Jharokha / Otla
Overhanging balcony & deep verandah
Born in Rajasthan, Gujarat, pan-Indian.
How it works
Projecting balconies and deep shaded verandahs cast a buffer zone of shadow around the building, keeping direct sun off inhabited walls and giving a cool transitional living space (the raised plinth, otla).
In a modern home
Deep balconies, shaded transition decks, recessed windows, pergola-shaded edges on apartments.
What it answers
Built from
Source
Jaisalmer and Shekhawati haveli studies; Paul Oliver, Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World.
Follow the threads
Projecting eave / sunshadeshares overheating, west wall heat, no shading→Narrow shaded streets & self-shading massshares overheating, no shading, block & filter the sun→Orientation & inward-facing plansshares overheating, west wall heat, block & filter the sun→Earth-cooled basement roomshares overheating, west wall heat, cool→Thick earthen wallsshares overheating, west wall heat, cool→Wetted vetiver screenshares overheating, no shading, cool→