Deep Beauty in Architecture: Comparative Analysis of the Traditional-Courtyardand the Contemporary Residencesof Lahore

Abstract

Lahore is among the major urban centers in Pakistan,with increased energy demands,thathas resulted into frequentpowerblackouts. Thegrowing population, economic disparities and competition,hasfurther fueled the energyrequirementsandreliance onmodern comforts [air-conditioners and heaters]. The standardizeddesign layouts of modern housessufferregional identityandcontinuity,thatis typical of traditional residential settings rooted in timeas they progressively evolved in response to cultural and climatic conditions of the city. This study employs the methodology of the “Deep Beauty Framework”[1]used by Coates that critically looks at architecture[in our case house types]on three levels: functional, typological and archetypal. The comparative analysis betweena typicaltraditional courtyard house and a typical modern detached single-family house allows to understandthediametric conditions in design and planning of the two house-types. It also addresses theparadigm shifts driven by current socio-spatial and cultural conditions,establishing new trends for the future. Wearguethat the traditional courtyard house offers a valid proposition in the modern design and planning process. The design attributes of the traditional house instilla sense of place rooted in continuity with history, local/indigenous building materials and relies on passiveheating and coolingtechniques such as cross-ventilation, stack effectandevaporative cooling,that are legitimate propositions for a city that is frequently challenged by energy shortfalls till a permanent solution is achieved. Geometric patterns and arabesque designin the traditional house-types echo cultural continuity withspatial continuity that can beexperienced throughout the house withprospect and refuge spaces[2]such asconnected courtyards andverandasbesideshigh ceilingsfor light and cooling. Courtyards in traditional house-types are known to engendersocial activities within the joint family system in more than one way. Conversely,the present-day detached single-familyhousein Lahorefalls short in meeting the criteria established bythe Deep Beauty Framework.The findings offerdesignopportunitiestohybridizethe unique spatial and physicalcharacteristics of thetraditional house with thespatial proclivities of the modernhouse forinnovativedesigns that are more responsive to the current need,and to re-establish the continuity between the old and the new.