4 Stunning Indian Buildings Showing How Beautiful Sustainable Design Can Be

As part of our coverage on sustainable architecture, we’ve highlighted some ingenious innovations that pepper India’s landscape. Continuing that saga, here are constructions that are pushing the boundaries of ‘sustainable beauty’, placing materials like mud, bamboo, and lime on the same playing field as their conventionally used counterparts. Here’s how India is engineering an eco-friendly aesthetic. 

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1. The Great Hornbill Gate, Arunachal Pradesh 

Local wisdom and a progressive architectural mindset convene in this project undertaken by architectural firm STUDIOARO. The project, the entry gate of the Donyi Polo airport, blends locally sourced bamboo and cane into a form resembling the state bird, the ‘vulnerable’ great hornbill. 

The project is an ode to the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh — reverence for the bird is stitched into the culture, while bamboo forms an indigenous construction material for most constructions in the state. The gateway is spread across 2500 sq ft, and has 26 interlocking arches.

Aroty Panyang, the lead architect, calls it “a landmark project” of its kind, going on to explain how the features of the great hornbill were studied in detail — the beak, the wingspan and the bird’s body — before embarking on the project. The aim is for this to be a step towards the protection of endangered species across the world. 

2. Into The Wild, Tamil Nadu 

The farmhouse by firm Earthscape Studio boasts a 75:25 ratio of nature: built area, a case in point for how sustainable architecture need not compromise the sanctity of the land on which it rests. 

The project promises to refine your imaginative palette with its ‘fold architecture’ technique that renders the home a fluid form. The four-and-a-half-inch shell is lent a sense of depth and dimension with its series of arches, with layers of thappi plaster (a mixture of quick lime, sand, red brick powder and herbal mixtures) on the outside and mud plaster on the inside.

The lime plastered floor gives stiff competition to most cooling devices, ensuring an ambient temperature that’s three degrees cooler inside compared to outside. Cooling is also lent by the vent openings that help the hot air escape. Light and breeze have a chance to play in the central courtyard, which is dotted with decor that uses scrap wood and local stones.

3. Studios 90, Karnataka 

Picture a maze of coloured cuboids as a residence. The mid-rise buildings were created by the firm Sanjay Puri Architects, intended to house studio apartments and guest houses. The colourful labyrinth isn’t just a pivotal departure from mainstream housing but also a lesson in sustainability. As architect Sanjay Puri explains, “The walls are made of fly ash bricks, and the cuboid frames help shield the windows, reducing heat gain. All the terrace water is channelled into a rainwater-harvesting system, recycled, and reused for gardening. Electricity is derived from the residual energy of the nearby cement plant.”

4. The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, Rajasthan

In the dunes of Jaisalmer lies a pièce de résistance, with its dome melting into the sky. The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School is the brainchild of the firm Diana Kellogg Architects and conceptualised by non-profit CITTA. 

The school — which currently caters to girls who hail from underprivileged families — is a harbinger of change for the region, whose female literacy rate is below 40 percent. Along with the school, there is also a performance and art exhibition space with a library and museum, and a women’s cooperative that encourages local crafts. 

The architecture features local hand-carved Jaisalmer sandstone and a solar panel canopy on the roof. The latter, along with the jalis (lattice networks), provides good cooling. 

Sources 

'Rajasthan: Blame conservative mindset for low rural female literacy': by Shoeb Khan, Published on 22 September 2021.