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MH4202- CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE

ASSIGNMENT – 2
FIELD VISIT REPORT – MYLAPORE AGRAHARAM HOUSE

INTRODUCTION:
• Mylapore is the city on which modern day Chennai was built.
• The temple and tank are surrounded by four maada streets, lined with shops selling
saris and textiles, jewellery and silver, stainless steel, brass and plastic vessels,
vegetables, fruits, flowers and prayer items, books and pictures of gods and goddesses,
and just about anything else. Behind these are private homes, part of the ancient
temple town.
• Previously, all the houses had roofs sloping towards the central tank. This system of
rain water harvesting was designed to collect the rain water in the tank for the hot,
summer season and to keep the water levels in the nearby wells high.
• Today, many old homes of Mylapore have been broken down and replaced by flat-
roofed buildings.
• The neighbourhood with its Agraharams and Katcheris once thriving under the aegis of
the Temple Trust, has witnessed a confluence of change and external influences in the
recent years.
• Many of the houses, are owned by the temple trust and people who live here pay a
meagre rent. This is one of the reasons for low maintenance of the houses and
unfortunately, those that are not occupied are slowly being demolished for
upgradation of property and street.
(SOURCE: Dr. Nanditha Krishna’s book ‘Madras – Chennai, Its History and Environment)

AGRAHARAM:
• A customary organisation for Brahmin settlements, Agraharam denotes ‘a garland of
houses’.
• The arrangement of row houses radiates from the temple complex in concentric rings.
• Each house comprises of a platform oriented towards the streets known as thennais, a
central space or courtyard called the mitham opened to the sky, mudhal kattu or
receiving area, irandaam kattu or living area, moondram kattu or kitchen, backyard
and a traditional pitched roof.

Following are the two Agraharam houses selected to study about the climate change
adaptation and how courtyards as a design element supports the changing climate and working
condition of spaces.

FACULTY – PROF. JOSEPH PRESENTED BY - SANGAMITHRA S

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KABALEESHWARAR TEMPLE

KABALEESHWARAR

TEMPLE TANK

HOUSE 1

HOUSE 2

STUDY:

• Both the houses along with the context were studied and it was understood that the
changing work conditions of the people living in these houses paved way for lot of
adaptation in the interior spaces.
• Courtyards as a design element supported the changing conditions of the spaces and
helped accommodate diversified needs of the people living in it.
• Courtyards played multiple role - as a utilitarian space, as a living space, a space for
recreation and a space for gathering and performing multiple activities alike.
• Courtyards are used for functional, cultural and social purposes.
• A space becomes multi-functional only when it is thermally comfortable with ample
lighting and ventilation. Courtyards are an excellent element that allows maximum air
movement and lighting into the built environment. Both the above houses are able to
combat the changing social and environmental conditions with the help of these
courtyards, that live.
CONCLUSION:

• One of the major factors contributing to the climate change and global warming is
architecture.
• Climate, in particular produces certain easily observed effects on architectural forms.
• It is the responsibility of the architects to consciously design spaces that thrive through
the threats of such changing climatic conditions.
• Courtyards as a design element are a functional model when considering the warmer
climate zones.

FACULTY – PROF. JOSEPH PRESENTED BY - SANGAMITHRA S

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HOUSE 1 – SINGLE COURTYARD HOUSE

WEST ELEVATION

• A single courtyard house in East Tank

street, Mylapore, Chennai.
• Wall to wall housing typology
• Single courtyard agraharam house
planning
• Spaces such as living, kitchen, pooja,
dining and utility are arranged around
the central courtyard space.
• The central courtyard visually accessible
from the entrance, brings in lot of
natural air from the abutting temple
tank.
• The courtyard space is used for
functional and social purposes.

SINGLE LINE SKETCH OF PLAN AND SECTION

FACULTY – PROF. JOSEPH PRESENTED BY - SANGAMITHRA S

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ALTERATIONS DONE TO COMMERCIAL SPACE ROOFS WERE LAYERED

FRONT ZONE, NEW ROOMS ABUTTING THE ROAD WITH CONCRETE AND
WERE BUILT RAINWATER COLLECTION
THROUGH GUTTERS

• Originally designed to be a padashala (a place where one

learns the different vedas) later was used only for
residential purposes.
• As the needs increased, the sloping roof of the house
was replaced with flat roof that allowed future
expansion.
• The house facing west, receives maximum ventilation
from the temple tank present opposite to it.
• The clearance height of the door ways and other walk
ways were only 5 feet high, which reflected the
traditional values of houses traditionally designed in
Tamilnadu/ Kerala.
• The occupants of the house report maximum lighting
and ventilation received by the interior spaces due to
the presence of courtyard.

COURTYARD SPACES ARE

SECURED WITH IRON POSTS
AND GRILLS FOR SAFETY
REASONS

FACULTY – PROF. JOSEPH PRESENTED BY - SANGAMITHRA S

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HOUSE 2 – DOUBLE COURTYARD HOUSE

SOUTH ELEVATION

• A double courtyard house in Pitchu pillai

street
• The frontage of the house in ground
floor area were taken by shops as
commercial spaces.
• The house had multiple families living in
it using a common bath and toilet space.
• The houses in pitchu street are
constructed wall to wall to help improve
the micro climate
• The house initially had two courtyards
that helped achieve thermal balance
SINGLE LINE SKETCH OF THE PLAN
• The courtyards act as a central space around which the rooms are organized.
• The house was built during the 19 th century traces of which were found as inscriptions
in the terraced roof tiles.
• Over a period of time, the central courtyard was closed over the first-floor level that
allowed only lighting thus stopping air movement into the built atmosphere.

FACULTY – PROF. JOSEPH PRESENTED BY - SANGAMITHRA S

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COMMERCIAL SPACE COURTYARD AS A COURTYARD ROOF CLOSED DUE

ABUTTING THE ROAD UTILITARIAN SPACE TO MAINTENANCE ISSUES

BAY WINDOWS THAT INVITE COURTYARDS THAT SPAN WINDOWS ABOVE LINTEL
GOOD VENTILATION ABOUT TWO FLOOR LEVEL TO ALLOW HOT AIR
HEIGHT TO PASS THROUGH

FACULTY – PROF. JOSEPH PRESENTED BY - SANGAMITHRA S