Architecture

Chilly winter nights in Delhi should be a little bearable for about 125 homeless families in the city this year, as they will have some shelter to call their own. All thanks to one organization that has been distributing tents among the homeless.

This team of architects is making sure the urban poor get better homes with sanitation. Not only do they provide them with better dwellings within the city, they also create more income generation opportunities for the women living in the slums. Here is how they are rehabilitating slum dwellers and redesigning their living spaces.

Koti Banal, the centuries old houses in Uttarakhand, have survived all major and minor earthquakes for the past 900 years. While other modern and concrete houses got destroyed, these traditional houses stood strong. Here is more about their unique architecture.

From the strategically placed Shivling to the legendary deities and folk tales, the stones of Mamallapuram have lives of their own. Know more about the mesmerizing stories behind this amazing World Heritage–listed and also learn about the new community of artists close by which is keeping the tradition alive!

Mohan Rao is a landscape architect at IndeDesign. He wanted to explore how to design cities with sustainable water management. On this quest, in Hampi, India, Rao uncovered a reservoir system dating to the Hindu empire of ancient Vijayanagra, circa 1000AD, that had sustained a population of half million (five lakhs) people for hundreds of years with very little rainfall. With the help of the Architectural Survey of India, Rao’s work in Hampi has provided much needed models for water supply management in the development of cities and urban complexes around the globe.

Not many of us know that there are more than 1300 monuments in and around New Delhi! And more importantly, there are only a few who care for the 3 World Heritage Sites, 174 National Protected Monuments and over hundreds of state protected monuments and several unprotected and lesser known monuments of this historical and epical city. Today we proudly feature someone who cares; presenting Vikramjit Singh Rooprai – the creator of www.monumentsofdelhi.com

Ashwin Mudigonda saw the BBC’s Human Planet, and was awestruck by the living root bridges of Nongriat. He decided to make a trip to Meghalaya and see the bridges. Here, illustrated by beautiful photographs, is an account of his thrilling adventure, which started with a flight to Shillong from Kolkotta aboard a tiny turboprop.

Today, join us as we explore a mysterious ruins, and try to unravel the baffling secret that led people living for five centuries in 82 villages to just pack up and leave overnight! Enter the world of the unknown at Kuldhara in Rajasthan. Shrouded in enigma and surrounded by myths, this is a place that lights up the darkest recesses of our imagination!