wooden architecture of Kerala, a review
After the very popular, Architecture and Independence: Search for Identity — India, 1880 to 1980 and the rigorous, The Bungalow in Twentieth-Century India: The Cultural Expression of Changing Ways of Life and Aspirations in the Domestic Architecture of Colonial and Post-Colonial Society, Miki Desai’s latest book, Wooden Architecture of Kerala is a refreshingly appropriate contribution to a scant landscape of architectural design writing in the country. All books are surveys, attempts to encompass an entirety of an identified knowledge landscape. Writing practice of Mr Desai is also a collaborative one where Madhavi Desai and Jon Lang have worked with him on earlier mentioned projects. As a solo attempt, this book compiles, a set of personal observations and reflections about architecture from a region. Mostly a structured archive, the exercise collects a series of ideas generated from commissioned research projects, institutional studies, documentation exercises, guided thesis projects and possibly self-funded site visits. Contemporary design education as pointed out does not accommodate regional architectural design knowledge resulting in projects that are contextually inconvenient and unsustainable. It is to address this need the author assembles his practice revolving around the study of Indian architecture where this book records pursuits of an endeavour.
Content compiled takes the form of discussions about regional architecture and not necessarily regional wooden architecture. Though the introducing frame (1. Wooden Architecture in the South Asian and Indian Context) is a brief overview of South Asian vernacular architecture involving geographies where traditional building culture uses wood as its primary building material, the content presented is too fleeting to derive anything substantial. It acts in the form of a list to locate Kerala wooden architecture. Descriptions of information collected are the construct for the next three chapters (2. Introduction to Kerala’s Society and Architecture, 3. Religious Architecture of Kerala, 4. Residential Architecture of Kerala) as well, which focusses on the Kerala society and its architecture based on religious and residential building typologies. Narrative logic is disconcerting since most of the text reads like a patchwork of ideas rather than a single coherent essay or content section. Next two chapters (5. The Spatial Expression, 6. Building Components, Technology, and the Craftsman in Wood) articulates better but still feels predominately like a collage where certain details are missing or considered for editing. All these read as a collection of facts accessed from popular discussions and conversations about Kerala architecture but possibly now for this instance strung together. A larking urgency throughout the text is to present or see ideas from Gujarat. Direct comparison at instances clouds observations especially in the case of recognising societal changes.
The teaching of vernacular architecture and architectural conservation help identify knowledge gaps that are pertinent. It is observed that vernacular architecture is recorded and never methodologically investigated. There is not enough distinction provided between the two. Living and living spaces as separate constructs are where research inadequacies lie, based on this authors survey of publications on Indian Architecture. Vijayan K. Pillai, in his forward, suggests this work as an exemplar of an ‘ethnographic architecture’ study. Used also as “architectural ethnography” by Momoyo Kaijima in an alternate reading about production of contemporary Japanese architecture, a third position to look at society and its architecture is recognised. Corroborated from Desai’s conclusions, systematic readings of the culture to influence building practices are missed out in heritage conservation architecture and its trappings are objectified always. Coursework, at instances, has got the tendency to misconstrue vernacular architecture as a form-based investigation. The solution, therefore, lies in ethnographic building sciences studies that are now at its infancy in both academia and practice. A case for humanities or for that matter sociology could be made here. But neither have the tools to address the tasks at hand.
Social changes and resultant manifestations in the built fabric needs review before any effort is made to document its architecture. For e.g. application of buildings materials such as wood becomes a concern when a community loses interest in using it. Industries dependent on the specific culture of production move on, owing to lack of patronage and shifting priorities. Reintroducing it for popular acceptance needs alternate strategies than enforcing cultural heritage mandates or building guidelines. Narratives laid out with this study is one platform to begin. For an alternate structure of this work suggested, the text starts with the availability of the type of wood used in building construction in a region and a history of the processing technology available. This is followed by methods of application and prominent practices. Finally developing these further to specific typological and spatial case studies. These are directional possibilities. There will be several others like it. For now, a conversation on regional building practices begins. Attempts to build on the discussion is urgent, making this book is a marker to relook how regional vernacular studies are conducted.
