Karthik Chadalavada et al www.ijetst.in Page 5010 IJETST- Vol.||04||Issue||02||Pages 5010-5017||March||ISSN 2348-9480 2017 International Journal of Emerging Trends in Science and Technology IC Value: 76.89 (Index Copernicus) Impact Factor: 4.219 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/ijetst/v4i3.05 Analyzing Vernacular Sustainable Design Principles- A Case Study of a Vernacular Dwelling in Godavari Region of Andhra Pradesh, India Authors Karthik Chadalavada 1 *, K N Viswatej 1 *, Dr. Ramesh Srikonda 2 1 Asst. Professor, 2 Professor, School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India Abstract Hundreds of years of experience, self-learning and traditional wisdom has led to the development of contextual based traditional architecture. Vernacular style of architecture developed using locally available material, so as to achieve the better living conditions which suits to the context. Use of local traditional design and construction techniques had eventually helped in building of social and cultural background in various regions of the country. Sensitivity in design as per the specific microclimatic aspects has been practiced since ages in the country. The main objective of this paper is to understand the design principles and strategies followed by the vernacular style of architecture which are energy efficient and climate responsive. Design principles such as form, proportion, spatial design aspects, construction materials etc.., have been documented and analyzed for a specific case example of an existing traditional building in Pippara village of West-Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Besides thermal performance, lighting analysis have been performed through IES-VE Analysis. This paper also sheds light on the transformation of courtyard spatial configuration as per the changing needs of users; this investigation is an attempt to demonstrate the adoption of good practices in transformation of traditional spatial design aspects of the dwelling. Simulation results has shown that the current case study has improved thermal performance upto 30% after the courtyard transformation, whereas natural lighting levels has drastically reduced upto 79% within the indoor sapces. Keywords: Vernacular Architecture, Traditional form, Design Principles, Appropriate technology, Climate Responsiveness. 1. Introduction Energy crisis in the new era is becoming more evident and substantial. There is an urge in change of building design philosophy, construction technology and management methods (Zhiqiang (Jhon) Zhai, 2009). In most of the developed countries architects and highly qualified professionals involve in the design and construction of new upcoming buildings. It has been observed that most of the buildings in developing countries and under developed countries buildings are mostly designed by the users. Oxford institute for sustainable development estimated that over 90% of current structures throughout the world has been designed by the users itself (P.Oliver, 2003; Ramesh ,2016) number of dwellings estimated according to this is about 800 million (A.S Dill, 2010). Vernacular architecture can be explained as a style of architecture where design decisions are influenced by tradition, cultural significance and climate responsiveness. Vernacular architecture varies from place to place according to the topography, local materials and technical knowhow (P Jayasudha, 2014; Ramesh,2015). However a lot of trial and error methods has been adopted in the evolution of traditional style of architecture, more over deeper analysis is essential to understand the unwritten information available regarding the traditional wisdom of particular locality (Building and Environment, May 2010). Some of the significant works focusing on vernacular style of architecture are “Vernacular Reponses” of plethora cultures. “Pattern Language” (Alexander, 1977) draws a conclusion of salient architectural styles. Whereas the