Snehal Sen, Naresh Chhatwani
IDEA, Indus University, Ahmedabad, India
Email: sensnehal.15.barch@idea.indusuni.ac.in,
n.chhatwani.idea@indusuni.ac.in

Abstract: The interplay of culture–climate and architecture
has been a theme most widely accepted and researched by
scholars time and again. Rajasthan, for its rich
architectural heritage owing to its culture and tradition, in
a particularly hot and dry climate has been most
appropriate to examine this relationship. However, despite
having rich architectural heritage Sirohi has remained
quite unknown hence this paper tries to fill this gap by the
study of houseform at Sirohi. The Study aims to
comprehend the influence of cultural aspects, layers of
change and continuity,on the architecture of this town.The
Scope of the paper has been limited to three houses of a
community.
Keywords:Architecture of hot and dry climate, settlements
of Sirohi, change and continuity, house, culture,
organization.

INTRODUCTION
The built form in traditional architecture is a
product of culture, social beliefs, time, material and climate
contributing to a sense of rootedness. The traditional
architecture reflects this very concept across all scales i.e. –
house, cluster, and city. A city at any time period is in a
stage where something happens continuously. It can be seen
as a manifestation of these layers at any period of time.
Thus in the continual process of time, the city can be
understood by examining the factors which lead to
continuity and change.Traditional houses, those which are
specific to a region and culture, and built with local
ingenuity, criticallyprovide a sense of belonging and cultural
identity. The house is a microcosm that satisfies not only our
biological but also our “social and spiritual needs”
(Jackson1952).
Hot and arid climate, along with the cultural
patterns of Rajasthan has generated a particular kind of
builtform in this region. The buildings are introverted and
the courtyard is the most central space of the house and
holds the surrounding spaces it is like a nucleus
towardswhich all other things gravitate; its strength lies in its
capacity to provide protection against climate.

AIM
The research aims to examine the factors of the
formation of a house from the earliest point to the present,
identify the continuing and changing factors with
understanding the influence of change.
OBJECTIVES
 To document the traditional architecture of Sirohi.
 To analyse the organization of houses and understand
the traditional pattern of house form in relation to
habitants.
 To identify the tangible and intangible factors that
sustain, modify and change house form.

METHODOLOGY
The research has relied on primary and secondary
sources for data collection and understanding of the different
phenomenon. The initial research consists of library research
from books, articles, thesis for understanding the aspect of
culture and to know the history of Sirohi, Rajasthan. As a
means to collect the data of the city, many historians,
scholars and writers in the area were interviewed. The
second stage is of documenting the chosen case studies
which include measure draw, photo documentation, and
informal interviews. The third stage includes the analysis of
case studies to identify the factors in the formation of house
form, examine the continuing, changing factors and
influence of change.

CONCLUSIONS
In a modern context where architects hold the
prime role in shaping the house form, it is pertinent to look
back at this traditional architecture to understand the role of
core space and organization and reflect back on it.