Jena House
The Jena household in Behrampur village consists of seven members, led by 74-year-old Menoka Jena. A widow, Menoka lives with her son Prabhas Jena, his wife Usha Rani, and their children Sudanshu (18) and Soumya (15). Sudanshu attends college in another village, while Soumya is in high school. Goleka Jena, Menoka’s second son, is 63 years old and works on the family farm while his wife, Kaberi (52), helps manage household tasks and sells milk from their eight cows in the gotha (“guhada”). The eldest son of the family has passed away, while the middle brother resides in Puri, where he participates in politics.
The Jena house, built 96 years ago and later refurbished, features 10 rooms. Visitors are greeted by a Tulsi plant (“Vrindavati”) placed on a plinth, followed by a verandah (“pinda”). Inside, a meeting room (“bethak ghar”) sits beside a semi-open space that leads to a courtyard used for washing and cleaning. A passage connects five rooms, including a treasure room (“Kosadaksha”) and four bedrooms, along with a staircase to the terrace. Beyond the passage lies a dining area, with a storeroom and prayer room (“thakur ghar”) to the left, and a shop (“dukaan”) selling bangles, bindis, mirrors and earrings to the right.
An adjoining open area houses the main kitchen (“rasoi ghar”), a chulha for cooking, a wood storage space, and a hand pump. Bathrooms and toilets are located near the gotha, which shelters their cows. A back exit leads directly to the road. The house was constructed 96 years ago with only the pinda, meeting room and one bedroom made of chira bricks while the other part of the house was built 34 years ago using chira, concrete, and teakwood, with an asbestos roof.
The family owns land 0.5 km away where they cultivate mangoes, cashews, and rice seasonally. They are also involved in aquaculture where they sell shrimp, prawns and fish as additional sources of income. Goleka also has an income which comes from the sale of the wood sourced from his farm and backyard.
Despite facing cyclones in 1999 and 2020, the house sustained minimal damage apart from the roof. Farms and homes on the village’s outer rims suffered more severe effects.
With street on the front that activates itself in the evenings as fishermen return from the waters and women gather around the Chaura and a Badi that swells, blurring the boundaries of claim extending onto Chilika lake in the back the house sits in a linear fashion flushed between neighbouring houses sharing common walls.
Household Profile
Site Plan
The 14 haath by 90 haath house, sharing walls with neighbors, reflects efficient, community-focused design. With a community hall like Bhagwati Kund historically within the plot, it balances private functionality and shared spaces, emphasizing cultural and social connections.
The detailed plan of the house shows a clear and practical layout. Services are placed in one corner, while the house is divided into two halves: one for private rooms, arranged as repeated modules, and the other for open and semi-open spaces. With access from both sides, the plan allows easy movement and connection. The backyard is the busiest and most used space, acting as a hub for activities
Cell like modules that function as private spaces for the now nucleated families are strung along a common passage - Saae connecting the street in the front to the Badi in the back with in-between courts.
Services like the kitchen, thakur ghara, hand pump, open up on the outside and wrap around the external facade.
Spatial Configuration
The section reveals the house's spatial hierarchy, showcasing private, semi-open, and open areas. This arrangement balances privacy and interaction, with each space serving distinct functions while maintaining a seamless flow
Section A-A'
Section B-B'
The drawing illustrates spatial hierarchy and multifunctional design, with a staircase doubling as storage, a passage linking spaces, and a vertically elongated courtyard bringing light, ventilation, and openness. The courtyard softens the compact design, fostering interaction and relaxation.
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Section C-C'
Section D-D'
The drawing showcases spaces central to women’s routines, with open kitchens and a shared chuul fostering social interaction. The semi-public backyard blurs boundaries, while cowsheds blend domestic and communal roles. A 1:1 backyard-to-indoor ratio balances openness and enclosure, and material contrasts reflect tradition and modernity.
Transformation of Houseform