 |
| During monsoon Mr. Kiran from Pune is a farmer on Mumbai's Versova beach. |
 |
| Unlike downtown slums, beach shacks are detached houses. |
Beach
shacks perhaps make the most eye-catching informal architecture. More than the slum dwellings made of brickwork, beach shacks
are of truly temporary character. Materials come from the sea and the urban
jungle and thus afford a unique architecture. Without exception the structures
are light, but given the windy conditions on the beach they are very sturdy. Sand,
available in abundance, is perfect for anchoring the shacks. Of course one can
use pegs, but sandbags are at least as effective since they are heavy and easy
to fill. Moreover, sandbags are a versatile material. When stacked they make a
close wall as they can easily be made to fit. Note that cement is absent in
this type of building.
 |
| Shack with veranda. The architecture is marked by light materials. Sand bags are heavy and afford a higher floor ( and thus dry feet). |
|
|
Since they
are transportable too, such light structures are ideal for a nomadic lifestyle.
During monsoon farmers come to the beach to grow crops. On top of the saline
water table the heavy rains create a layer of fresh water in the sand. Thus the
monsoon affords seasonal farming. Sand however does not hold water very well
and irrigation by hand is necessary. Fortunately digging a pit in the sand to
reach the fresh water is easy.
 |
| On the beach, digging a pit to reach fresh water is easy. |
Most of
the shacks are built as detached houses, which is quite unusual for slums. The cramped space so typical of slum dwellings is the consequence of a lack of buildable land. To build detached and semi-detached houses on the beach is an unexpected luxury in this category. The secret behind it may be surprising. For obvious reasons monsoon does not
coincide with the tourist season and thus makes the beach an empty place. Hence
the possibility to farm land, to have houses with verandas and to have plenty
of playground.
 |
| The Perfect Playground. Informal settlement on the beach is marked by lots of open space. |
Posts
