Spatial Adaptability of British Colonial Bungalows in the Indian Context Case of Ahmedabad

Abstract

Britishers came to India as traders and settled down as rulers for the next 200 years. Over the years, they spread throughout the country settling through forming cantonments, administrative cities, hill stations, tea estates, etc. All the cities and towns saw architectural marvels built by the Britishers. Built form has always been the physical manifestation of power that they held on foreign soil. Their residences were not ordinary either. There was a search of luxurious, yet a weather comfort house. This is where the Bungalow concept is traced back to. The colonial bungalow typology originated from the amalgamation of British houses (in England) with the small hut or dwellings of farmers in Bengal, as a response to the local climate, terrain, and culture. This typology of residence was adopted in the cantonment regions, capital cities, hill stations, teaestates, and wherever the Britishers settled in the Indian subcontinent. This form of residence did not only maintain the cultural realm of Britishers but also attempted to address the socio cultural differences that prevailed between Britishers and Indians. The study aims to establish how these challenges have influenced the spatial arrangements in the colonial Bungalows. The research also analyses how these bungalows, were different from the existing houses in Britain, in order to understand spatial adaptability in the Indian context. It further analyses the influence of cultural congruence on the spaces of the Bungalow typology.