Decoding Namboothiri illams of Kerala: A shape grammar approach

Abstract

The mana/ illam is a courtyard house typology found in the southern Indian state of Kerala, specific to the elite Namboothiri Brahmin community, who are members of the highest caste in the Hindu hierarchy, noted for their scholarship and wealth. These are highly decorated palatial houses built using timber or exposed laterite with sloped gable roofing designed to survive the heavy monsoons, expressive of Kerala’s rich vernacular and traditional architecture. This paper describes the language of mana/illam using shape grammar. To formulate the shape grammar, 36 samples of mana/illams across Kerala were architecturally documented, analysed, and their characteristics and differences in typology were determined. Three typologies of mana/illams are identified; spatial configurations, proportions, and hierarchy are examined, from which the vocabulary and rulesets for the shape grammar are formulated. Sixty-eight shape rules are defined across 20 stages. Sixty plan typologies of mana/illam are generated to illustrate the grammar.