IS VASTUSHASTRA REALLY IMPORTANT ?

The advent of this ancient science (is it a science?) of Vastushastra is credited to the Vedic civilization in our country, where a Vastupurush mandala was used to define the cardinal directions of placing various rooms within the house. In last 15 years or so, we are witnessing a revival, where many people claim that if this system is followed, we get results like health & wealth in our life. There are for & opposite opinions towards this aspects.

There are certain directional aspects given in Vastushastra which hold true & seem logical, if we want to place a house on an open plot in our Hot tropical country . Eg – Kitchen to the east /southeast will obviously have morning sun rays coming in Kitchen & you will feel fresh. Bedroom advocated by vastushastra in south west is considered to be the major direction of wind. Living areas to north are the areas which will remain cool because as sun moves from east to west, it seldom comes in from the north inside the house. Staircase block placed in south or west increases building height & shades the house. The open space as per vastushastra is in the center. Most of our traditional houses had shaded courtyards from where light & ventilation to inner rooms were taken.

Let us not forget that even if Vastushatra is our ancestral wisdom,it evolved centuries ago when the social conditions were different . When you try to apply the same logic of cause & effect of the Do’s & Dont’s  in today’s circumstances of apartment housing built to accommodate more & more units for Sale only, the original wisdom is twisted & applied. When you put four apartments around one staircase & lift shaft, you are bound to get three apartments which are non Vastu complaint as per the directions given by Vastushastra. Certain logical explanations regarding history & evolution of Vastushatra are given in the web site of Maharashtra Andhashradha Nirmulan Samiti. Check their url with link -www.antisuperstition.org

So I  leave it to you to believe it or not !

As Architects, we believe that the logic of Design lies in Space making & providing comfortable living conditions in your home with or without Vastushastra.

- Hrishikesh

DO WE NEED WALLS ?

Do we really need walls in houses today? 

The concept of wall dividing rooms evolved due to the notion of privacy & security. In the times when women & children were not supposed to mix with the outside guests, kitchens were with walls & doors. Many a times , in the old typologies like ‘Wada’ or Haveli, you will find separate internal courtyards, where the kitchens & family spaces open out. Against the huge size of earlier houses, our homes are like match boxes (apartment blocks). Also now times have changed, where women are equal (or stronger !) than men & are mostly working women. The kitchen is no longer a secret or a very private space. & can be opened out to the living areas. Hence the walls between Kitchen & Living can ‘disappear’ or have a semi existence enough to cut of the vision (of the mess we create while cooking) from the living areas. Yes but we do need walls with doors for Bedrooms which are still very private spaces. Sometimes walls can become grills or semi transparent screens as well. Thus the locations & character of walls depends upon the ‘notion of privacy’ of your own family.

Here are a few examples of Walls between Kitchen & Living rooms

In our own home, a step wall with high ceiling connects living room to the kitchen. It hides a refrigerator behind it.

 A stepped wall with  connects living room to the kitchen. It hides a Kitchen ota behind it. This is in a 3bhk fkat we customized in Kothrud -Pune.

A dwarf wall which divides (& hides a dining table) Living room & Kitchen in another house we customized in Pune.

Here is a wall in form of a partition in a friends house, we did. It has a glass which stills brings light from the large kitchen window behind but also has storage which can be accessed from the kitchen.

You can very well have an Open kitchen, if you eliminate the wall between Living / Dining & Kitchen. Some times , even a serving platform counter with cabinets above  can partially divide the Kitchen from the living area.

We still feel , bedroom need walls, though few days back, a very senior Architect was telling me about this house which he is doing, where bedrooms do not have walls, but sliding translucent glass partitions. So the entire house opens & glass screens can slide whenever you require them to. Strangely, the traditional Architecture of Japan had sliding screens dividing rooms many centuries ago!

So, when you have a  question about building internal walls, think twice before you build them. If you don’t something different can be done with them.


-   Hrishikesh