga is typically between 3m to 6m.
 A Bhonga generally has only small windows.

DURING EARTH – QUAKES

• It performed very well in the recent M 7.6 bhuj earthquake in 2001.
 Very few bhunga experienced significant damage in the epicentral region,
and the damage that did occur can be mainly attributed to poor quality of
the construction materials or improper maintenance of the structure.
 It has also been observed that the failure of bhungas in the last earthquake
caused very few injuries to the occupants due to the type of collapse.
ROOF CONSTRUCTION OF BHUNGA
HOUSES
 THE conical roof of a bhunga is supported at its crest by a vertical central
wooden post , which rests on a wooden joist.
 The base of the roof and the wooden joist are generally directly supported
on bhunga walls.
 Sometimes, the roof load on the wooden joist is transferred to diametrically
placed timber posts (vertical member) adjacent to the cylindrical wall.
 This reduces the roof-load on the walls.
 The bhunga wall is usually extended below ground up to the required
foundation depth, and separate foundation is not traditionally constructed.
 In newer constructed, proper strip footing is also used.
 Labours who constructs bhunga and
materials used
 These constructions are carried out by local village masons.
 The locally available soft stone can easily be cut or chiseled into rectangular
blocks, which aroused for wall masonry.
 The local soil used for mud mortar and to make adobe blocks. locally available
timber and bamboo are used for roof.
 The entire construction of this type of housing takes place in a single phase.
 The entire construction process, which is carried out by the mason with very few
unskilled labors, can be complete within 30 days.
 The construction of this type of housing takes place in a single phase.
 Typically, the building is originally designed for its final constructed size.
 Bhungas are never “designed” in the modern context. However bhonga
architecture is a very unique aspects of traditional desert architecture of Kutch
region in which the size, location and orientation of the Bhonha are planned for
very good structural and fuctional results.
Interiors and decoration
Bibliography

 http://aina.wikidot.com/documentation:traditional-circular-house-form-
bhunga-in-kutc
 http://www.world-housing.net/WHEReports/wh100080.pdf
Thank you