environmental science for designing in cold climate vernacular

1. By Group: Anisha, Adil, Jugal, Jugal, Kartik, Nehal, Vishakha
Subject: Environmental Science
Venus Institute of Design and Architecture
COLD CLIMATE

3. World Climatic Condition

4. • The regions that lies on the earth’s equator tend to
have tropical and deserted region due to close and
direct sun rays. These regions are mostly hot and
moist.
• As the regions move away from the equator it starts
to get warmer, cooler and colder, due to distant sun
rays.
• The northern and southern hemisphere have the
polar region that are extremely cold due to the most
distant region from the sun.
• The northern part of the world has high amount of
colder region due to rise in the altitude.

5. Climate in India

6. • India is home to an extraordinary variety of climatic
regions, ranging from tropical in south to temperate
and alpine in north, where the elevated regions
receive sustained winter snowfall. The nation’s
climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and
the Thar desert.

7. Cold & Dry Regions
• Regions that lie in the cold climate zone are situated at the high
altitudes. The temperatures ranges between 20 – 30 C in summers;
while in winter, in rages from -3 – 8 C, making it quite chilly.

8. Essential features in designing of a house
• Building will have sloping roof.
• Windows will have wooden panels.
• Timber paneled wall will be used instead of brick or stone masonry.
• Bedroom will be on south west of the house.
• Kitchen will be on south east of the house.
• Dinning will be on the south.
• Bathroom will be on the north west of the house.

9. • Natural light is important in the house.
• Flooring of the house must be of timber.
• Living area should be in the north of the building.
• Utility rooms should be in the south.
• Cross ventilation is very important for healthy living.
• Tress can be planted near windows to the block cold
air.

10. Design Criteria
• Increase thermal resistance
• Increase thermal capacity
• Increase buffer spaces
• Decrease air exchange rate Roof insulation, wall insulation and
double glazing
• Thicker walls
• Air locks / lobbies
• Reduce shading
• Utilize heat from appliances
• Trapping heat
• Orientation and shape of the building
• Uses of trees as wind barriers.

11. Cold climate
Cold and cloudy Cold and sunny
• HIMACHAL
PRADESH
• LEH LADAKH
• MANGOLIA

12. Roofing in the cold and dry region
• Gable roofs are used in hilly areas, as these roof types are able to
shed snow in the hilly areas.
• The main used material for roofing in hilly area is timber, as it is
locally available from the trees.
• Trees which are used for this purpose are cedar.

14. HIMACHAL
PRADESH - cold and cloudy
- DEV BHOOMI- ABODE OF GODS
• It is situated in the laps of Himalayas –
surrounded by number of ranges
• Main occupation : Agriculture – Wheat,
Maize, Rice, potato, ginger, garlic,
mushrooms, olives.
`

15. Climate : cold and cloudy
• Himachal Pradesh experiences of huge variations in it’s climatic
conditions
(The variations of climatic conditions are divided according to altitude)
1. 450- 900 m – hot and sub humid tropical – southern lower
traces
2. 900-1800 m – warm and temperate
3. 1900-2400 m – cool and temperate
4. 2400-4800 m – cold glacial
5. 3000 m – snowfall
Octobers - very cold
December-march – snowfall
Feb-April - spring season
June rainy - season starts

16. TOPOGRAPHY
AREA: 55673kmsq.
• Shares borders :
• Numerous mountain ranges, like
Shivalik ranges
• (450-6500)m above the sea level
• Latitude : 32’ 22’ 40” north to
33’12’40”north.
• Longitude : 75’ 45’ 55” to 79’
07’20” east.
• 38% of total area under forest
• Satluj is most prominent river,
others are Chenab, Ravi, Beas and
Yamuna.

17. vegetation
Flora:
• Forests
⁻ Alpine scrub forests
⁻ Sub alpine forest
⁻ Montane temperate forests
⁻ Montane sub tropical
⁻ Dry tropical forests
- Moist typical forests
• Medicinal plants
⁻ Latjira-snake bite
⁻ Neelkanthi-used as tonic
⁻ Mimosa –anti-depression
⁻ Aloe-discomfort in stomach and jaundice

18. Major Problems
• Frequent and Seismic tremor
• Problems of soil erosion and land slides.
• Suitable orientation on the hill slopes.
• Existence of tall shoddy trees and dense forest area, which obstruct
the winter sun required for the buildings.
• Limitations on the height of the building due to earthquake risk.
• High cost involved in the site development due to the cutting and the
filling process.
• Non-availability and transportation problems of construction
materials

19. Settlement patterns : Typical village along stepped contours
The traditional settlements appears to have the color of the land and appear just
right almost ecologically planned. The landscape materials, techniques of making, all
contribute to a common formal language of settlement.
Typically located along the contoured sunny slopes admits backdrop of hills and snow
clad mountains and appear to organically grow out of the fold of the landscape.

20. KATH KHUNI TECHNIQUE
• Made of alternate courses of dry stone masonry and wood
without cementing mortar.
• Layering and inter locking timber and stone provides strength,
stability and flexibility (Earthquake resistant).
• These heavy walls allow a good thermal insulation by providing
high time-lag of more than 8 hours. This makes the interior of the
house cooler in summer and warm in winter for maximum part of
the year.
• Above the plinth walls are strong with alternating stone layer, as
the wall rises up it is only the wood frame that is stacked above
another wood frame. This distributes mass optimally.
• Interiors of wall are finished with mud plaster and lined with
wood on account of its good insulation and binding properties.
• Resist sliding or overturning during land movement.
• Dry masonry construction allow stones to undulate within a
flexible wooden frame work to allow energy of earthquake to
disperse.

22. Foundation :
• Stone plinth – 0.6 – 1 meters for two storey buildings.
3 meters for tower temples.
•. The upper floors are made of timber planks and timber-joints

23. WALL :

24. FLOORING
• In the ground level mud
& cow-dung were used
for flooring above the
plinth made of random
rubble masonry. The
upper floors are made of
timber planks and timber-
joists
KITCHEN
• Kitchen made of mud,
placed at center which
helps in keeping the
indoor warm.

25. • Balconies: Provide a good sun-space
or solarium.
• Cantilevered balcony resting on stone
wall
• Wooden members supports it to
provide stability.
• Courtyard:Sunny courtyard to
perform various activities during day time.

26. ROOFING :
• Pitched roof with locally available timber. Slate
used for roof covering. Below the roof a ceiling is
constructed with timber.
• The light-weight roof construction and the air
between the roofing and attic-floor provided a
very good thermal insulation against the passage
of heat.
• Low pitched roof provides a good solution to
drain off the rain-water/ snow from the
dwellings.

27. ATTIC
• Multifunctional space
• Served as abode of god.
• Storage of grain.
• Windows – ventilates and helps to dry the grains .
• Protects from rain.
• Insulates the house

28. LADAKH
Introduction
- Climate
- Topography.
Settlement pattern
Urban plan
Architecture spatial layout
Building material and construction techniques.

29. INTRODUCTION
• Ladakh region is at the highest altitude , belongs to the Tibetan Buddhist sphere, western neighbouring
region is Kashmir.
• Mountainous region
• Little vegetation
• Cold desert

30. CLIMATE: COLD AND SUNNY
• Temperature variations.
SUMMER :Day 17 : 24° C (March – September)
Night 4 : 11°C.
WINTER : Day -14 : 7°C ( October – February )
Night below 0° C -20°C.
• RELATIVE HUMIDITY : Consistently low 10 – 50 %.
• WINDS : Occasionally intense.
• SKY : Fairly clear throughout the year.
• CLOUD COVER: Is less than 50%.
• RAINFALL: 15cm annual average. (very less).

31. TOPOGRAPHY:
• Ladakh is land located between two mightiest
mountains ranges karakoram in north and
great Himalayas in south. Ladakh has its own
range, ladakh range and zanskar range
• Dras, zanskar and the suru valley on the
Himalaya’s northern flanks receive heavy
snow in winter, when it melts in the summer it
becomes only source of the water for the
crops here as there is very less or no rainfall.
• Because of thin air in its atmosphere the heat
of the sun is more intense then at lower
altitude vegetation is very sparse in ladakh except
along stream beds and wet lands, on high slopes
and in irrigated places.

32. SETTLEMENT PATTERN:
• Leh is the biggest town of ladakh.
• The settlements of various sizes are located along the meandering river Indus flowing
from east to west. This creates northern settlements facing south to allow maximum
sunlight.
• The houses are located on slopes
of the mountain rather than the plains
or valley in order to increase the time
duration of sun.
• Also they are close to water bodies and
Fertile land.

33. URBAN PLANNING :
• Leh is typically located on plateau on
the northern banks of Indus river.
• The old town is on southern slopes of
mountains where as newer parts are
extended in plains in south west
direction.
• The highest point of Leh is occupied
by houses of nobles and lower side
by commoners and main bazzar area.

34. • The vertical staging of buildings ensures the sunlight to all individual houses.
• The houses are placed in such a manner so that its 2-3 sides are shared with other
houses to reduce heat loss.
• The street pattern of old town is such that it allows maximum solar penetration.
• The important streets are laid in north south axis.

35. ARCHITECTURE – SPATIAL LAYOUT
• Most of the houses are two storey buildings
• Larger houses are based on courtyard while smaller ones don’t have the
courtyard
• The ground floor is low in height , used in keeping livestock, storage purposes
and also to collect toilet waste.

36. COURTYARDS

37. • Upper floor is used for living purposes usually consist of prayer room, store, toilet, kitchen , drawing and bedroom.
• Sometimes kitchen area and sleeping area are same to add warmth inside the house.
• Main hall is furnished with carpets and smoke chimney.
• The main living room is fitted with large window facing the sun it traps solar radiation as and indigenous green house
mechanism without opening the windows in some cases these windows are provided with double glazing to hence the
insulating properties.

38. • MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
• Primary building material is earth and timber available locally.
• Both are natural materials offering climatic comfort in condition of Ladakh
• They are used due to their high thermal insulating properties.
• Mud plaster is applied on walls.

39. • Quartzite stone is used in making lower
storey palaces or forts where protection
from water is required .
Leh palace
• Stones are used in lower parts of walls to provide protection
and strength.
(stone)

40. • Sun dried earth block- 300x150x150 mm used for walls of thickness 300 or 450 mm.
• Soil available is alluvial soil found in banks of Indus .

41. • Floors of lower storey are made
of mud while upper storey by
timber
• It is observed that traditional
construction of earth block and
timber was able to offer
temperature difference of 40° C
in extreme winters. When
outside is -20 inside it is 20 C
recorded.

42. • The sills and jambs are articulated by the plaster band often coloured in red or black
these timber lintels and plaster bands are the distinct features of ladakhi
architecture. .

43. • ROOF- FLAT ROOF
• Beams are placed 50-60 cm apart
having 15 cm diameter and 3-4 m long.
• These beams are covered by popular
willows spread in the other direction
its thickness is 20-30 mm .
• 15-20 cm of dry grass, hay ,etc…. Over the willows, finally
plaster of clayey mud

45. • Capital and post
supporting the roof.
• This type of wooden
design is speciality of
ladakh.

46. • The lintels of doors and windows are corbelled features with ornamentation.
• Doors and windows are made of timber brought from Kashmir.

47. Mongolia
Climate : Cold and dry
Short summers
Long winters
20-35 cm a year of rainfall
More than half of the country covered in
permafrost
Average temperature below freezing
Average of 257 cloudless days a year

48. Topography
• The main mongolian topographic feature are three mountain ranges,
which creates separate river drainage basins and some different
topographic zones.
• The GOBI DESERT lies in the south of mongolia, and stretches into
northern china. It has VERY LOW RAINFALL which creates the desert
by the rain shadow, formed by 4500 meter high Tibetian Plateau
which blocks rain-bearing clouds.

49. Yurt
• Traditional yurts consist of an expanding wooden circular frame
carrying a felt cover.
• The felt is made from the wool of the flocks of sheep that accompany
the pastoralist .

50. • The frame consists of one or more expanding lattice wall-sections, a
door-frame, bent roof poles and a crown.
• The Mongolian Ger has one or more columns to support the crown
and straight roof poles.

51. Process
• Staring with walls and doors

52. Starting to place roof poles

53. • Roof poles and place

54. • placing the thin inner cover on the roof

55. • adding felt cover

56. • adding the outer cover

57. REFRENCES:
https://www.askideas.com/30-beautiful-inside-pictures-and-photos-of-leh-palace-leh-ladakh/
https://sarikagulati.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/traditional-roofing-in-leh-ladakh/
http://www.kamit.jp/05_wooden/1_ladakh/xint_eng.htm
http://www.academia.edu/12616882/Vernacular_Architecture_and_Climatic_Control_in_the_extreme_conditions
_of_Ladakh