Architecture

With climate change and rising heat waves, this is the sort of natural cooling solution that can offset the load of ACs, which leave behind a devastating environmental footprint.

With bricks from a demolished site and second-hand tiles, furniture and teakwood, the house is a lesson to us all!

One of the first disciples of Laurie Baker, this civil engineer is doing his part to keep the planet liveable, one building at a time!

While building an organic store in Ahmedabad, Snehal and Bhadri Suthar used a cow dung and hay mix as the main construction material. The flooring was recycled wood and the lighting was eco-friendly LEDs!

Integration of traditional concepts like jaalis, chajjas and verandas helps the buildings consume up to 75% less energy than usual certified green buildings!

Made from industrial waste and free from carbon dioxide, these energy-saving bricks are 23% stronger, 5% lighter and allow sunlight to pass while blocking heat and water.

What we love about this eco-friendly school? In summer, the students do not feel hot, thanks to an unceasing breeze. And in winter, the mud walls keep the students snug and warm without the use of sweaters or jackets!

"Throughout our projects, we have used waste materials like cracked tiles for wet areas, broken stone slabs for flooring and waste steel stitched together for grills. In the jungle lodges we designed, we used the fallen wood from forest trees."

Having completed her architecture degree from the School of Planning and Architecture in 2003, Aishwarya says that the choice of working with heritage buildings and structures was made rather early on in life.

The architects strongly believe that sustainable architecture is not limited to just the design of buildings.