W.R.

Gilbert's bungalow at Hazaribagh (Bihar)

BUNGALOW
The Bungalow model is belonging to the traditional vernacular architecture of Bengal
(India) originally and the term “Bungalow” is derived from ‘Bangla’, which described
the temporary Indian structure (Glover, 2004). Then, the word ‘Bangla’ was
Europeanized in the 18th century and called ‘Bungalow’ in 1784 (King, 1984).

Due to British colonialism, new inhabitants

(commercial and governing class) from the
Europe were arrived to India. Indigenous
peasant dwellings were transformed and
improved to meet the requirements of new
comers. As a result of this, Anglo-Indian
Bungalow, which is new type of Bungalow
House, was created. This model was spread
to different British Colonial countries by
Public Works Department of British
Rural Bengal, photograph by Samuel Bourne, 1860s
Government (King, 1984).
 Traditional Bengali Hut/Dwelling:

Bamboo frame
Walls made of mud or plastered straw
Floor raised 1 or 2 feet above ground
Multiple small huts
Thatched roof-
•Curved Roof •Pyramidal
(sometimes with clerestory)

British adapted the bangla hut model

and modified it according to their needs
and they added more bedrooms and
bathrooms. However, they kept the front
and rear verandahs for natural
ventilation (Ahmad, 1994).

The Rev. J.F. Cole’s Bungalow

Pitched thatched roof, the verandah, the
raised base platform and the free-standing
single-storey structure were the main
characters of bungalow house. These new
style Bungalow houses became a symbol
of power in India.
Figure III- 8: Early form of Englishman’s Bungalow
(Atkinson, Country Life in America in Kramer, 2006)

Bungalow plan with partitioned Developed bungalow forms

corners (King, 1984) (Atkinson, Country Life in America in
Krarner, 2006)

In addition to this, British settlers changed the type of veranda as well. They expanded it
to encircle the dwelling. They closed the veranda with permeable mat or brick walls. In
this way, they achieved privacy and shade (Grant, 1849 in King, 1984). Also, they put
separated rooms at the corners of the veranda for bathing or sleeping.
Rev. J.F. Cole’s Bungalow Example of Developed Bungalow Form
(Atkinson, Country Life in America in Krarner, 2006) (Nangia, 2004)

Example of Developed Bungalow Form

(Nangia, 2004)
 BACK FORMAL

FRONT

SERVICE
SERVICE

SERVE

Lt. Gov Bungalow, PRIVACY

Dhaka In Main Bldg.
(Res. of Vc, DU) Male domain: lower floor
& Female Domain: upper floor
 Typically, the bungalow was square or
rectangular and raised on a high plinth, like
the indigenous village hut. The high plinth
also corresponded to contemporary colonial
ideas of safety and health.
Characteristics

the bungalow ideally combined with climate

adaptation on a political purpose: that of social
distancing.

Its thick walls and high ceilings, while providing

ample ventilation, sheltered its English
inhabitants from the hostile world outside and
the encircling verandah at once shaded the
main structure and provided the arena for a
carefully regulated intercourse with that
world.
The sense of social distance and of superiority
was reinforced by the placement of the
bungalow in a large compound with an
impressive entry drive and with access
regulated by walls, gates and watchman.

Buffer
affording a pleasant site for relaxation or
worth during the cool of the morning and
evening.
Indeed the size of the compound, together,
with its walls, gate, guard, and long entry
drive, served to impress Indians with the
power and authority of the British.

Buffer
Plans were mostly symmetrical. In most of
the bungalows, the front of the house had a
covered porch, for the convenience of
residents and visitors from the gate of the
compound the drive curved towards the
house, situated generally in the centre and
some times there were two gates, and a
semi-circular drive connecting them. The
compound varied in size and according to
the status of the resident. For senior officials
of the colonial government or army, the
area of these bungalows went up to 15
acres.

The main house was a single/ 2 storeyed structure partially or totally surrounded by verandahs. The rooms were
functionally distinct and furnished accordingly. The drawing and dining rooms were usually interconnected since
these were public reception areas. The bedrooms, with attached dressing and bathrooms, flanked the reception
rooms and had access to the verandah. There was sometimes a hallway that connected the entrance of the house to
the back door, in which case the rooms would be arranged on either side with doors leading in to it.
The kitchen was in variably a separate structure in the rear of the compound and
close to the servants quarters since it was the domain of the servants, the noise and
adores of the kitchen were excluded from the main bungalow.
Bath rooms had an outside door so that the sweeper had access to them without
entering the main living space.
The interiors of the rooms were decorated in the style, which was fashionable in
colonial pattern at the time.

Thus, the residential bungalows architecture is pure expression of power.

Bungalow house model was one of those standard dwelling model for the PWD and
it was distributed to different British Colonial countries on the world.
Bungalow, which also can called basic model, was adopted with modifications
and built in most of the British colonization around the world.
Bungalow around the world
Bungalows Houses were constructed in many
regions of the world such as; Sri Lanka,
America, Australia, Jamaica, Singapore and
Malaysia. Those constructed buildings were
built in late 19th and early 20th centuries
(Ahmad, 1994).

Sri Lanka was under control of British

between the 1798 and 1948.
Bungalows were constructed during
this period in Sri Lanka. For example,
Bungalow for British Government
Agents (GA) in Sri Lanka was built in the
1870’s as a circuit Bungalow. The first Sri Lanka
British GA occupant was Mr. W.
Harington. (Fig. III- 14)
It is possible to see the Bungalow style houses,
which made its way to America because of the
English sailors, in many American countries
such as Chicago, California, Utah, etc. (Fig. III-
15) It did not become popular in America until
the turn of the century where they were first
built in California. They started to seen in
1880s. (URL 5) Its popularity in the United
States, and particularly in those cities, was the
result of American Arts and Crafts movement.
The Craftsman was an important factor in the
popular development of the American
Bungalow.
Martha Sherwood (1828) described the Bungalow as; “built of unbaked bricks and
covered with thatch, having in the centre a hall…the whole being encompassed by an
open verandah.” (Lancaster, 1985)
Bungalow House used to be a comfortable-
looking, low profile house that communicated
a sense of shelter. Because of its feature, this
type of houses became an Everyman’s house
in America. Other types of Bungalows seen
throughout the United States are; Ranch
Bungalow, Raised Bungalows, Chalet
Bungalow, Craftsman Bungalow, California
Bungalow, Chicago Bungalow, Milwaukee
Bungalow and Michigan Bungalow. (URL 6)

Figure III- 15: Examples of Bungalow Houses in Chicago and Utah

(URL 6)
A bungalow type house was imported
originally from California in 1916 by a real
estate agent and the first Australian
Californian Bungalow was constructed in
Sydney. It became the favorite house style in
Australia immediately after World War I. Then,
it spread to all Australian towns and cities. It
was serving the two great needs affordability
and suitability for a dry, warm climate. (Fig. III-
16)

Figure III- 16: Examples of Bungalow Houses in

Melbourne
(URL 7)
Malaysia was one of the colonial countries of
British. Multi racial immigrants were brought
to Malaysia by British. As in other countries,
housing typologies were developed and
influenced by cultural and social exchange.
Commercial agriculture was revived in that
time, and the word ‘Bungalow’ was commonly
used for any staff’s house. Also, it was named
as “Garden House”, “Planter’s Bungalow” or
“Colonial Bungalow”, which was used as
dwelling for government officials (Jenkin and
Waveney, 2007 in Ju and Omar, 2011).

Figure III- 17: Indo-Malay style Bungalow in

Malaysia
(URL 8)
The Bungalow House examples on the world
are not that much limited like the examples
shown above. In addition to those examples,
there are Bungalow type houses in Canada,
Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa and
Pakistan as well.
single and double storey houses by Gaffiero in
1919 Cyprus