Every summer, my family travelled to Kerala to stay over at my family ancestral home to spend time with the extended family. Although I never appreciated my parents for it at the time, I feel very grateful for the experiences and memories that I cherish to date.
None of us looked forward to the scorching heat of the summer, however, we beat it with air coolers, buttermilk, and cold showers. Architecture of Kerala’s traditional houses however played as the first barrier against the heat. From terracotta roof tiles through to coating the walls in chunambu (white limestone) that flaked and ruined our clothes whilst playing hide and seek, were construction methods that helped the houses breathe.
Many of the features like narrow slits on external walls within a corridor, and high ceilings were so aesthetically pleasing that I never realized had a purpose at the time.
I remember walking through the padippura (roofed gateway) in a dazed manner, imagining myself as the thamburatti (queen) of the village heading to her castle. Oh, that wonderful feeling!
The poomukham (entrance verandah) with the charupadi (verandah seating) was so inviting, especially for its shade that I almost always forgot about the burning stoned pavement that led me up to it.
The fact that the verandah visually connected to the green backyard through the nadumuttam (central courtyard) made the sun feel less harsh than it was.
I can’t begin to explain the feeling when it rained, oh the beautiful rain!
It trickled down the rain chain and wet the mud, which arose the sweet smell of rain as if to elevate all my senses to personify that it was raining indeed!
The house homed it in within the nadumuttam (central courtyard) that in turn housed the Tulasi plant worshiped by my family, although I thought they tasted better than they looked.
The house missed out on an ambala kulam (pond) that would have helped keep the house cool, but most importantly been the coolest feature of the house!
I believe the house is calling out for a refurbishment with minimal changes to accommodate my family’s needs because the structure looks beautiful with all its features, especially the grand usage of wood.
As represented below, I have attempted to give it a revamp to elevate the appearance of the house, and hopefully continue to house the generations to come!
EXISTING
PROPOSED
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