Socio-Environmental Sustainability of Traditional Courtyard Houses of Lucknow and Varanasi

Abstract

The courtyard houses have an important place in the history of architecture. They play a vital role in the social and environmental sustainability of that place. This paper aims to identify the significance of courtyards in composite climate by analyzing the associated space, function, courtyard configuration, and socio-cultural connections. Accordingly, eight courtyard houses of Lucknow and Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, India) were selected for analysis based on their heritage value (in terms of age) and placement in the courtyard. Drawings of these houses were prepared through a site survey. Illumination data in the courtyard and adjacent spaces was measured through a lux meter. Various parameters of the courtyard, such as placement, size (length, breadth, and height), and connection to adjacent spaces, were analyzed through the above-collected data. The analysis concluded that the courtyard houses with NS orientation with significant height have good thermal comfort and daylight in the adjacent spaces.

The Religious Values of the Traditional Ceremony in Building a Bengkulu Malay Traditional House

“…This is related to the desire to be able to maintain and continue life so that community members will spontaneously think of ways to do or create something. Sociocultural functions of traditional houses (Pratiwinindya et al, 2017;Verma & Bano, 2023) are the function of the structural parts of space in a traditional house according to their purpose, in human relations with other humans in the family and community, such as the function of space for guests, for family, and for sleeping. The ecological function of a traditional house is the function of the form and structure of the house which is related to the function for the health, comfort, and safety of its occupants concerning geographical conditions, weather, climate, and the threat of wild animals.…”