architectural features of traditional Kerala house

1. TROPICAL
MONSOON
CLIMATE

2. Tropical monsoon
● Mainly found in regions with warm or high
temperatures.
● The tropical wet monsoon climate is seen
in Indian coastal states of Kerala,
southern Assam and the Western
Ghats,Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and
Lakshadweep islands.
● The above-listed places experience
moderate to high-temperature conditions
throughout the year.
● These areas receive an annual rainfall of
2,000 mm ranging within the months of
May to November.
● The driest of the months in these regions
range from December to March.

3. KERALA
ARCHITECTURE
KERALA
ARCHI
TECTURE

4. BUILDING MATERIAL
The major materials used are
Laterite stone, Granite stone
for foundations, Wood, Clay
roof tiles and Bamboo.
All these materials are locally
available thus they have low
embodied energy due to its
minimum transportation.
The Mud mortar is used as a
building element and mud is
Used for making wall, clay
tiles,etc.

5. ROOFING SYSTEM
Classical Kerala architecture incorporates a bamboo frame topped with thatch or shingled terracotta tiles.
Structurally the roof is supported by the pillars on walls resting on a plinth which is raised from the ground. This
affords protection against dampness and insects in the tropical climate
The roofline projects out to shade the walls from rain and sun and also creates large shadows preventing direct
sunlight on the home’s walls.
These steeped roof helps in rainwater discharge as heavy rains is one of the important concerns.

6. FLOORING
The most common type of flooring was that of beaten earth polished with cow dung at regular
intervals
The flooring is made out of Indian patent stone, which is usually colored black to keep the
interior space dark and cool.

7. Windows
Gable windows at the two ends of the home
provide attic ventilation. This creates a
ventilated, sandwiched space between the
ceiling and the roof, which conducts heat
away from the ceiling and in turn from the
inside of the home

8. COURT YARD
The home itself is built around a
central open-to-sky courtyard space,
which provides ventilation and light
The courtyard in a traditional Kerala
home commonly features a shallow
pool of water, which helps to cool
the home by continuous evaporation
under the hot skies.
The differential heating of spaces
creates ventilation inside the house
by pulling cool air into the home.

9. In typical kerala house cross
ventilation is enhanced by
provision of fenestrations on
opposite walls.
Various kinds of fenestrations are
used ranging from typical two
paned casement windows to the
uapoom.
The wooden jaalis are arranged
meticulously to cut off glare and
bring in diffused light and
improve air movement.
FENESTRATIONS

10. Side lighting and top lighting are used to bring
in daylight.
The fenestration are generally placed in
northern side to get glare free sunlight.
The top lighting glass roof tiles are used in
strategic places to bring in daylight thus
reducing the energy used for artificial lighting.
Shading devices for windows as well as walls
are used to cut down solar heat gain.
The eaves of the roofs are projected to act as
a shading device for the walls if the verandahs
are not being provided.
FENESTRATIONS