One thing common about most buildings of Bangalore built upto the 1960s is the use of Madras roof/Terrace. It consisted of parrallel wooden beams (mostly teak) placed at equal distances and resting on opposite walls, above it were tightly stacked bricks of about 1 inch thickness cemented using clay+lime mix. There would be cement plastering above and below the bricks. The wooden beams would project out of the front wall of the house/building facing the street and would be made part of beautiful patterns adding to the beauty of the building. The roof would be a good 12 to 18 inches thick. The interiors would be very cool in summer. Many buildings have survived for more than 100 years. The main enemy would be water seepage, which would soak up the entire building if there was even a small damage to the roof cement plaster. However with the fall in prices of cement in the 1970s they became replaced by RCC moulded roofs. I had the privilege of spending a major portion of my childhood in my Grandpas bungalow in Civil & Military Station which has beautiful Madras terraces!
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 14:11:13 +0000
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