JACK ARCH: THE BACK-BONE OF BRITISH COLONIAL RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN INDIA

Abstract

Till the first half of the nineteenth century the British Colonial Residential Buildings in India suffered lack of an appropriate roofing system. The limitations in materials, technology and technical expertise were main hurdles for any viable solution. The frequent import of steel from England and discarded steel joists from railway during mid of nineteenth century changed the whole scenario and buildings were provided roofs of permanent nature and more secure with reference to fire incidents. Among these options the Jack Arch roofing became the most demanding for all types of buildings and all major departments of the British Indian Empire started to build roofing of their buildings with Jack Arch. It was so feasible and flexible in terms of planning underneath that without any major effort the requirements of any space became possible. In this research it is explored through residential buildings of British India‟s time that how this structural system remained successful in terms of its application in various building types, construction technology, materials, space requirements, reliability, and climatic aspects. The paper concludes that construction of „Jack Arch‟ roofing during British time in India was an economical solution to accommodate the British Colonial space requirements and climatic needs in various building types.