Free Writing-

Topic: Understanding the Bhunga house form of Kutch as a climate-responsive design

Kutch, Gujarat has particularly hot and dry climate prevalent over about 7-8 months in a
year and the cold months are severe and are colder in the arid, desert regions of Kutch
where there is minimal vegetation and more of grasslands and/or thorny bushes around.
This climate responsive design stands for any design that takes into consideration the
humidity and context of the area and also looks at larger expected calamities and
changes in the climate in the longer run. The Bhunga houses are a form developed by
local people in the area that responds to the climate by opening inwards and having
minimal and low openings that are shaded by the larger extension of roof above. These
are relatively low heighted and have straw thatched roof to provide maximum insulation
and thermal comfort. Another aspect of this climatic response seen in the Bhunga is its
shape/form in plan. It is made of cylindrical mud walls that are circular in plan and this is
so that the walls are thicker and have stability in case of earthquakes and don’t disrupt
the wind movement. This extension of the bhunga is on a platform/plinth where a few of
them are connected on this level and form clusters. These plinths offer space for
interaction under some relative shadow of the roof and the central space where the plinth
opens to has space for communities to gather.
These bhungas are made up of mud largely, using local materials and are built by the
locals living in the spaces. Woman often decorate their houses by painting them on the
exterior that reflects their culture and often relays the largely communicative and
traditional oriented nature..