British Colonial Architecture in India

Study Notes

British Architecture

During the British colonial period in India (1757-1858), the British military developed a distinct urban planning style, separating their own spaces from Indian settlements, roads, bridges, embankments, and canals.
The British used two terms to distinguish between building qualities: "kacchā" (inferior quality, makeshift, cheaply made) and "pakkā" (superior quality, durable, well-made, solid, and substantial).
Early British buildings in India were made of bamboo, reeds, and sun-dried mudbricks, with pitched roofs thatched or built with country tiles, and flat roofs made of layers of leaves and earth.
To give a more substantial appearance, facades began to be made of lime plaster stucco incised to look like stone, and later, sham domes and fake pillars were added.
The Public Works Departments (PWDs) of the British East India Company were formalized in 1854-5, but were started in the 1760s as the Company's engineering offices.

Mesopotamia (3000 BC – 330 BC)

Mesopotamia, meaning "between two rivers" (Tigris and Euphrates), was an ancient region in the eastern Mediterranean, corresponding to modern-day Iraq and parts of Iran.
Mesopotamian architectural accomplishments include the development of urban planning, the courtyard house, and ziggurats.
The availability of rich clay in the plain of twin rivers led to the use of clay in all buildings, with brick being the dominant material.
Crude sun-dried bricks were used for ordinary works, kiln-burnt bricks for important works, and glazed bricks for decorative work.
Ziggurats were built by Sumerians, and the absence of stone in Babylon led to the evolution of arch, vault, and dome construction.

Ancient Greek Architecture

Ancient Greek architecture is divided into three orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
Each order has a proportional system, governing the form, proportions, details, and relationships of columns, entablature, pediment, and stylobate.
The Doric Order is the most basic, originating on mainland Greece and spreading to Italy, characterized by a wooden or stone shaft, and was used by Spartans.
The Ionic Order is recognized by its volute-like structures on the capital, and was initially similar in style to the Corinthian Order.
The Corinthian Order is the most decorative, characterized by flowering, leaf-like capitals, and a flat roof.

Ancient Roman Architecture

Ancient Rome is famous for its aqueducts, which supplied the city with 85 million gallons of water daily.
The Pont du Gard aqueduct is a notable example, carrying water from 30 miles away to supply the city of Nîmes with 22,000 tons of water daily.
Typical Roman houses had different-purposed small windowless rooms surrounding a large reception room called an atrium, which was brightly colored and lit with an opening in the roof.
More valuable houses had a second courtyard called a peristyle, planted with trees, flowers, and shrubs, and sometimes had small shops on the exterior facing the road.

Main Features of Roman Architecture

Arches were used for support and decoration, applied to bridges, aqueducts, triumphal arches, and vaults.
Columns were used as support and decoration, adopted from Greek columns, and were used in temples, peristyles, and public courtyards.
Mosaic work was a prominent feature of Roman architecture, used on floors, walls, and vaults, with three main varieties: opus segmentatum, opus tessellatum, and opus vermiculatum.
Opus vermiculatum is a type of mosaic that draws an outline around shapes using tesserae, often used to emphasize main design and foreground details.

Description

This quiz covers the early period of British colonial rule in India, focusing on the urban planning and architectural practices of the East India Company. It explores the distinction between kacchā and pakkā approaches in Indian settlements, roads, bridges, and canals.