Extract

There are many studies conducted to emphasize the importance of climatic conditions in
defining the traditional house form but in 19th century another school of thought was introduced by
researchers stating that the essence of a traditional house form is the socio-cultural aspects of the
community it belongs. The paper is based on understanding the role of climate and socio-cultural
aspects in Indian context with reference to typical hill settlements by taking three different villages in the Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh having similar topography, climatic conditions and available
resources. The study based on primary data collected using the case study method. Field visits were
conducted to interview people and document traditional houses from villages selected. Typical house
plan of each village is chosen for analysis and different elements of the house are related with the
climate and socio-cultural aspects of the region. The points of similarity and contrast are found to
understand the role of climate and socio-cultural aspects in the traditional house form. Finally, it is
concluded that difference in organization of spaces, aesthetic treatment and material used accentuates
the fact that socio-cultural aspects play a dominant role in deciding the form and spatial organization of spaces.

Keywords: Sustainability; climate; socio-cultural; traditional house forms.

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