Assessment of Traditional Architecture of Lucknow With Reference to Climatic Responsiveness

Abstract

Introduction: Traditional architecture, all over the world, has many characteristics that ensure thermal comfort. In the past, people built their houses in harmony with the environment, while also optimally utilizing the building materials available locally. The traditional built form was climate-responsive; it evolved over centuries of experience and observations of climate and nature. The traditional local architecture of Lucknow (a North Indian historical city) has employed some ingenious natural and passive techniques to maintain thermal comfort within the building, particularly during the hottest hours of the day. In this paper, we discuss the traditional built form of Lucknow through the lens of its climatic appropriateness, especially during the hottest hours of the day. Methods: The research methodology involves the study of the thermal performance of two traditional houses and one modern dwelling unit in Lucknow during the climatic extremes, i.e. summer and winter, by means of on-site monitoring of temperature and relative humidity. Results and discussion: We have summarized the comparative analysis of the thermal performance of traditional houses and modern houses and drawn conclusions from the factors that are responsible for providing thermal comfort. The analysis shows that the use of natural and passive techniques in the traditional buildings of Lucknow is very effective in terms of providing a thermally comfortable space, warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Influence of Courtyard on the Behavioural, Cultural, Climatic and Spatial Characteristics in a Transformed Vernacular Courtyard House – A Case Study in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu

“…Courtyard is one of the familiar elements in the regional architectural styles designed to use the sun's warmth and light. It was observed that the traditional courtyard houses of Lucknow, which are compact and self-shaded can limit the daytime indoor temperature rise during summer (4) . Results from quantitative evaluation carried out on the vernacular buildings of Bikaner, India revealed that natural and passive design systems provide comfortable indoor environment irrespective of the outdoor climatic conditions.…”