Assam-type architecture

Assam-type architecture, also called Beton or Baton, is a vernacular building style that evolved in the Indian state of Assam and adjacent Sylhet in Bangladesh during the late 19th and 20th centuries, characterized by lightweight timber and bamboo construction, steeply pitched roofs, raised plinths and wide verandas developed to withstand the region's heavy monsoon rainfall and frequent earthquakes. After the 1897 Assam earthquake, experts led by the Japanese seismologist Fusakichi Omori studied local techniques and promoted a hybrid timber-reed-and-mud house that could withstand tremors and floods, and the style has since been used for government and private residences throughout Assam and present-day Sylhet.