Endowed with ancient socio-cultural institutions, Kerala’s traditional architecture comprises temples, palaces and dwellings built in a unique system of wooden construction that are about 200 to 600 years old. Its homogeneity and continuity is unusual within the country and has been nurtured by the regional arts and crafts. The local materials, craftsmen’s ingenuity and techniques as well as ancient literature on architecture have made this genre a sustainable human endeavour. The basic principles of architecture remained faithful to Hindu scriptures, but the multi-religious social environment of Kerala added richness to the typological essence. The Hindu, Christian and the Muslim communities with their corresponding influences made contributions to this genre of building art with examples that ranged from the pragmatic to the highly expressive. Residential and religious architectures have emerged under two distinct genre. This built environment also pauses a challenge of heritage conservation where tradition is at variance with social and architectural modernity. The course aims at giving an understanding about this architecture and conservation issues both as an expression of culture and as a product of crafts. After an introduction of the various architectural nuances, focus will be developed on craftsmanship, construction systems, technology and case studies through the lens of conservation. The various aspects of building conservation such as repairs, replacement and contemporary adaptation will be explored. Traditional materials, techniques and processes will be explained in detail through some completed and ongoing projects. Illustrated lectures, group discussions and hands-on work (model making/sketching) will be the tools of learning.