Abstract

Building forms have evolved through microclimatic adaptations. The torrid heat of the tropics with its blinding light is very different to the diffusion of mellow light around comparable structures in the mid-latitudes. Cultural adaptations have been tangibly perceived by architects all across the world. It has ushered in eclecticism in the application of technology and knowledge, most lucidly so in the realm of the built environment. Traditional compartmentalization disappeared altogether as engineers and architects commingled. In this study, we freely use design concepts embedded in software like Ecotect Analysis, to clearly demarcate the active and passive zones through heat and mass transfer calculations. These pathways are complemented by real life photography to study light and shadows in Gujarat’s architecture spanning three millennia—from Lothal (part of the Indus Valley Civilization) to modern buildings. Gujarat is a seat of many cultural upheavals, unleashing a plethora of forms and rhythms. For example, the Muslims, Parsees and Bohras who settled in various parts of Gujarat adopted the ‘Dandak’ house forms, unique to this part of the world. Modernism took a foothold after the Europeans arrived on her shores. We study the evolution of these myriad forms from the point of view of energy flows around built structures. We believe this analysis will inform landscape architects and town planners worldwide.