BUILDING PRACTICES
WADA HOUSING
A wada is typically a large building of two or more storey with groups of rooms arranged around open courtyards. The Wadas of the Maratha and Peshwa period represent the turbulence and traditions of the era. Some of them are magnificent and others are private, solitary structures on the banks of rivers.
Wadas, which were the traditional residential form of Maratha architecture, evolved under the reign of Peshwas. Its style was an amalgamation where features from Mughal, Rajasthan, and Gujarat architecture were combined with local construction techniques.
Wada was a traditional residence of Maharashtra in ancient times. It was typically a large building with two or more storey apartments with a common kitchen and bathrooms. There were two types of wadas:
One with many families residing in it, like an apartment building with a common toilet and bathrooms, like chawls of Mumbai.
The other was a home of one family or was home for upper-class people.
Many wadas can be seen in the inner city of Nashik, with each WADA having its unique characteristics.
CASE STUDY OF NASHIK
The WADA is 70 years old and was built over the period according to the need of the family. They made the wada of wooden columns and brick as infill. but the newer structure had use of concrete in it. Earlier, the WADA had one common kitchen, bathroom, and a “haud (washing space)” but as the family expanded, they divided this wada into three different parts. With the idea of the nuclear family, Wada became like an apartment with individual bathrooms and a kitchen. Only one part of the Wada is used by the family, and the other two parts are given rental. We can see a difference in these structures, the owners having very open spaces with facilities, whereas the tenants having a small room where an unorganized wall makes the home organized, and have common toilets to use.
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Wadas have their own unique characteristics, the inner courtyards which create these inward-looking spaces, with ample light and ventilation. In Nashik, the wadas rarely have openings from both sides. So these courtyards become the major source of light and ventilation.
