BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONVernacular Architecture of Tripura

LOCATION:-Tripura is a landlocked state in North East India, where the seven contiguous states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura – are collectively known as the Seven Sister States

Tripura is bordered by the country of Bangladesh to the west, north and south; and the Indian states of Assam to the north east; and Mizoram to the eastTripura include the narrow valleys, locally known as lungas, that lie mainly in the western part of the State

INTRODUCTION The hilly frontier state has a unique tradition in arts and crafts, sculpture and

architecture, textiles, wood-carving, basketry and cane and bamboo work. Bamboo and Cane is one of the most important craft of the state.

The lands are fertile and rice is cultivated here. There are very few flood plains in Tripura; they are mostly located in the west and south, and form the main agricultural lands of the State

A large number of structures using bamboo as a primary material are built in the plains of Tripura. These structures may be houses, granaries, shops, workspaces or even large warehouses. They are of lightweight construction to withstand severe earthquakes; at the same time, they are also wind resistant. The state of Tripura is famous for her bamboo screens made from split bamboo, so finely woven that they look almost like ivory. They are delicately appliqued with coloured bamboo chips.

CLIMATE Climate: Tropical Annual Rainfall: 2100 mm Tripura generally observes tropical weather, marked by heat

and humidity. Summers, winters and monsoons are the three seasons enjoyed by this state. Where summers extend from the month of March till May, the temperature soars to the maximum of 35°C. In the late-May, pre-monsoon showers soak the region. Monsoon season formally arrives in June and prevails till September. With an average rainfall of 2100 mm, the state actually receives heavy downpour. The month of October is comparatively pleasant as regards weather. Winter season elongates from November to February, where the average minimum temperature remains 10.5°C. In summers, light cotton clothing is required to stay cool in hot and humid surroundings; while heavy woolens are essential in winters. Seeing the weather conditions, the best time to visit Tripura is between the months of September-March.

Geographical Location Location:56' N - 24°32' N, 90°09' E - 92° 10'E Altitude:ft to 3080 ft above sea level Area:92 sq.

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER Architectural typologies have developed in the North East as factors of tradition , climate

and functionality. The materials used are locally available materials like bamboo, cane , cane leaves, mud, and lime. Of late, bricks. stone chips, rock slabs, surkhi etc. are also being used. Sloping roofs are a common architectural feature in all the architectural typologies because of high rainfall in the North East .

Construction of this type of house generally takes place in the dry season / winters. Sourcing of construction materials like thatch/timber/bamboo are collected during winters only.

Bamboo/wooden posts are erected and then beams/logs are connected and rafters placed and tied up.

The whole community participates in the construction of this type of house. Indigenous/traditional tools are used in the construction. Generally nails or other steel materials are not used for making connections between various members.

The construction of this type of housing takes place ina single phase. Typically, the building is originally not designed for its final constructed size.

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

These houses are generally rectangular in shape and are similar to bamboo Kutchha houses with linear planning  and rooms opening into each other. 

These houses are constructed over bamboo posts and bamboo diagonal bracings  are tied to form the stilt areas. 

The structure above is formed by horizontal members tied across the bamboo posts with  jute ropes and using dowel and tenon joints. 

The stilt height is typically 1.50 to 2.00 meters from the ground level.  The  space below the stilt is often used to store a canoe for emergency usage during floods . The stilted houses are typically  designed to keep out the effects of heavy monsoon.  The  floor and walls inlays are mostly bamboo weaves, which allows 

the water of floods and heavy rains to pass rather than getting stored.  The roofs of the houses are made by fixing  bamboo trusses over the posts, over which  local grass is laid.  The roof height from the weaved floor is approximately  3.50 meters.  A bamboo loft is fixed below the roof inside for secure storage of goods in case of floods.  Bamboo being a 

bad conductor of heat keeps the interiors cool and adequate ventilation through the permeable floors and wall keeps  the moisture content inside the houses low.

FIELD/HOUSE FENCES Field fences of Tripura Simple open-type field fences seen in the plains of Tripura are made of longitudinal

splits of bamboo with interlacing horizontal and vertical members spaced well apart. In order to achieve a strong structure with an economical use of materials, combinations of whole bamboo, longitudinal halves, quarters and splits of smaller dimensions are used. Bamboo culms cut to suitable lengths are anchored in the ground and used as posts. These are spaced apart, and horizontal members of longitudinal halves are held between the posts. These may be either be lashed on to the posts or attached through a housed joint, where the horizontal member penetrates the post through a hole cut in it.

The interweaving of members eliminates the need for binding, thus saving on labour and avoiding the use of any special binding material. When binding is done, cane splits, lengths of wire or some locally available fibre rope is utilized. Bamboo splits twisted to make fibrous ropes are also used as binding material.

 

FIELD/HOUSE FENCES House Fences Fences around houses in the plains of Tripura use bamboo boards made by

flattening whole culms, 50 to 75-mm in diameter. The fences are of the closed type, with the boards woven closely packed together without any gaps. The plain weave, the twill weave and occasionally a decorative variation of the twill pattern are used. These fences are usually extended above human height. The fence is supported by whole bamboo posts anchored in the ground and spaced apart as necessary. Great care is taken in making these fences.

 

INTERWOVEN BAMBOO TYPE OF WALLS

TYPOLOGY OF HOUSES BASICALLY FOUR TYPES OF HOUSES ARE CONSTRUCTED IN TRIPURA

1.THE RIANG HOUSE2.THE MUD HOUSE3.TIN HOUSE AND 4.COMBINATION OF TIN SHEETS,MUD,BAMBOO MATERIALS.

THE RIANG HOUSE

THE RIANG HOUSE Riang tribals of Tripura build their houses with bamboo used as the primary material for

construction. In some cases, even the thatched roof is made of bamboo leaves. These houses are typical hill dwellings, constructed on bamboo slits to create a large horizontal platform, the floor of the house.

Bamboo posts are arranged on a square grid and inclined whole bamboo members strengthen these. A required number of posts extend above the surface of the floor platform to support the roof structure.

The plan of the Riang house is normally a long rectangle, with a covered verandah in front and an open verandah at the back. A large enclosed room is located between these verandahs. A single roof covers the front verandah and the room. The roof slopes downwards on either side.

Boards made of flattened bamboo culms are used to cover the floor of the room and to make the walls and doors. The floor of both verandahs are made from either whole bamboo or longitudinal halves placed side by side and bound to the beam structure below the floor. A single log, which is notched, forms the short ladder at the front of the house.

THE RIANG HOUSE

SECTION SHOWING THE CONSTRUCTION OF RIANG HOUSE

PARTS OF THE RIANG HOUSE

WALL AND ROOF DETAIL

JOINERY DETAIL

JOINERY DETAILS

HOUSES WHICH WERE CONSTRUCTED USING DIFFERENT MATERIALS

MUD HOUSE

MUD HOUSE

TONG GHAR

CONCLUSION The architecture of Tripura relates to the socio-economic setup, the cultural identities and a good climatic responsiveness. A good number of climate responsive design features are revealed during the study of the housing forms including temperature control, enhancing natural ventilation, protection from natural calamities such as flood , earthquakes etc. However certain features that lack in the traditional housing are mostly: fire proneness and termite infestation due to usage of non treated bamboo and wood; lack of damp proofing and use of non stabilized soil for construction too pose problems like dampness of walls and washouts during rainfall