ELECTIVE – III RESEARCH REPORT ON

IMPLEMENTATION OF KATH KHUNI STYLE ARCHITECTURE

TECHNIQUES IN MODERN CONSTRUCTION

Submitted By:
ABOLI MAHAJAN
FOURTH YEAR B. ARCH

Under the guidance of:

AR. SUNITA KOTHARI

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

DR. D.Y. PATIL EDUCATIONAL

COMPLEX, AKURDI

2022-2023
 DR. D.Y. PATIL COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
AKURDI, PUNE – 411 044

CERTIFICATE

Academic Year: 2022-2023

1. Name of Student: ABOLI MAHAJAN

2. Class: 4TH YEAR B – BATCH

3. College Roll No.: 08

4. Exam Seat No.: _________________________________________________

5. Name of Subject: ELECTIVE – III

This is to certify that Miss. ABOLI MAHAJAN is Allowed/ Not Allowed to

appear for the sessional Assessment to be conducted in Nov.-Dec. / April-May
2022- 2023.

Internal Examiner College Stamp Principal

External Examiner Date: -10- 2022

 CERTIFICATE

I hereby certify that ABOLI MAHAJAN, Roll no:- 08 of Dr. D. Y. Patil College of
Architecture, has undergone ELECTIVE – III Research Work from June to
November at our organization to fulfill the requirements for the Third Year of
Bachelor of Architecture, She worked on during this period under the supervision
of Ar. SUNITA KOTHARI During her tenure with us, we found him sincere and
hard working. We wish her a great success in the future.

Dated:

AR. SUNITA KOTHARI

Project Guide
 DECLARATION BY THE STUDENT

I hereby declare that the ELECTIVE – III Research entitled

“IMPLEMENTATION OF KATH KHUNI STYLE ARCHITECTURE
TECHNIQUES IN MODERN CONSTRUCTION " completed and written
by me has not formed earlier the basis for the award of any degree or similar
title of this examining body.

Further, I declare that I have not violated any of the provisions under Copyright/
Picsy/ Cyber/ IPR Acts amended from time to time.

Place: Akurdi, Pune

Date: -10-2022

Name of Student
ABOLI MAHAJAN
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I am highly grateful to the Ar. SUNITA KOTHARI

(Faculty) and Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Architecture, Akurdi (Pune),
for providing this opportunity to complete this report. A special gratitude Igive to
our subject Guide, whose contribution in stimulating suggestions and
encouragement ,helped me to coordinate my project especially in writing this report,
and provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research
I would like to express my gratitude to other faculty members of
Architecture department, for providing academic inputs, guidance and
encouragement throughout this period. The help rendered by, AR. SUNITA
KOTHARI for experimentation is greatly acknowledged.

Finally, I express my indebtedness to all who have directly or indirectly

contributed to the successful competition of report.
My heartfelt thanks.
 INDEX

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction To Topic
1.2 Aim
1.3 Objective
1.4 Abstract

2. CASESTUDY

3. IMPLEMENTATION IN MODERN CONSTRUCTION.

4. INFERENCE

5. BIBLOGRAPHY
1.1 INTRODUCTION - A legacy of distinctive traditional building practice
known as kath-khuni construction, survives and thrives in the Himalayan hills of
India. A natural extension to the knowledge of forbidding landscape, harsh
climate, availability of local materials and tools, the resultant building practice
is deeply rooted to the environment and the cultural practices and traditions of
the region. Having evolved over a large span of time, passed on by generation
after generation, it demonstrates profound understanding of building science
that responds to the frequent seismic tremors that rock the landscape of
Himachal. This article highlights the various construction elements, materials
and joinery details in traditional kath- khuni construction and the resulting
compositional richness in the making of walls, openings and corners that reflect
the integrity and beauty of Himalayan architecture.

Source - https://www.sahapedia.org/the-himalayan-vernacular-
kath-khuni-architecture

The state of Himachal Pradesh varies in elevation from 450 meters to 6500
meters above mean sea level. The region extends from the Shivalik range to the
Great Himalayas. Despite its varying topography, the stretch displays a relative
consistency and homogeneity of traditional construction and material with slight
variations. In the mid and central Himalayas, a particular architecture has
extensively developed locally known as kath-khuni construction.
Kath-khuni is a type of cator-and-cribbage building which employs locally
available wood and stone as prime materials for construction. The origin of the
term is explained by O.C. Handa (2008) as ‘…combination of two local
terms: kath and kuni. The word kath is a dialectal variation of the Sanskrit
word kashtth, which means wood, and kuni is again a dialectical variation of the
Sanskrit word kona, that is, an angle or a corner. Obviously, the kath-khuni wall
implies it should have only wood on its corner or angles.’ There are several
variations observed from region to region. It is also known as kath-kona, kath-
ki-kanni, koti banal in Uttarakhand etc.
Its characteristic layered interlocking of wood-and-stone, topped by slate roofs,
the kath-khuni buildings are easily recognizable. The technique relies upon a
limited range of materials which, in turn, has evolved into a distinctive
aesthetics of hard and soft materials, of cold and warm colours, of rough and
smooth textures.

A typical one-storey house in Gavas A five-storey tower temple in Summerkot

Traditional builders and local materials-

The construction of houses is largely done by hand and by the residents
themselves, sometimes with the help of other residents from the same or
nearby village while special artisans are employed for construction of
temples or religious structures. The know-how of the building construction
is passed from generation to generation in mostly oral and empirical
tradition by working as an apprentice for a number of years. The mistris of
Himachal are typically adept at working with wood and stone, and are a
veritable storehouse of indigenous knowledge. Such knowledge may range
from where to source the wood or stone, types of wood available and
which ones are appropriate for either structural or carving purposes to how
to cut thin sheets of singles form a block of stone using rudimentary tools
and so on.
Usually the entire construction is carried out manually with limited tools and
the use of power-driven technology is minimal and was introduced only
recently. It is the close interdependence between people, materials, making and
environment that has created a lasting architectures specific to the needs,
climate, place, and culture and that evokes a sensation that is special and
spiritual, beyond the materiality.

1.2) AIM – How we can use the kath – khuni architectural style in modern construction.
1.3 ) OBJECTIVE – The main focus is to study the architectural techniques which are
used in that style. How we can implement the technique in construction .

1.4) ABSTRACT - Kath-Khuni style architecture is popular in himachal pradesh and is

one of the oldest techniques used there. In this technique the corners play an important
role in the entire structure. Three locally used materials which include wood,stones,and
slates.Are one of the core materials used in the construction. During an earthquake the
entire structure moves as the horizontal members are interlocked with each other, wood is
the horizontal member used along with stones, wood which is used as a flexible member
and stone which is used to provide strength to the entire structure. Further in this report it
is discussed how this traditional technique can be used in modern construction.
2) CASE STUDY - Indigenous construction: Kath-khuni
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.
However, the method of construction and elements remain similar in most cases.
The level of articulation and detailing is far more intricate and elaborate in
temples. In the houses, usually the ground floor is used for keeping cattle and
the living areas are on the upper floor.

Typical construction begins with preparation of the ground; the trench is dug
relative to the height of the structure, which is then filled with loose stone
blocks which rise up to make the plinth. The raised podium provides the
stability to the house or tower and also protects the building from snow and
ground water.

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. 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. This layered construction of wood-and-stone is more distinctly
visible at the wall corner and forms the quintessential feature of kath-
khuni houses. As the walls rise higher, stone courses decrease and the wood
sections gradually increase. The heavier stone bases carry the lighter wooden
structure at upper levels. The surface is usually plastered for internal walls with
mud.
 A kath- khuni wall is
constructed by laying two
wooden wall beams
longitudinally parallel to
each other . This defines the
width of wall . The edge
members are lap jointed and
secured by a kadil ( wooden
nail) . This arrangement of
alternating stone and wood
add flexibility and has
proved to be a good
safeguard against frequent
seismic tremors

Images of wall construction at Devidhar village, which show the dry masonry
construction with in-fill and lap jointed members at the corner.
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. A wooden roof frame tops off the structure
and is covered with locally available slate tiles. The basic structure of the
balcony is secured in walls and details such as parapets, fascia boards and
panels are incorporated later. Balconies used to be open but with the passage of
time, various forms of enclosures are now observed. The supporting wooden
posts also support the roof structure, in many cases are molded and richl carved.

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.
Corner detail; wooden members are
notched and lap jointed so that they
intersect at the corner and further
supported by cantilevered member fixed at
one end in the wall.

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. The pitch and geometry of
the roofs changes as one climbs to higher altitudes in Himachal Pradesh. The
completion of the roof is marked by laying the ridge beam.

Houses showing pent-and-gable roof finished in slate stone in proper rectangular s hapes and the
image on right shows randomly shaped stones arranged in a house in Janog village.
The construction from foundation to roof uses no mortar in the courses of stone;
the sheer weight of dry masonry and the roof in slate stones holds the structure
down in place. Traditionally no metal nails were used in wood courses instead
strategically inserted wooden braces and joints held the structure together. Nail-
less framework without rivets and not rigid construction allows the building to
flex with the seismic waves and effectively dissipate the energy of earthquakes.

Wood Carving - Wood carving is an integral part of kath-khuni built forms and is the
oldest craft of Himachal and still thrives in a number of valleys. The quality of wood
carving reflects a high level of intricacy and skills, as well as a highly developed aesthetic
sense that fluidly integrates and expresses motifs based in folk tradition and religious
references. The jhalars (wooden pendants) along the roof edge, motifs on panels and on
walls and balconies, door frames and windows all are intricately carved. The themes
range from folk to abstract to geometric to natural ones. They are used as standalone
motifs and at other times as a part of a continuous frieze.

Material used - The primary materials of construction are wood and stone for wall and
plinth, topped by slate shingles. Wood is predominantly from the Cedrus Deodara Deodar
an endemic species to Western Himalayas and one of the strongest of Indian conifers. It
has straight veins and grows upto 50m. 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. The materials stone, wood and slate
are locally available and possess specific properties that make them excellent choices for
building construction from sustainability and performance perspectives.
Technique - The houses, usually the ground floor, are used for keeping cattle and the
living areas are on the upper floor. Typical construction begins with preparation of the
ground; the trench is dug relative to the height of the structure, which is then filled with
loose stone blocks which rise up to make the plinth. The raised podium provides stability
to the house or tower and also protects the building from snow and groundwater.It is
followed by construction of a 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 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. This layered construction of wood-and-stone is more
distinctly visible at the wall corner and forms the quintessential feature of kath-khuni
houses. As the walls rise higher, stone courses decrease and the wood sections gradually
increase. The heavier stone bases carry the lighter wooden structure at upper levels. The
surface is usually plastered for internal walls with mud.

3) IMPLEMENTATION OF KATH KHUNI STYLE IN MODERN

ARCHITECTURE-
As mentioned above in kath-khuni style wood which plays the role of horizontal member
in the structure which is pinned and not fixed, similarly in the modular structure where
the horizontal members are the beams. By taking the structural concept of kath-kuni
style. As the wood members were placed in the kath-khuni houses, similarly we can place
the beams in the modular structure. As we can see in the image the beams are placed one
above the other, where the beams are pinned with each other and fixed. During the
earthquake the wood in the kath-khuni was joined by pins and not fixed which gave the
entire structure flexibility due to which the entire structure is in the movement during
earthquake but restricted to shear or fall apart. Similarly if the beams in the modular
structure are placed similar to the horizontal member the beam acts as a flexible member.
If cables are passed through both beams and columns as seen in the second image. Due to
the cables which passes through columns acts like the blinds man stick when required the
stick is folded and after giving a jerk it regains its original shape similarly when required
the cables will be tightened and loosened when earthquake occurs due to this the entire
structure me move but has a less chance to distort.
As the fig , shows that the cable which is passed through the columns is attached to the
automatic machine which tightens and loosens the cables when an earthquake occurs.
This will give the structure more flexibility and also provide stability. The figures which
are made by the author shows the machine room, the position of the cables in the column,
and the placement of the beam The below figs represents how the cables are positioned
with seismic censored machines which are placed at top of the structure.
4)INFERENCE - After the study of whole research , we can come to he conclusion that
we can use the traditional kath- khuni architecture style in our modern day construction.
The joints at the corner as well as the methods can be very useful for modern day
construction.

5)BIBLOGRAPHY –

https://www.sahapedia.org/the-himalayan-vernacular-kath-khuni-architecture

Bernier, Ronald M. 1997. Himalayan architecture. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson

University Press; London: Associated University Press.

Handa, O.C. 2009. Himalayan Traditional Architecture. New Delhi: Rupa & Co.

Thakkar, Jay & Morrison, Skye. 2008. Matra: Ways of Measuring Vernacular Built

Forms of Himachal Pradesh. Ahmedabad: SID Research Cell, CEPT University.