Windows

Modern windows and their construction, both in India and the US, have bothered me quite a bit for the following reasons:

- Window sills, whenever they exist, are on the outside of the building. These sills are rendered useless, collecting dust and debris.
- The placement and height of the windows ensured that we stared at the walls when we sat on the floor and never could enjoy the view, defeating the very purpose of having those windows there.  Since we preferred floor seating, this issue was nagging me constantly.
- Elaborate window grills are maintenance nightmares.
- Windows with glass panes let in heat even when they are closed.
- Window panes are too big; there is no way to open small portions.
- Windows that are flush with the wall seemed to me like incomplete construction.

So I decided to understand windows very well, before we started our house construction.

Our architect Mr. Sudhir, founder of Peoples Architecture Commonweal (www.commonweal.in), specializes in vernacular architecture. He insisted on us visiting many local traditional houses and gaining understanding on how and why things were done the way they were.

On close observation, I realized that the windows in old, traditional style houses in our village differed quite a bit from the ones in new houses and also had addressed many of my concerns. I wrote about these houses here:

http://devandhema.blogspot.com/2017/12/when-beauty-gives-way.html

With aesthetics and utility in mind, I started fervently reading Christopher Alexander’s book “A Pattern Language” and found it to be a great resource in designing our house. Here I illustrate the features of our house that are in line with the patterns in this book.

Most of our windows are 18” from the floor. They are all used; procured from building demolition sites. All our windows have four panes; two top panes and two bottom ones (pattern 239-Small Panes). The panes are solid wood. In some windows, the small non-operable part at the top is glass. Our walls are 15” thick; 50% thicker than normal brick walls (pattern 197-Thick Walls, pattern 223-Deep Reveals). This is because of the outer skin of burnt bricks that is covering the inner adobe bricks. The thickness of the walls  provides ample sill space. In some places we have extended this sill space to achieve window seating (pattern 202-Built-in Seats). Christopher Alexander says:  "windows that create “places” next to them are not simply luxurious, they are necessary" (pattern 180-Window Places).

A built-in bench by the window in the living area

A built-in bench by the window, connecting kitchen and dining spaces

A built-in window seat

This built-in bench merges with the window sill

Kitchen Window

The kitchen window sill merges with the counter

From Christopher Alexander’s book, I learned that not all windows have to be of the same size. Also, in some places it is not appropriate to have big windows. This was the case in our corridor connecting the two rooms. We have a small window here offering a glimpse of the easterly view,  as in pattern 134-Zen View. 

I enjoy these window places so very much.

-- Hema

Vignesh

In this post I will showcase the work of a talented 15 year old friend of ours. Vignesh came to me last year to learn English. Like the other kids in our rural neighbourhood he was shy in the beginning, but unlike them he was also thoughtful and sensitive. Over time we found out he was good at sketching, painting, clay modelling, and cooking, largely self-taught. Once in a while he brought some of his creations to my “English class”. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of his clay pieces despite the rough material involved. The material used in all the pieces shown is just unfiltered clay harvested from a local pond.

The following two pictures are of Vignesh’s self-portrait.

During the course of our English classes I got to know him better. He told me that since he was in X grade he was being forced to go for private tuition, both before and after school hours. Thus he hardly had any time for himself. He expressed his oppressive situation in the sculpture below, which shows two school children with wings attached but begging for freedom to fly.

Children enjoying each other’s company.

For Ganesh Chaturthi, Vignesh’s Ganesha falls prey to the modern lifestyle.

A more conventional Saraswati for Navratri.

More deities for the local festivals.

Once when the squirrel foundling that Abhi and Aparna were raising suddenly died, Vignesh made this clay squirrel below to help them deal with the loss.

Since we found his talent exceptional, we made arrangements for him to host a few sessions in Chennai where Vignesh got to share his clay modelling skills.

Here he is helping with a rocket stove that we built recently.

Vignesh is out of school and currently enrolled with NIOS (National Institute for Open Schooling) for his Senior Secondary (XII grade) exams. He thus has plenty of time to pursue his interests.