Kerala traditional houses - A Sample Design Entry

In Kerala you generally don’t see row houses or housing clusters. Typically a Kerala home is a detached, independent house in a large parcel of land. Rich and traditional family homes are ‘Nalukettu’. This is an architectural lay out with a central open courtyard and rooms arranged around it. The middle of the courtyard, in Hindu families, usually have a flower bed with the ‘Thulasi’ plants. Thulasi is a plant with religious associations. You see many ‘nalukettu’ in Kerala, though many are being brought down to construct modern concrete buildings. Many of the richer families have multi-storied ‘nalukettu’. In some cases ‘nalukettu’ are repeated forming what is known as ‘Ettukettu’. The temple architecture of Kerala has significantly influenced this style of home design.





Ground floor - 1800 sq ft

Bed room - 3

Bathroom - 4

Court yard

Total Area - 1800 sq ft





Ground floor - 1500 sq ft

First floor - 600 sq ft

Bed room - 4

Bathroom - 4

Total Area - 2100 sq ft





Ground floor - 1400 sq ft

First floor - 400 sq ft

Bed room - 4

Bathroom - 3

Total Area - 1800 sq ft





ACUBE

Builders & Developers

Vayalambam,Anchappalom

Thrichur . DT

Kerala ST

India

Ph: 9645528833,9746024805,9809107286

This is how the post will look like

Architect : Architect Name

Architect and Engineering Consultant

Address

Phone: 0484-1111111

WebSite:www.yoursite.com

Email:yourname@youremail.com



Location: Kochi (sample)

Total Area: 2075 sq ft in 5.90 Cents of land (sample)

Estimate: 14 Lakhs (sample)

Bed Rooms: 3 (sample)

Bathrooms/ Toilets: 3 (sample)

Specialities: Effective space management (sample)

House Exterior

Image Deleted! because the owner of this house want to delete it from here!

House Interior

Image Deleted! because the owner of this house want to delete it from here!

House Floor Plan

Video if Any

History of Nalukettu



The Nalukettu is the traditional style of architecture of Kerala, wherein a house has a quadrangle in the centre.



Originally the abode of the wealthy Brahmin and Nair families, this style of architecture has today become a status symbol among the well to do in Kerala. Nalukettu is evident in the traditional homes of the upper class homestead where customs and rituals were a part of life. The mansion is created using wood and tiles, central open courtyard and wondrous architecture. The interiors of the house are tastefully decorated with a wealth of antiques made from teak, sandalwood, mahogany etc.



Dynastic Influence



Originally the abode of the wealthy Brahmin and Nair families, this style of architecture has today become a status symbol among the well to do in Kerala. Nalukettu is evident in the traditional homes of the upper class homestead where customs and rituals were a part of life.



RoofPrinciples Of The Design



The traditional 'Nalukettu', barring the foundation and floor is made of carved and slotted wood and has a close resemblance to East Asian gabled and thatched structures. In later years, tiles replaced the coconut fronds.



The enclosed courtyard or 'ankanam' is usually sunk and therefore called 'Kuzhi (pit) Ankanam'. The protruding roofs of the 'salas' formed shady verandas and protected the rooms from direct sunlight, keeping them cool even on the hottest of days. The inner verandah around the 'ankanam' is open.



The outer verandahs along the four sides of the 'Nalukettu' are enclosed differently. While both the western and eastern verandahs are left open, the northern and southern verandahs are enclosed or semi-enclosed.



Building Monuments



The Glorious Examples Of Nalukettu



The 'Tantrasamuchaya', 'Vasthuvidya', 'Maushyalaya Chandrika' and 'Silparatna' are the celebrated treatises in the field of architecture that Kerala has contributed to the world.



The Nalukettu of Kerala is famous for building along with the rules of 'Tachu Sastra' (Science of Architecture). The Padmanabhapuram Palace, the Dutch Palace at Mattancherry and Krishnapuram Palace near Kayamkulam are some of the famous palaces of Kerala.



The rock temples, woodcarvings, and metal cuttings are excellent pieces of works of Kerala.



Photos used above are samples. I find images from the Web that are believed to belong in the public domain.