The Vanishing Wadas of Pune
My Liveable City|January - March 2017

A unique style of housing may soon be history unless new ways to preserve its glory are discovered and implemented. Neha Tambe shines a light on the situation

Neha Tambe
The Vanishing Wadas of Pune

My first introduction to the wadas (courtyard-style housing) was as a child in Baroda (now known as Vadodara), while visiting my great-grandmother. She stayed at what was then called the Tambe Wada. At that point I was blissfully unaware that the wadas were not just predominantly native to Baroda, but present all over India under different nomenclatures.

Indeed, wadas are basically a form of courtyard housing that were designed to suit the Indian climate as well as the family set-up, which at that point used to be a joint-family system. On visiting Pune a few years later, I first saw the remnants of the glory of the Maratha Empire in the form of the mighty Shaniwar Wada. I did not actually start thinking of the wadas as an architectural or indeed an urban element, till I began architecture school and eventually graduate school.

Wadas are found in parts of what would have then been deemed as the Bombay Presidency (modern day Gujarat and Maharashtra) during the British Raj (although they predate the British Raj). Like the Rajasthani Havelis, these wadas were designed to suit the climate of the area they were situated in using locally sourced materials and in an architectural style that was dominant. During the early days of the British Raj, Pune became a popular British outpost, with a cantonment area created for British officers. At the same time these wadas remained intact and were active residences for the native population. It was around this time that the first specks of urban cultural and leisure festivals were organised in the form of music and religious festivals, as a way of uniting the native community. My initial study was to find alternative adaptive reuse solutions for these once beautiful houses.

This story is from the January - March 2017 edition of My Liveable City.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January - March 2017 edition of My Liveable City.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MY LIVEABLE CITYView All
The Urgency of Waste
My Liveable City

The Urgency of Waste

Sarah Ekblad illuminates the need for new, sustainable waste removal infrastructures and services to encourage behaviours that ultimately reduce waste

time-read
3 mins  |
October - December 2016
Shaping Futures
My Liveable City

Shaping Futures

Chetan Kulkarni explains the systems that contributed to the rapid infrastructural development of Dubai between 1999 and 2010

time-read
8 mins  |
October - December 2016
De Hallen From a no-go Area to a Hotspot
My Liveable City

De Hallen From a no-go Area to a Hotspot

Architect André van Stigt describes how a former tram depot has been transformed into a place for leisure, crafts and education.

time-read
9 mins  |
January - March 2017
Reviving Wastelands
My Liveable City

Reviving Wastelands

Marina Khrustaleva describes how planting beautiful parks on abandoned land can revitalise an urban region.

time-read
9 mins  |
January - March 2017
The Vanishing Wadas of Pune
My Liveable City

The Vanishing Wadas of Pune

A unique style of housing may soon be history unless new ways to preserve its glory are discovered and implemented. Neha Tambe shines a light on the situation

time-read
8 mins  |
January - March 2017
Being Private in Public Places
My Liveable City

Being Private in Public Places

Bas Losekoot takes Shyam Khandekar on a journey of cities and their public spaces where people thrive in their solitude amongst lively crowds

time-read
8 mins  |
January - March 2017
Underutilised-Overbuilt  Re-reading the Urban Underground of Nishi-Shinjuku
My Liveable City

Underutilised-Overbuilt Re-reading the Urban Underground of Nishi-Shinjuku

Arfakhashad Munaim discusses the plazas and underground corridors of one of Tokyo’s busiest transit hubs as both a social space and a mega-urban infrastructure

time-read
7 mins  |
October - December 2016
A Healthy Strategy to Tackle Soil Contamination
My Liveable City

A Healthy Strategy to Tackle Soil Contamination

How can we improve the quality of soil in order to re-create healthy places for healthy people? Hélène leriche and Prof. dr. Hans van Veen, an expert in microbial ecology, look for processes more respectful of our environment

time-read
5 mins  |
October - December 2016