干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

'Our lives are conducted within the environmental system, which is intertwined, connected and sensitive to changes in the subset of parts. These changes affect our lifestyle, the way we build and our physical well being.'(1)

The area under study is Banni- Kachchh, a desert region in western India. This region, like many rural regions in India, is undergoing changes due to natural and man made reasons. In the past 10 yrs the occupation patterns have altered largely due to environmental changes and exposure to the urban environment. These changes in turn have affected the resource base from which the people build.

The objective of this study was to understand the relationship of the physical environment and climate to the people and their building activity in order to facilitate the formation of an appropriate technology for the region. The study also evaluates the relative performance of traditional and contemporary building systems in use, to comprehend the appropriateness of existing technologies.