eco-friendly homes

How did people in India keep their homes cool during scorching summers — long before electricity? There’s a centuries-old design hidden in plain sight that might hold the secret. It’s smart, simple, and surprisingly relevant for modern homes facing rising heat today. Here’s why we should be paying attention.

In the sweltering summer of Gujarat, ‘Cool House’, a sustainable home designed by Samira Rathod, uses no ACs and coolers to remain naturally cool.

Over the past four years, Bengaluru-based The Habitainer has built over 200 customised container homes using solar power and repurposed materials — offering a low-waste, climate-conscious alternative to conventional housing.

Can a home be built without waste and still be energy-efficient? Zero-waste homes are proving it’s possible. By repurposing construction debris, harnessing solar power, and using smart designs, these homes minimize environmental impact while maximizing sustainability. Discover how these innovative homes are redefining green living for the future.

Through their company ‘Hexpressions’, Abhimanyu Singh and Shilpi Dua are building affordable, eco-friendly homes using recycled paper panels that are strong, durable, and sustainable.

Manav Khanduja and Shyamendra Singhare, the co-founders of Pugdundee Safaris based in Haryana, share how they built a sustainable safari travel venture in the heart of India.

Knowledge-centric solutions hub, cBalance curated the ‘Informal Housing Thermal Comfort’ project. It encourages participatory action from poor households to build thermally comfortable humane structures for them to live.

Mana Foresta in Sarjapur in Bengaluru, takes inspiration from Italian architect Stefano Boeri who built the world's first vertical forests in Milan, Italy. These residential spaces have up to 900 trees and 90 plant species.

“My buildings should outlive me and future generations. That's why I choose natural materials on the outside and inside."

"We did not want to import marble from Italy or wood from Brazil. We wanted to include local labour, local resources and more importantly, local arts and crafts in the homes we built."