THE TRADITIONAL INDIAN HOUSE: ITS RHYTHMS AND RITUALS

摘要

Based on direct experience, laboratory studies and a literature search, this paper compares low-energy adaptations to climate that people use in the houses of two separate parts of India. Rajasthan, the northwestern most state, is the driest part of India with almost no rainfall, hot summers and mild winters. The southern regions have a coastal climate, hot and humid with a cooler monsoon season. People in both places migrate within their houses for comfort, but the directions and rhythms of movement are different; corresponding patterns of social behavior accentuate and even celebrate the differences. The comparison suggests new ways to organize and use space for sustainability and life quality.