1st Edition

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

By Madhavi Desai, Miki Desai Copyright 2012
256 Pages
by Routledge

256 Pages
by Routledge

256 Pages
by Routledge

The primary era of this study - the twentieth century - symbolizes the peak of the colonial rule and its total decline, as well as the rise of the new nation state of India. The processes that have been labeled 'westernization' and 'modernization' radically changed middle-class Indian life during the century. This book describes and explains the various technological, political and social... Read more
Contents: Preface; Introduction: the bungalow: its origins and its evolution in 20th century India; Part I The Family House: A point of departure: residential building types in India in 1900 - indigenous and colonial; The utility of the bungalow as a precedent for 20th century residential architecture. Part II The Evolution of the Bungalow and its Offspring in the 20th Century: Suburbanization, cultural change and building type modifications; Architects, architectural fashions and stylistic shifts; Regional climates and cultures and house form: diversifying and homogenizing factors. Part III Postscripts: Apartments and bungalows, villas and 'farm' houses; Conclusion: the disappearing bungalow?; Bibliography; Index.

Biography

Jon Lang, Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia and Director for urban design at ERG/Environmental Research Group, Inc., Philadelphia Pennsylvania,USA

'Though a great deal of lucid writing exists on monumental Indian architecture, few architects today have given scholastic space to domestic buildings. The book is both an amalgamation of the many forms of the Indian house, as well as a distillation of that strange hybrid called the bungalow. Rigorous research expected of the impeccable credentials of the authors, places the once dormant subject squarely on the literary table. A scholarly work, immensely readable.' Gautam Bhatia, Architect, India 'This rich documentation and interpretation of the Bungalow in India propels our understanding of its contemporary and mutated manifestations and establishes its deep influence on our thinking about cities in South Asia - the book is a great handbook for practitioners in India.' Rahul Mehrotra, Harvard University, USA