Spatial Component

A courtyard is an important device for the tectonics of space and for giving a meaningful disposition. The size of the opening and the periphery are crucial to the making of the courtyard. The havelis and the pol houses of Gujarat, the Nambudri/Nair houses of Kerala, and the Chettiyar houses of Tamil Nadu have some of the epitomic courtyards. They respond to different socio-cultural backgrounds or rather shape the social and behavioral aspects of thesecommunities. The small courtyards of pols and the large ones of the havelis are the social hubs where the life outside is played out within a closed environment. These courtyards of hot-dry region efficiently perform the climatic function of keeping the houses cool. Below the courtyard is the water tank that stores the water collected during monsoon. Some of these could be two and three storeys deep. Traditionally the courtyards always had the swing, a single most indigenous piece of furniture. It managed to spell themagic of anchoring the social interaction where the matriarch, the patriarch or an important person assumed the role of an anchor as per the time of the day.
Courtyards

Courtyards

A colonial time version of a traditional courtyard of a Nagar house with a water storage tank under it, Bhavnagar. Below: A traditional Gujarati courtyard of a Haveli in Vaso with a water tank under it.