Renovation Of Mauritius Traditional Building Based On Sustainability-Illustrated By The Case Of Hotel De Ville In Curepipe,Mauritius

This project focuses on the renovation of traditional buildings in Mauritius based on a sustainable approach.The main objective of my research is to renovate traditional buildings of Mauritius in a climate responsive way in order to meet modern conditions.Mauritius has been colonized by some countries British and French in the past and they have left their architecture which is colonial architecture.However,they had to adapt with the locate climate condition thus creating a unique architecture which can be described as Mauritius architecture.This architecture is now on the verge of disappearance as a lot of the traditional buildings are severely damaged and can no longer need the requirements of people nowadays.One example of this traditional building is an abandoned town hall which used to be a landmark of a town in Mauritius and is now in terrible condition.Consequently,the whole urban area surrounding this town hall has been greatly affected.Being of such historical importance this building cannot be left in this actual state and some necessary solutions should be taken.In order to properly renovate this town hall and other similar traditional buildings,my research will focus on colonial architecture and vernacular architecture in tropical regions similar to Mauritius to find strategies that could be implemented in our architecture.A sustainable approach will be the main focus in the renovation of these traditional buildings.This ensures that the buildings will meet modern specifications as well as keeping its traditional values.The research will be made on how sustainable architecture principles are currently being used in tropical regions and how to apply these techniques in the traditional buildings of Mauritius.By merging these two concepts,an innovative approach of architecture can be created specifically for the people of the island.This will be the final aim of this dissertation.Chapter 1 summarizes the background and problems of the research.The objectives and outlines are also stated to direct our research.Moreover,Mauritius and its traditional buildings are introduced.Chapter 2 summarizes the sustainable principles and strategies used in vernacular architecture in other tropical regions.It also includes how these techniques could be applied to modern architecture.Chapter 3 analyses the Mauritius architecture and how it evolves with time.In this chapter,we classify the Mauritius buildings by their generations and also analyze the key elements of Mauritius architecture.Finally,we research the relationship between French colonial architecture and Mauritius architecture.Chapter 4 focuses on our design project which is the renovation of the old town hall in Curepipe.We analyze the existing building and draft the drawings necessary for our renovation.It also includes some case studies of some existing traditional buildings in Mauritius and our investigation before proceeding with the renovation design.Chapter 5 summarizes and evaluates our research in different factors and includes the direction for further research.The entire thesis includes 35,000 words of straight matter and 4,000 words of epilogue and appendix,counting about 136 diagrams and photographs.City Town of Curepipe,Mauritius...