Life out of the box

Green abodes

Over the years, Bengaluru has become a nest to many migrants, thanks to its pleasant weather. However, with global warming, the City has ceased to be the paradise it once was. Its green spaces, once a matter of great pride, have started shrinking. These spaces are being taken over by buildings that are soaring ‘heights’.  And natural ventilation in these spaces is being replaced by air-conditioners.

However, all’s not lost. In this ‘concrete’ world, there are some who are trying hard to save the environment and make sustainable choices. For them, ‘green’ is not just a buzzword. They are making a conscious effort to minimise the negative impact of concrete buildings, by opting for eco-friendly and sustainable houses.

Nirmala lives in an eco-friendly house built from red mud and stone powder. “It was my late husband Janardhan’s dream to own an eco-friendly house,” she recalls.

Situated in Horamavu, her house is earthy and efficient, as she explains, “The bricks used to build the house are devoid of cement and they were not burnt, but exposed to the sun and curated with water, to avoid making a carbon footprint. These are Soil Stabilised Blocks, which are manually compressed, and I had labourers coming from Tamil Nadu to take it forward. The metal used in the construction is also reduced to a large extent and there is no unnecessary exploitation of natural resources.”

The house, which is as strong as any conventional building, is two-years-old now and has influenced many to take the earthy route, as she says, “During its construction, my neighbour was curious about the bricks. On learning that these were eco-friendly, even he opted to go for them. The house is much cooler and energy efficient in terms of its architecture. The cost too is 10-15 per cent lesser and I am proud to own this house.”
While there are proud owners, there are also a few unconventional architects who are striving to make the City eco-friendly. Sarojini Hombali, an architect with a passion for building sustainable buildings, pours out her anguish on how IT firms are installing buildings that are not only curbing the use of natural resources, but are also depleting them to a large extent. With her husband, Arunachal Hombali, an architect who has involved himself in city planning with the protection of green space, she is working towards building feasible and eco-friendly houses.

She provides an insight into constructing these earthy houses saying, “The ‘3D prisms’ in IT parks are in a large way affecting the environment. In an ecologically sound place such as Bengaluru, it is very necessary to make use of the natural resources and come up with a sustainable architecture. I work towards planning green buildings that use natural ventilation and are built with porous bricks. Stone flooring can be used instead of synthetic tiles, and vaulted roofs instead of cemented ones.” She uses Indian natural resources such as ‘chappadi flaps’ that do not require cementing and can be used in staircases while giving a hollow, stylish look; clay ‘jaalis’ and tiles that provide visual connection with the outside instead of concrete compounds; cera or ‘chappadi’ stone for the porticos; wooden frames and shutters instead of glass and metal. Her planning with these eco-friendly resources is aesthetic and at the same time pocket-friendly.

 She explains, “All these materials are locally available. My architectural plans make use of sharp designs that provide enough ventilation and use natural light. These unconventional design plans make use of the pleasant weather to the maximum.” Her design plan has been successfully implemented in the residence of Ron, a retired advocate who is the proud owner of ‘Ananda Dhama’ in Mekedatu area.

Says Ron, “My house is situated amidst the hillocks, along river Cauvery and it is a great feeling to not destroy the natural beauty with concrete raisings. Unique and eco-friendly in its construction, it lets me get nature’s view in a very earthy manner.”

While Sarojini is happy to make a difference with her architectural designs, she hopes the thought process spreads and the City evolves from contemporary designs to eco-sensitive and sustainable ones.