VAASTU SHASTRA IN MODERN BUILDNG CONSTRUCTION

WHAT IS VAASTUSHASTRA

• Vaastu shastra is a Vast and ancient science of

living. The word Vaastu is derived from the

root ‘Vas’ which means ‘to reside’

• Vaastu shastra means science of architecture

and construction.

PURPOSE Vaastushastra is a natural Science which is very vast, and immense.

Vaastushastra find its importance in all kinds of buildings. The importance

of Vaastushastra has augmented in modern times. The complete wisdom

of Vaastushastra is based on scientific facts. It considers Sunrays,

gravitational force, magnetic power, geographical condition, the five

elements, and directions which is very essential to construct a house. If

setting of things are according to principles of vaastu, the thoughts, speech

& action are supported by nature and lead to health wealth and happiness.

So it is needed to construct a building according to Vaastushastra.

MAIN COMPONENTS OF VAASTU IN BUILDINGS

Two main components to construct a building are-

Shape of plots and directions

1.Shape of plots:

Everyone needs a plot, big or small or of various shapes, according to ones

requirements. Various kinds of plots for construction of a dwelling place are as

follows:

Rectangular Plots, Square Plots, Bar-Shaped Plot, Wheel-Shaped Plot, Triangular Plot,

Muller-Shaped Plot, Oblique Plot, Lion – face shaped Plots, Cow – faced Plot, Cart –

shaped Plot, Bow – shaped Plot, T – Shaped Plot.

2.Directions

East, West, North, South are

the four main directions. The

middle directions of these four

directions are called co-sister

directions.

These are also four:

1. Eesanya North East(water)

2. vayuvya – North West(air)

3. Agneya – South East(fire)

4. Nyruthi– South West(earth).

PRINCIPLES OF VAASTU IN BUILDINGS Planning of a building according to Vaastu pre-supposes certain principles. 1. Aspect. 2. Prospect. 3. Privacy. 4. Furniture requirement. 5. Roominess. 6.

Grouping. 7. Circulation. 8. Sanitation. 9. Flexibility. 10. Elegance. 11. Economy. 12. Practical considerations.

Aspect: The manner of arrangement or peculiarity of arrangement of the doors and

windows in the external walls of the building is termed as aspect. Prospect: It is to enrich the outside view . Privacy: Privacy is the screening provided for the individuals from the others. It is different

from seclusion. It is one of the important principles in the planning of buildings of all types in general and residential buildings in particular.

Furniture requirement: While planning a building, furniture arrangements must be shown to justify the size of a

room. Roominess: Room should have all proportional dimensions. A square room has no advantage and a

rectangular room of the same floor area gives a better outlook. Similarly height also plays an important role.

Grouping: Grouping is the planning of two or more related rooms in proximity of each other. It

minimizes the circulation and at the same time improves the comfort, privacy and convenience of the inmates of the house.

Circulation: Circulation is the access into or out of a room. Sanitation: It is the provision and upkeep of the various components of a house to keep the inmates

cheerful and free from disease. Flexibility: Flexibility means that a room which is planned for one function can be used for other, if so

required.

Elegance: Elegance is the grand appearance of a building attained mainly owing to the

elevation which in turn depends on the plan. Selection of site for the building greatly affects the elegance.

Economy: The building should have minimum floor area with maximum utility. It will reduce

cost and hence will be economical. Practical considerations: The following practical points should be kept in mind in the planning of a residential

building. 1. Strength and stability coupled with convenience and comfort of the occupants

should be the first consideration in planning. 2. In the years to come, a man perhaps has to add a wing or extend some part of the

house. Provision for this should be made in the planning in the first instance so that some part already built may not be required to be dismantled in future.

3. As far as possible, sizes of rooms should be kept large. Larger rooms can be shortened by providing movable partitions, but smaller rooms cannot be enlarged.

4. Use prefabricated elements for lintels, chajjas, steps etc. This measure is useful in effecting economy.

LAYOUT OF ROOMSVaastushastra enumerates

definite directions and places

for various rooms to be

constructed in a residential

building .

REQUIREMENTS FOR VARIOUS ROOMS

1. Drawing or living room It should be comfortable and spacious room. It should get adequate natural light

and breeze. It should be as nearer to the entrance of the building as possible. It should be well lighted and properly ventilated. The number of doors in a drawing room should be few as possible.

2. Dining room It should be cool. It is to be connected to the kitchen. A minimum floor area of 15

sq. m and a minimum width of 3 m are needed. The normal size of dining room is 4.0 x 3.0m, so as to accommodate dining space for six persons with proper and sufficient space for circulation round the table.

3. Kitchen The atmosphere of kitchen should be pleasant and cheerful. S-E corner is the best

location for the kitchen. Adequate lighting at both day and night is essential. For that a window towards north to provide light without heat and another towards east to receive the morning sun is needed.

4. Bed Room Bed room should get plenty of natural breezes and hence, should be located in the

direction of the prevailing wind particularly in summer in tropics, i.e. in north-west or south-west. Windows are so located to get maximum breeze anytime.

5. Bath and Water Closets Bath room should have a minimum breadth of 1.2 m and length of 1.5 m even though

a minimum width of 1.5 m is desirable. The floor is given slope in more than one direction, so that the used water will never get stagnated, but will run off quickly towards the gully trap. A ventilator of 500 mm x 300 mm is to be provided at a height of 1.8 m above the floor level.

6. Verandah Its minimum width is 1.5 m. Verandah on south and west protects the interior rooms

from the sun. Verandah on east diffuses the morning sun and hence may not be essential, whereas verandah on north serves no purpose.

7. Store Room It is to be situated nearer the kitchen. It should be dark, cool, damp proof and rodent

proof. 8. Worship or Prayer Room or Pooja room It should be located in N-E corner of building as per Vaastushastra rules as GOD will be

facing west and devotee facing east. A little bit of darkness is necessary to create concentration. Lighting comes from north direction.

9. Children Room or Nursery Room It should be nearer to kitchen for the mother to look after the children. This room

should not be nearer to the bed room. Children should get fresh air and frequent air exchanges and sufficient light.

10. Study Room Study room area should be calm and free from noise. Gentle breeze with frequent

air exchanges is required for studying. This room may be used as master’s office room during day time and hence it should be given outside access. North light is required for engineers and draftsmen.

11. Guest Room A guest room should preferably be isolated from other bed rooms. It should have

an independent access to common bath and W.C. if no attached toilet is provided. 12.Sick Room or Comfort Room It should be in ground floor to avoid the trouble of sicker aged person taking to

stairs. The room should get good breeze and light. Morning sunshine is essential, so S-E corner is appropriate for this room.

13. Office Room

The room should be located near front verandah in a quiet part of the house, preferably with diffused light and no glare.

14. Stairs

Stairs must be fire proof. Width of landing should never be less than width of the stair. Rise of a stair should never be altered. Winders are to be avoided as far as possible. If they cannot be avoided, they should be provided at lower elevation.

15. Garage

The dimensions of garage depend on the type of vehicle and number of vehicles to be kept. For scooters 1m x 1.5m space and3 m x 6 m for cars may be sufficient. A minimum of one window should be provided in the garage for lighting and ventilation. Rolling shutters are preferable to folding shutters for garage doors.

MODEL HOUSE PLANS

A few model house plans are being given below.

Following these models while undertaken

construction

would bring happiness prosperity of all kinds. These

model plans are as follows:

LIVING ROOM

BEDROOM

KITCHEN

CONCLUSION The inanimate world, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, and then the human

being are but progressive states of evolution of the one and the same element. The culture inherited by us aims at a healthy life which is defined by coherent and harmonic interaction of all these states. On its part, Vaastushastra gives fruition to these ideas by using different entities like soil, stone, mortar, water, fire and direction to provide a harmonically balanced living environment for the human beings.

On the face of it, blind faith and metaphysics seem to govern the practice of Vaastushastra. Deep and serious thinking reveals that the logic and the reasoning of Vaastushastra is not only remarkable but its symbolism with stands the scrutiny of modern science. The application of Vaastushastra can cover wider areas of life if efforts are made to understand its principles. It is the matter of time before the mystic science of Vaastushastra is decoded and its all encompassing principles are found to reflect the insights of natural sciences. So, last but not the least, if any building or structure is constructed pertaining to the principles of Vaastu, the people are sure to live a happy, peaceful and healthy life.

THANK YOU