Architecture · Research
Artisans Directory
A Comprehensive Study of Alternative Building Technologies and Cultural Practices
About the Project
Saurashtra is one of the few regions in India where artisans are still actively practicing traditional building methods. That living continuity made it the right place to document, before industrialization and economic pressure complete what they have already started elsewhere.
In partnership with Dustudio and INTACH, this project set out to systematically study, document, and compile the alternative building technologies that have shaped the architectural vocabulary of the region. The goal was threefold: to preserve knowledge that exists primarily in the hands and memories of practicing artisans, to make it accessible to architects and policymakers, and to advocate for its continued relevance in contemporary construction.
My Role
I traveled across villages in the Saurashtra region conducting on-the-ground documentation of each building system: photography, written process documentation, material proportion recording, and interviews with practicing artisans. I also contributed to writing sections of the final published directory.
Building Elements Studied
The research documented building systems designed around local knowledge, materials, and craftsmanship. Four systems were studied in full:
The Directory
The findings were compiled into a documentation report designed to keep these techniques from being lost, and to raise awareness about the pressures facing the communities that practice them: economic precarity, diminishing apprenticeships, and a market that consistently undervalues handcraft in favor of industrialized alternatives.
Workshops, seminars, and field visits brought together historians, anthropologists, architects, and artisans to facilitate knowledge exchange and build dialogue around these practices. The findings were published in the INTACH Directory of Traditional Building Crafts of India: Volume 1 Saurashtra.
View Documentation ↗Field Photography
