What is Sustainability?

“Nature has enough for everybody’s need; not for everybody’s greed.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Quoting Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi may no longer be fashionable but these words are more relevant today than they’ve ever been.

Every material used in construction comes, eventually, from the earth. For any architect who cares about nature, that is a predicament to be faced every day. I know it is unrealistic to halt the production or extraction of such materials but we should, at the very least, try and minimise their usage.

A simple example: small structures in India are often built with reinforced cement concrete frames when ordinary load-bearing brickwork (which is about 25% cheaper by the way) would be more than satisfactory.

Nature-friendly Architecture & Design

Nature has an enormous ability to repair herself but when we exceed her capacity to do so, this cycle of restoration and renewal is broken.

Sustainable architecture and design takes into consideration all aspects of construction that affect the environment.

There are many factors that go into making a building nature-friendly:

Using Materials Sustainably

A large chunk of a construction’s carbon footprint is determined by the materials used. For small structures, reinforced concrete (RCC) framing is environmentally expensive and thoroughly unnecessary to boot! I’ve found that load-bearing work usually does a better job.
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Better Design & Construction Methods

Better design is not just about aesthetics. It holistically considers architectural design, landscape & plantation, sustainable systems & climatic conditions,. A well designed construction has minimal negative impact on the site and its surroundings.
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Saving Energy

During its life cycle, a building needs an enormous amount of energy for lighting, heating & cooling. A design that makes good use of naturally occurring sunlight & prevailing breezes goes a long way in saving associated costs.
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Saving Water

Economists have pointed out that future wars will be over water which makes this the most important factor in my estimation. Saving, harvesting and recycling water is far easier than it is made out to be and you often don’t need an expert to get it working.
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Waste Disposal

Disposal of solid waste might not be an architect’s area of expertise but we can play a proactive role by designing for composting pits etc.
[under construction]

Impediments

If you compare apples to oranges, you will invariably draw the wrong conclusion.

The biggest deterrent to making clients accept sustainable solutions is, usually, perceived cost. That’s because they almost always compare apples with oranges. For example, if a solar heating system is installed for a project, it will naturally raise the initial cost but, if you calculate how much it saves in the medium to long term, you will find that it doesn’t make sense not to fit it. Essentially, green buildings cost less in the long term.

Even as far as basic construction is concerned, green building costs can be made lower than for typical structures. This was amply demonstrated while building Kaya Kalp where, locally available, low-tech materials and labour were used.

Selected Projects

[CaBa] Playschool

A window in the school

When the founder of this popular playschool moved to Bombay, she found the school semester had already begun and she couldn’t get her daughter a place anywhere. So she started her one in her own home.

Over the years it has grown organically but quite haphazard; it’s now undergoing a planned overhaul. Work is carried out during the summer and winter vacations..

[HRMa] Residence at Malabar Hill

When we first started working on this residence, we were only asked to do up the bathrooms. We discovered as we went along, that major structural repairs were required because the old wooden posts had completely rotted away over the years due to seepage of water. As a result a much larger portion of the house was renovated resulting in delays and cost escalation – a classical example of the productivity triangle/tetrahedron at work.

[JaCo] Office in a Heritage Building at Horniman Circle

Decades of neglect had made a shambles of this wonderful building from the 1880s. When a survey was conducted, it was found that, the area to be renovated was a long-enclosed verandah. In fact, every single tenant of this heritage building had converted their deep verandahs into cabins.

Initially, the clients were unwilling to do anything that altered the ghastly state of the façade but after a presentation, they were convinced that it would be worth the effort. Unfortunately, the original cast iron railings had disappeared during a previous renovation so any hopes I might have entertained of restoring the building envelope to its former glory were

[Trin] Office for a 3-Man Ad-Film Agency

A dynamic young trio wanted to go it along in the ad-film industry so their impact had to be much bigger than their budget.

The space was originally designed for a shop and there was a loft towards the rear which got utilised for storage. For lighting, we chose industrial-looking shades that were painted purple and the flooring was simply ochre cement cast in-situ. The most expensive things in the whole place are probably the laptops on which they make presentations.

[JaGV] Residence in the Western Suburbs

I’d earlier designed the entire apartment many years ago but the children had now grown up so both of them – one a young lady and the other a young man – wanted a complete remodel of their living spaces.

For the former, it was all about a feminine room but without the typical pinks associated with little girls whereas for the latter, it was about dark colours and rock music!

One of a pair of neighbouring bungalows, this is now the permanent home of a couple who decided to settle in the the lap of the Matheran range.

Site Conditions

The site has a fairly steep slope as you can see. Notice also the Gar­bat plateau and Matheran in the background.

The plot slopes quite steeply towards the river Pej, so full advantage was taken of this fact to have a partial basement on the lower side. This basement has three “rooms” – one of which is for tanks to store harvested rainwater for drinking and cooking. Although the Pej is perennial, it does have high levels of urea especially during the monsoon months.

There were some mango trees where the house was to be built, so the location was modified a bit to avoid cutting them. A few bushes, some of them thorny, did perish though. The clients are experts on indigenous trees and have landscaped the surroundings of the house themselves.

Design Considerations

Seen here from across the river, the veran­dah is a great place to lounge. Equally impor­tantly, it acts as a bar­rier to direct heat-gain.

Being a relatively rocky area, Karjat is a very warm place during the day almost throughout the year. Nights are usually pleasant but when the sun is out, one most definitely wants to retreat indoors. So, while one wants to maximise ventilation, one also wants to avoid solar heat gain. High-level ventilation therefore was provided on the windward and leeward sides of the house as a result of which, there is a constant circulation of fresh air and any heat is immediately expelled.

Viewed from the river, the house nestles between tall trees -- most of them older than the house itself

Sun studies were conducted to check for the penetration of sunlight – especially during the summer months of April and May. The wind at this location usually comes from the South, over the river, bringing with it a relatively cool breeze.

The design criteria was fairly straightforward — a home that was ecologically sound, easy to clean and with maximum view of the surrounding mountains. Energy usage was to be kept to a minimum because the area is chronically short of electricity and rain-water was to be harvested for drinking purposes.

The clients wanted a very simple layout with a single bedroom, a study, a meditation room and an open plan kitchen. All around we planned a deep verandah for sitting out and, equally importantly, shading the house from the extreme heat of the Karjat afternoons.

Materials

The deep verandah is an additional living space and protects the southern side of the house from heat. As the flyash-brick walls of the right are pro­tected from direct rain, they have been left unplastered

There are very few locally available materials in this region with the primary exception of black basalt. This was used for the foundation work and for constructing the plinth walls. The superstructure, being load-bearing, was to be of bricks but the clients wanted to avoid terracotta bricks because of the degradation of top-soil and the usage of wood fuel for making it. Instead, they opted to make a statement by calling for fly-ash bricks from a plant in Wada – Thane district.

We wanted to avoid plastering the bricks except where they would be directly exposed to the elements. However, standard fly-ash bricks look extremely dreary. Therefore, we asked the manufacturers to add red-oxide pigment to the mixture during production which resulted in bricks that had a wonderful pale terracotta colour to them. The grout, too, was of a reddish-brown colour to compliment these bricks.

Before you shoot me a email asking me for the name and address of the supplier, I would like to say that the last lot of bricks were quite terrible and despite promises from the manufacturer, we got no replacements. It was most disappointing and I will not recommend him to anybody!

Entrance to the house.

The use of RCC has been kept to a minimum with only the slab of the verandah and a single ring-beam at the base of the roof. The brick walls take the load exceedingly well and the roof is a light-weight steel pipe structure with “Eco-Board” panels topped by Mangalore Roof tiles.

Other Nature-friendly Systems

Energy

The Solar Cooker is a simple device with no moving or electronic parts and using it saves huge amounts of cooking gas

1. Energy-saving compact fluorescent lights and tube lights
2. Indirect natural light and ventilation
3. Bath/kitchen water heated by roof-top solar panels
4. Food made in a zero-energy solar cooker
5. Photo-voltaic portable lanterns and emergency lights

Water

As the site had a steep slope, we used it to our advantage to create a half-basement below the verandah. The spaces created here house the rani-water harvesting tanks, a motorcycle and garden implements.

1. Low-flow dual-flush cistern for the WC
2. Harvesting of rain-water for drinking purposes
3. Kitchen waste water sent directly into a soak-pit near the trees

And Finally

To the left is the front door as it looked before it was stripped of years of paint. The shutters have been hung inside-out so that the intricate design is visible with the doors open -- which they are throughout the day.

The design of a private residence at Kondhwa, Pune, was a very exciting project. No Reinforced Concrete Cement (RCC) has been used and we opted for load-bearing walls that are cheaper and, in my opinion, better for a building of this type.

Kond­hwa has grown rapidly & hap­haz­ardly since the ‘90s. The sky­line c. 2005

The exciting part included waste water recycling, rain harvesting and setting up solar panels – at least to heat the water – photovoltaic energy is still too expensive to be justifiable in areas that are connected to a power grid.

Kondhwa is an area that’s growing more rapidly and haphazardly than many other parts of Pune. What used to be rolling hills where nomadic grazers brought their sheep as little as 10 years ago, is now largely denuded and taken over by builders. In such a scenario, where new highrises and swanky malls are coming up each day, a bungalows-only development – that too on a hilltop – is refreshing indeed.

A vastu puja was done before the clients moved into the home

The client contacted me though this website and, after some informal discussion via email, we found that our views on many things including materials and water harvesting were very similar. There was one condition, however – the house had to pass muster on the vastu front as well. I made it clear that despite my writeup on the subject, I was absolutely not an expert on vastu and somebody else would have to give the specifications before designing commenced.

As it turned out, that was no problem at all. The expert that the client consulted gave her views beforehand and they matched, to a large extent, my reading of climate-related factors.

Design Principles

View of the house from the approach road

Ideally, anyone would think we should have large openings for maximum natural light and ventilation. The problem is, with Pune’s hot and dry climate, this isn’t such a good idea after all. In a coastal area like Bombay, even in the hottest months, as long as the air circulates, you can get by. Pune, though, is far removed from the sea and the temperatures are, consequently, more extreme. In summer, a hot breeze blows across from the South and, in such a place, you’d want to insulate the structure instead of open it out.

View of the house during construction. The ladi-coba method was used for flooring and brick arches spanned the openings to the courtyard

Having said that, it is imperative not to totally stifle all movement of air and so a central atrium (brahmasthan in the vastu shastras) was designed to set up a slow, comfortable, convection that works in all seasons. This was combined with standard sized windows and deep overhangs to prevent the entry of heat during the summer months.

Sun studies were also conducted to see how much direct light would penetrate at different times of the year. Unfortunately, the data on wind in the area is scanty but whenever I visited the site over the next few months, the wind direction was, unexpectedly, from the North-East. Local people also mentioned that the area receives lashing rain, so that bit of information had a direct impact on the awning design.

Materials

The foundations and plinth walls were made of local basalt. The outer layer of stone was shaped by hand -- a rather labour-intensive process

As far as possible, locally available materials were used in this construction. The foundation, for instance is of black basalt which is abundant throughout the Deccan. To minimise wastage, it was only being partially dressed and the natural randomness of shape was preserved to the maximum. The plinth itself was filled with broken rubble from a recently demolished structure.

Being just a ground + 1 structure, the walls are load-bearing and the first slab has the traditional “Ladi coba” system except that, instead of teak, [Tectona grandis] like it was in the old days, we’ve decided on rolled steel sections that can easily be reused at the end of the building’s lifecycle. The only RCC used was for pre-cast lintels over the doors and windows.

Bul­locks work­ing on the ghani — a cir­cu­lar pit with a 1 ton grind­ing stone where the lime & sand are mixed with water and pul­verised together. The mor­tar that results is mixed with jag­gery which helps it to set.

Another interesting and unusual thing about this house is that it was built with lime mortar. It may sound odd and, although lime is not as “standardised” a material as cement, the end construction is often more sound. Additionally, unlike cement lime mortar uses little or no fossil fuel to manufacture and, hence, is much more environmentally sound. It does add to the work-load of the contractors though and it is difficult to get workers who are still familiar with this material.

Solar hot-water panels

That’s not all, though. Brickwork set in Lime has the advantage of not cracking easily. Lime plaster, especially when finished with lime wash, has the property of “self-healing” any cracks because, the free lime carbonifies and merges with the plaster.

Other Nature-friendly Systems

Energy Saving

1. CFL, energy-saving compact fluorescent lights
2. Natural light and ventilation (to a large extent from the courtyard)
3. Heating of bath/kitchen water using roof-top solar panels

Water Saving

1. Low-flow dual-flush cisterns for WCs
2. Filtering grey water from baths for flushing and kitchen water for gardening
3. Recharging ground water by harvesting rain

Waste Management

1. Dry garbage (paper, plastics, glass and metal) is segregated and given to the kabbadiwala
2. Raw sewage is treated organically and the only discharge is clean water that is put back into the ground.

The top section with square cutouts hides the overhead water tanks

Located along the Thane-Belapur road are a number of industrial estates and properties. At one time, this was a chemical industry zone and factories belched out huge quantities of toxic fumes that hung like a pall over much of Navi Mumbai. Residents in Vashi often woke up to the smell of Ammonia, Sulphur or even Chlorine.

Today, the area is quite different. Some factories still remain but stricter pollution laws and economics have caused much of the land-use to be converted to prime office space. The clients for this project – ISO 9001 certified chemical manufacturers – wanted to build their laboratories and offices to replace a disused factory.

The brief was very simple – maximum space, minimum cost; and a relatively free hand with the design.

Design and Materials

A simple opening ceremony marked the inauguration of the building

I have repeatedly argued against the wastefulness of RCC for small structures but it is not some senseless objection to the material. This project was 3 stories high and the large clear spans required for commercial premises made RCC the most feasible and economical system to use.

To avoid projections outside the building envelope all the windows were recessed by 550mm (21″). This served the dual purpose of giving protection from the sun and rain and also gave a huge amount or storage area that would otherwise have cluttered the internal spaces. It took some time for the clients to grasp that the storage space wasn’t eating into limited space but had, in fact, been designed as additional area – free of FSI.

Simple black anodised aluminium windows were installed and although I had strongly recommended double-glazing, the clients felt their budget did not allow the initial cost of doing so.

The chairman's cabin

The top floor which houses the chairman and MD’s offices as well as the conference room has deep terraces with French windows to the east and west.

Interiors

An interior view of the staff area

Inside, the materials and equipment used was fairly standard – vitrified ceramic flooring, “Baroda Green” stairs, glass doors and ceramic tiles for the bathrooms. We did use water-saving flush systems, though – a tiny victory for “green architecture”.

Interior furniture was supplied by Godrej Furniture Division and many, many meetings and emails were exchanged before the design was finalised.

Ceilings were Class A flame retardant acoustical panels from USG. These are available in India from JollyBoard.

For lighting, Philips mirror-optic fittings were used with 35W truelite fluorescent tubes which are more energy efficient than standard 40W tubes.

Entrance aangan to a cottage. The overall design was meant to create the ambiance of an Indian village.

Satya Health Farm, now Satya Resort, is situated in the Karjat region — about two hour’s drive from Bombay. With the river Pej flowing past the northern edge of this 50 acre (20 Hectare) property and surrounded by the ranges of Matheran, Dhak and Bhimashankar, it is an excellent spot for either purpose.

The brief given by the developers was to recreate an Indian village. Not in the literal sense of course – Indian villages are generally short of water, electricity and telecommunication infrastructure. What the clients really wanted was, for the design to generate a feeling of rustic community. A place where time flows slowly and you are not under any kind of stress. No deadlines, no schedules — just a feeling of well-being.

Some of the rooms are in arranged around central open-to-sky courts

The layout makes full use of the variable slopes with clusters of ground-hugging cottages following the contours of the site. A monsoon stream flows through before joining the river to the north. The river itself is a perennial one since it comes from the Bhivpuri Power Station which generates electricity throughout the year.

The requirement for peace and tranquility is reflected in the choice of building materials and the overall aesthetic appearance. Rooms are arranged around courtyards or as part of a larger cluster – a Mohalla. With their front Aangans and rear Otlas every room gets as much space outside, as within. The idea is to draw people out – to cajole them into shedding the attitude that makes city folk hesitate to speak with their neighbours.

The cottages are built very close to each other without sacrificing privacy.

Locally made burnt bricks were used to erect a load-bearing structure resting on a foundation of local black (basalt) stone. This is topped by a traditional wooden roof with Mangalore tiles. The entire roof planking was done with treated rubber wood which is not just economical but ecologically friendly too, being a by-product of the rubber industry.

The design needed to have a feeling of softness. This was achieved by avoiding sharp edges and by the use of warm colours on the walls. The flooring too, is of red terrazzo tiles with patterns and borders in green and yellow marble. For the detailing, traditional forms and patterns have been drawn upon – in the archways connecting cottages for example.

The lighting, especially for the exteriors, has been deliberately kept at low levels not just because bright lights would attract insects from miles around but also because harsh illumination would shatter the tranquillity and obliterate much of the night sky.

You may also want look at the list of materials, consultants and contractors.

Gallery

This has always been my favourite area of work – even more than interior design – because it gives me the best opportunity to follow my ecological design principles. The ultimate aim is to show that construction can be economical and nature-friendly at the same time.

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