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Sense of Place in a Traditional Dwelling

1. INTRODUCTION

“Sense of place is the sixth, an internal compass and map made by memory and spatial

perception together.”

- Rebecca Solnit

A space is a three dimensional concept that has no qualitative value associated with it. A

space cannot be a clearly defined and requires an environment to define it. A space becomes a

place when it is defined by a built environment.

A place is a composition of elements that are desired or necessary for the human

experience in a given space. The quality of human experience in a given place is called as sense

of place. It plays a pivotal role in determining the quality of the built environment. It defines the

character of a given space and is the line of demarcation between a space and a place. The

quality of a place is a conglomerate of various factors that are cultural, political, biological,

spiritual, sensory and much more. It is important to consider all aspects of place making into

designing a given space.

It is important to have a character to a built environment that humans can harmonize with

and this character can be affected by several parameters that are: visual such as aesthetics,

lighting, proportion & scale, color and texture, form; socio- economic such as culture &

tradition, lifestyle, economy, locally available materials; qualitative such as proper lighting and

ventilation, location that satisfies their needs, volume, availability of resources and so on.

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2. SENSE OF PLACE

From a perspective gained through researching on journals and books and by means of

surveys and personal interviews, I would define sense of place as the character of the built

environment. Those who find the character of a given space as desirable can connect with it in

what seems apparently like a spiritual level and thus a sense of belonging is perceived.

Sense of Place is the feeling of belonging to a particular space or landscape and plays a

very important role in the mental well-being of a person. A place is distinguished from a space

with the relationship that humans tend to associate with it and the feelings of belongingness to

the space in consideration.

Maria Lorena Lehman, Founder of Sensing Architecture, closely associates the Sense of

Place with memory. Her study says that both memory and sense of place prominently involve the

same part of the brain.

“Our memory of events may depend upon a strong sense of place, and by extension, our

sense of place may be influenced by the integrity of the memories formed there.”

She links the sense of place with other factors such as a strong sense of orientation and

suggests that human interaction with the space plays a pivotal role in of feeling of belongingness

to a particular environment instead of just “passing through it”, and distinguishes a space from

place.

A strong sense of place is developed only when humans can relate to a built environment

and this is influenced by several aspects such as the human experience in it, the scale and

proportions of the built environment and its psychological impact on the human mind, the visual

perception, the acoustic and thermal comfort, the impact it has on human life and vice versa,

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being able to identify with the given space politically, culturally or ideologically, the level of

satisfaction and so on.

2.1. SIGNIFICANCE OF SENSE OF PLACE

A strong sense of place is synonymous with the improved quality of living. A sense of

place, if viewed as the character of a built environment, must be highly prioritized as a key factor

in designing spaces. This dissertation aims at gaining a better understanding to how a sense of

place maybe achieved in place making.

When there is a lack of character perceived by the end user, a sense of Placelessness or a

feeling of having been displaced is created. Placelessness is an undesirable trait since it may lead

to depression in several cases.

A survey was conducted to understand the perspective of inhabitants of houses in several

typologies of housing and the results proved that only 20% were completely satisfied with their

homes and displayed a strong sense of rootedness. Over 40% were moderately satisfied but

desired one or more of the following: to rebuild it to suit their needs, to improvise on their

existing homes, for a home to be situated in a different locality or a more aesthetically appealing

place. Approximately 40% were dissatisfied with their house and felt little or no connection with

it. 95% of the participants felt that it was very important to feel the sense of belonging to a place

for a happy and healthy lifestyle.

The participants were people who lived in well-built, spacious homes and had a strong

economy and are based in major urban hotspots such as Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad,

Kolkata, London, Dubai, Singapore, and New York City. Most of the houses were built in an

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urban context with most homes having been construction after 1990. However satisfied they

were with the city in which they lived, several lacked the sense of belonging to their homes.

Those who were completely satisfied with their homes could connect to it owing to one

or more of the following reasons: They had strong memories associated with the place; they

could connect to it on a spiritual level; they found it comfortable; it satisfied their needs; and the

most common of all being they found a sense of belonging, a place they could call home.

A sense of place is in institutional environments and workspaces have shown a drastic

increase in performance and productivity. Several

offices are catching up with the trend of informal

work environments. Offices of google, Facebook

and several startups use this to maximize output.

Figure 2.1.1. Interiors of Google office showing an

informal working environment

Sense of place is a very important parameter in urban design. Insensitivity to the local

cultural preferences made Chandigarh a failure despite its efficient planning techniques. It has

been widely criticized for its sense of placelessness

that it instills in people. The huge public spaces and

brutalist buildings might have been best suited for

anywhere but a state like Punjab where people love

colors and live a very social life in close clusters.

The design principles of Le Corbusier, aimed at

making it a Utopian city for a different kind of end Figure 2.1.3. An image of a public space in

Chandigarh showing lack of local regard

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users since Indians have a tendency to strongly embrace their traditions and cultures irrespective

of the changes in technology or global preferences.

The character of a given space, thus plays a very important role in the relevance of any

design. It m

2.2. ASPECTS OF SENSE OF PLACE

Sense of Place can be considered as a composition of two aspects that are entirely

different. The first aspect, relationship to place, consists of the ways that people relate to places,

or the types of bonds we have with places and this involves several factors such as functionality,

location, context, comfort, sensory aspects & sensation, but by no means limited to these. The

second aspect, community attachment, consists of the depth and types of attachments to one

particular place on the basis of cultural grounds or the value they associate with the people

around them. A more meaningful and understanding of people’s attachment to places can be

formed by thinking about relationships to place and community attachments as two separate but

related aspects of sense of place.

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Chart 2.2.1: Chart discussing the various aspects of sense of place

2.1.1. Relationship to Place

Jennifer E. Cross, Department of Sociology, Colorado State University classifies the

relationship people have with a place into six categories that are as follows: Biographical,

Spiritual, Ideological, Narrative, Commodified, and Dependent.

Relationship Type of Bond Process

Biographical Historical, Familial Being born in and living in a place, develops over time

Sense of place

Attachment to Place

Biographical

Spiritual

Ideological

Narrative

Commodified

Dependent

Communtiy Attachment

Rootedness

Place Alienation

Relativity

Uncommitted Placelessness

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Spiritual Emotional, Intangible Feeling a sense of belonging, simply felt rather than created

Ideological Moral, Ethical Living according moral guidelines for human responsibility to place, guidelines may be religious or secular

Narrative Mythical Learning about a place through stories, including: creation myths, family histories, political accounts,And fictional accounts

Commodified Cognitive Choosing a place based a list of desirable traits and lifestyle preferences, comparison of actual places with ideal

Dependent Material Constrained by lack of choice, dependency on another person or economic opportunity

Table 2: Table showing different types of relationships that are made by people with the

places, the type of bonding associated with them and the process of bonding.

The relationship between people and places can be identified with at least one of the

above bonds, but by no means limited to only one.

2.1.1.1. Biographical Relationships

The strongest and most enduring relationships are attachments based on personal history

with a place. They are characterized by a strong sense of identification with place and a

relatively long residence. In these relationships, place is an integral part of personal history. As

such, biographical relationships require time to develop, and are strongest in communities in

which one has spent more time. These relationships are often described in terms of cognitive,

physical, and emotional connections.

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2.1.1.2. Spiritual Relationships

The second type of relationships is a spiritual connection. In contrast to biographical

relationships, these have significant relationships to places based on something much less

tangible than personal history. The people relate to place in a profound way, of having a deep

sense of belonging or resonance that is difficult to describe and is often unexpected. These are

termed as spiritual relations as they seem to be more of an intuitive connection than an

emotional, cognitive, or material connection.

2.1.1.3. Ideological Relationships

The third type of relationships is ideological which contrast to spiritual relationships that

‘just happen’, are not chosen. Ideological relationships are founded on conscious values and

beliefs about how humans should relate to physical places. The defining characteristic of

ideological relationships is a well-articulated ideology about how to live in a place. For some this

comes in the form of religious or spiritual teachings. For others, it is secular ethic of

responsibility. Societies based on traditions that form an integral part of their lifestyle develop an

ideological relationship with the places they have inhabited over a prolonged period of time.

2.1.1.4. Narrative Relationships

The fourth type of relationship is the Narrative Relationship which is based on the

bonding or fondness developed for a particular place through narratives such as stories, myths,

family tales, fictional accounts, local lore, moral tales, national myths, and political accounts.

This attachment is not as strong as the other types of bonds. They are often associated with a

larger component such as a neighborhood, city or even a nation on the whole.

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2.1.1.5. Commodified Relationships

. The fifth type of relationship to place is a commodified relationship. The defining

characteristic of the commodified relationship is choice, the ability to choose a place with the

best possible combination of desirable features. Commodified relationships have little or nothing

to do with personal history. Since they are founded on choice and a list of desirable traits,

commodified relationships typically result from dissatisfaction with one community and the

quest to find a more desirable place. This relationship is based on the match between the

attributes of a place and what a person thinks is an ideal place. An example of this may be

considered as people from large cities choosing more tranquil rural settings to retire into, since

they can find their desired traits in it.

2.1.1.6. Dependent Relationships

The defining characteristic of dependent relationships is the aspect of choice. Typically

these relationships are the result of having either no choice or severe limitations on choice. Some

examples are: children who are dependent on their parents and don’t have a choice about where

they live; elderly who have moved to be near caretakers either in their own home or in some kind

of retirement facility; and people who have moved for a job or to be with a romantic partner.

People, who have a dependent relationship to the place, may have made a conscious choice to

move, but it is typically not their first choice.

Dependent relationships are primarily physical relationships. The relationship with place

is typically based on the need to be near a job or another person. These relationships are

noticeable lacking a positive emotional or mental connection. People in dependent relationships

are often highly conscious of the differences between communities in which they have lived in

the past and their current community.

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2.1.2. Community Attachment

A person’s community attachment consists of their experience in a particular setting as

well as their feelings about that place. David Hummon describes five types of sense of place or

community attachment: ideological rootedness, taken for granted Rootedness, Place relativity,

Place Alienation, and Placelessness.

Sense of Place

Satisfaction Local Identity

Type of Attachment Future Desires

Rootedness- cohesive

High Strong Biographical, Spiritual,Ideological

Continued Residence

Rootedness- divided

Variable Split Biographical, SpiritualDependent

Variable

Place Alienation

Low Weak Dependent Desire for a better quality of living or social status

Place Relativity

Variable Moderate Commodified To live in an ideal place, whatever that may be

Uncommitted Placelessness

Moderate Split None No specific expectations of place

Table 3: Table showing different types of relationships that are made by people with the places,

the type of bonding associated with them and the process of bonding.

Each type can be described by a person’s level of attachment, identification and

involvement with the community, past experiences and future expectations, and their assessment

of the place. The level of satisfaction in this is highly variable and can be found at its strongest

with people who could relate to their place more than in people who felt alienated.

2.1.2.1. Rootedness

The strongest type of Community Attachment is the Rootedness, which can be further

classified as Rooted Cohesiveness or Rooted Dividedness.

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People with a sense of cohesive rootedness have a strong sense of attachment,

identification, and involvement in one community. They generally have a positive assessment of

the place and expect to continue living there.

People with a divided rootedness think of themselves in terms of two communities. They

have strong attachments to two places and often have distinct identities associated with each

place. Typically these people have a strong attachment to the community in which they were

raised and to the community they have lived in as an adult.

2.1.2.2. Place Alienation

People who are alienated often have a negative assessment of the place, do not identify

with the place and are not highly satisfied with the place. Some people are alienated from a place

because they have been forced to move from a place in which they were rooted to a place in

which they are not, such as: children whose parents move; elderly who move to be near

caretakers; and adults who move for a job or to be with a significant other. Other people may be

dissatisfied because the place they love and feel rooted in has changed around them. This

category is characterized by the loss of a deep sense of rootedness.

2.1.2.3. Place Relativity

The fourth type of community attachment is relativity. Many people who fit into this

category have lived in so many places in their life that they are not strongly rooted to any

particular community. They are more likely to identify their sense of home with either their

house or the world more generally than any particular community. They are also likely to

identify with more than one place, such as people who are bi-coastal. They differ from people

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with a sense of rootedness in two ways. They feel “at home” anywhere instead of in a specific

place, and their identity is not strongly tied to their community of residence.

2.1.2.4. Placelessness

The final category of community attachment is placelessness. Placelessness is

characterized by a lack of place-based identification and a lack of emotional attachments to

particular places. The main difference between relativity and placelessness is that in relativity

people have a mobile sense of “home” and can cultivate a sense of home wherever they are, in

placelessness people do not have an articulated or place-based sense of home.

3. AGRAHARAMS

A completely different model of study was chosen in a semi- urban context and a survey

showed that more people could find a sense of place in their homes despite the model of housing

had become significantly irrelevant with time to the outside world in terms of technology,

materials used or the planning principles. The reason for this was that their homes suited best

their lifestyle and was built incorporating every aspect of their daily life. The model of housing

chosen for this was the Agraharams of Tamil Nadu.

An Agraharam refers to the settlements of ‘Brahmins’, a community of Hindus that was

majorly engaged in priesthood, teaching and medicine. Agraharam is the name associated with

the Brahmin quarters of a heterogeneous village or any village inhabited by Brahmins. The

name, owing to their distinctive architectural style, which is row houses on either sides of the

thoroughfare leading to the Temple, literally translates as ‘A garland of houses’. They are found

in several parts of South India in the present day states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and

Andhra Pradesh.

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Agraharams have a unique architectural language that distinguishes them from other

models of housing. They maintained homogeneity in their design. Since the Brahmins were a

community of priesthood, most of their life activities were based on the temple and they lived at

the closest proximity to the temple. They are the age old version of gated communities, since

they restricted access to others with only a few exceptions. The Agraharams were built to suit the

spatial requirements of the Brahmins in the most efficient and economic manner, articulated at

the bare minimum, avoiding splendor, thus glorifying the significance and grandeur of the

temple.

Figure 3.1 An Agraharam house

Several Agraharams exist even today, however since Brahmins started choosing other

jobs, Agraharams have lost out on their intended purposes and have been modified to keep up

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with the growing requirements. A lot of Agraharams have been demolished and reconstructed

recently, thus the streetscape has been disturbed.

Agraharams have a strong character associated with them. In an attempt to understand

how a sense of place was formed in a model that has been in relevance for over two millennia

now until very recently, a detailed study of the factors that are involved in the process of place

making in an Agraharam was made and has been documented in this dissertation.

3.1. HISTORY AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE

The earliest existing reference of Agraharams dates back to as early as the 3rd century

AD in a Sangam Age piece of Tamil Literature called ‘Perumpanarrupatai’ which describes the

Agraharams as below.

“The houses had in front of them, a shed with short legs to which were tied fat calves; the

houses were washed with cow dung and hadidols (inside them). Domestic fowl and dogs did not

approach them. It was the village of the guardians of the Veda who teach its sounds to the

parrots with the bent mouth. If you (bard) reach (the place), fair faced bangled ladies who are as

chaste as Arundhathi) the little star which shines in the north of the bright, broad sky, will after

sunset feed you on the well-cooked rice named after the bird (explained by the commentator as

the rice called irasanam) along with slices of citron boiled in butter taken, from the buttermilk

derived from red cows and scented with the leaves of the karuvembu, and mixed with pepper-

powder, and the sweet-smelling tender fruit plucked from the tall mango tree and pickled.”

The Brahmins are believed to be Aryans and they were not just priests, but they were

doctors, teachers and in a few regions rulers as well. They moved into India a few millennia ago

as immigrants, carrying the knowledge of Vedas, Politics, Medicine and much more with them.

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As a community which handled the Vedas and religious texts, the Brahmins wielded

power and influence in the social hierarchy. Their knowledge of Vedas gained them the royal

patronage and respect from the rulers and all the other communities.

Agraharams were often made and donated to these families by the rulers. This was then

distributed on the basis of social hierarchy among themselves. The highly regarded families, the

priests and the scholars acquired the position near the temple and the palace complex and the

others occupied the outer fringes. Wherever they went, the Brahmins made their settlements

around temples, around which their everyday life revolved.

3.1.2. Social Structure

Even though these migrant Brahmins wielded power in the caste ridden society, they

were always a minority when compared to the local indigenous population. Moreover, when they

moved into a new place and made their settlements, there was always a tendency amongst the

members of the communities to settle together to ensure safety.

Another reason behind this was that in most cases the early migrants to a particular place

may be the members of a same family, and thus when they settle down in an alien land, they

automatically evolved into a close knit community, whose principles were based on strict

religious norms.

The Agraharams were introvert settlements, often open to the members of the particular

caste group, however within the introvert settlement there were designed built and open spaces

that well catered to the needs of the settlers.

The ownership of the property belonged to the temples, however the dwellings were

passed down from one generation to another and continued to be maintained by the temple until

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the Colonial rule in India, during which with their influence and patronage in the British

government, the Brahmins were gifted these lands as their own property.

A lot of Vedic rituals included intensive use of water and hence the Brahmins settled

along the banks of rivers or at close proximity to sources of fresh water.

3.1.2.1. Role of Women in the society and its influence in the Planning Principles

The head of the house was mostly the male or the eldest female in the family. The daily

activities of a Brahmin Woman were as follows. She wakes up early in the morning before

sunrise and bathes. She draws up a kolam in front of the house and continues with her daily

chores such as cleaning the house, cooking and so on. She visits the temple after cooking and

returns to the house to continue her chores, most of which are involved around the kitchen or the

backyard. The Brahmin women were reserved by all means and extremely conservative, which

meant that for most parts of the day, they did not leave their houses at all. They assisted the men

in performing Vedic rituals and tending to the children during the day. Apart from this, they

dried grains for preparation of food either in their courtyards or on the Agraharam streets. They

spent very little time talking to others in general.

3.1.2.2. Thinndapad

Thinndapad or untouchability was practiced by the Brahmin community until late into

the 20th century. The reason for this was cited as lack of personal hygiene among the members of

the other classes. This entitled the Brahmins access to inner spaces of temples, a privilege that

was denied to the members of the socially oppressed castes. Additionally, the Brahmins

restricted the access of the members of socially oppressed classes from entering the streets of

Agraharams or into their houses.

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3.2. EVOLUTION

Their dwellings were planned to suit their daily life, which involved a lot of religious

rituals and discourses and their homes were designed to accommodate these along with other

basic needs to the barest minimum. Their planning hasn’t evolved much over the ages except for

the change in materials used for their construction.

However in the recent times, since the early 20th century, a lot of Brahmins migrated out

of their towns to either up north or out of the country and newer occupants came in disrupting

their social setup. The changing ways of life too have led to several modifications in these

Agraharams. In an attempt to keep with the current day architectural trends, many have tried to

remodel their houses using modern day materials like RCC and Bricks.

Agraharams today, are a vanishing part of architectural heritage. The few surviving

examples are either owned by the temple trusts or by individuals who haven't had the heart

and/or the finances to raze them down. Some are restored and made use of as apartments.

3.3. FACTORS THAT INFLUENCED THE DESIGN OF AGRAHARAMS