In the middle of a farm in Shoolagiri, Tamil Nadu, lies the home of Abhishek Ubale and Sunaina called ‘Flintstone6’.

The house is sustainable and carbon neutral, built by Fawaz Thengilan, founder of Studio Mitti.

“The land was in Tamil Nadu’s Shoolagiri village, nestled in a farm and mango grove. Plants and trees surrounded the chunk of land, and I wanted to preserve the nature around it,” says Fawaz.

The house employs the ‘debris wall construction’ technique, designed by architect Vinu Daniel, to ensure it leaves no carbon footprint.

“The ‘debris wall’ technique uses materials as the name suggests — debris or construction waste sourced from within a few miles of the location. This can include anything from mud to waste from quarries, excavation, and construction sites,” Fawaz explains.

In this case, the debris was sourced from an abandoned granite quarry in the area. The architect also used mud, straw, and thatch from the farm, ensuring no new materials were used in the construction of the walls.

Fawaz wanted the roof to be light and airy. So, they reduced the concrete and used thatch. Instead of concrete beams, they used lighter wooden beams and ferrocement for reinforcement.

The architect chose to work around nature by preserving the existing trees and plants. “We did not let the trees be cut down for the sake of construction, the rooms are designed around it,” he explains.

The house spread across 180 square metres of land, is a single-storey building. It has a multi-functional hall with an open kitchen with earthy-coloured walls. The basins in the house are also carved out of granite retrieved from the quarry.

It took a good 14 months to complete the project, says Fawaz, adding, “The pandemic was a hindrance and the work, which could have been done in six to seven months, took almost double the time.”

He continues, “The house sits in the lap of nature, inside a farm made with waste material, and, to me, it feels like a celebration of nature, sustainability, and recycling.”

Describing what it feels like to live in Flintstone6, Abhishek says that this home is their weekend getaway from Bengaluru now. “A home we always have longed for,” he adds.

“The earthy tones of the walls and the huge glass windows make us feel like we are living in the lap of nature. Living in the house feels like living with nature itself,“ he shares.