“Architecture is human endeavour inspired by the nature
all around us. We must transform the nature; fuse science, art and technology
into a sublime statement of human dignity.”
‘Sustainability’ has been one of
the main concerns of architects while designing a building in today’s scenario.
The emphasis is on technological aspects keeping in mind the community
environment. It is imperative for an architect to be innovative in designs
while establishing an open dialogue with environment. Through this thought process,
an architect originates a ‘green concept’ and create designs which contributes
in building positive urban environment.
On the other hand, an architect
has to also balance affordability with eco-friendly aspects providing the
highest level of quality with meticulous planning involving energy conservation
system and material choices. These systems have to be successfully developed and
implemented by an architect in achieving carbon reduction in our built
environment.
Biome Environmental Solutions
Pvt. Ltd, is one such reputed firm which believes in transforming the place in
tune with the nature and redefining the dimensions of space utilisation in
sustainable architecture. The firm initiated in the year 1990, focuses on
creating green and modern architectural solutions. Architect
Chitra Vishwanath, is the driving force behind this firm. Propelling the green
movement on her own under the banner of Chitra Vishwanath Architects in 1990, and
then renamed the unique entity to Biome Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd in 2008.
The entire focus of this architectural enterprise was on eco-friendly design,
water and sanitation related projects. She completed her Civil Engineering in
Nigeria and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from CEPT - Ahmedabad, India.
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| Ar. Chitra Vishwanath Photograph by - Jagadeesh NV |
The firm’s aim is to design
ecological spaces and not just physical spaces, which are climate responsive, conserve
and use natural resources judiciously while eliminating waste streams. Their
projects are usually built with the theme of earth, water, sun and wind while
encouraging recycling and reuse of waste materials with a modern touch which
stands apart from other structures.
Ar. Chitra does not believe in
the signature style of working. She says, “Signature is
immaterial to me since it is so limiting you are bound to it lifelong- same
thing again and again- and if it changes you are questioned! Also it’s an
expression of security not of free spirit. In fact a signature building is a
very dim-witted (stupid) thing to do, so I don’t consider our style as any
signature style - just plain simple common sense.”
“I also move from being ‘my style’
to being ‘team style’. It might have been ‘my style’ 15 years back. But since
then, people have joined us and created some very nice structures and ideas. I
am not an architect who dictates my way of thinking. As a firm, there should be
different ideas and concepts. With the same principles of ecology, this team of
10 architects design buildings with their own style ethos. It is the concept
and a philosophy that matters,” she opines.
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| Namboodiri Residence, Bangalore Photograph by - Jagadeesh NV |
General notion in the society is
that an architect encounters many challenges when designing an eco-friendly
building. Ar. Chitra feels that maybe in the beginning of her career there were
challenges since she had to derive a lot of details. She explains, “It was important
to combine a structural possibility of a material with people’s requirement. This
took time since we had to experiment and understand the pros and cons of it. We
worked with team of engineers, masons and the rest of building community and we
continue to work as a team even now. The challenge was more for ourselves, to
make it work so that it becomes acceptable to many people.”
She adds, “In fact, many people now
come to us not because they are ecologically conscious; but because they also like
this kind of architecture. So, it is very challenging to design a small house
where they can indulge in something different and get the real values which is
aspirational. We have done residential projects from 800 to 2000 sq.ft.”
Ar. Chitra gives credit to her
father for instilling architectural thoughts in her mind. She says, “Studying
architecture was inspired by my father. He was a sculptor.”
As mentioned earlier, the firm’s
main focus is designing ecological spaces. The firm’s philosophy is, “The building is not natural but is ecological, economical,
logical and sensible. It treads lightly on the earth. It is not only material
specific or design specific or environmental specific, it is a combination of
all, without one the complete world would not exist. We look at materials which
we get closest to the site or we look at how we can use waste. We work in
different parts of India and we work with the materials available locally, it
being the best way and there is no, one solution for all.”
She also adds, “We look at it not
being only material specific, but it is how you combine the main elements like
light, water, air, which is a requirement when you occupy a building. Our
principal is to modulate the natural light which is available in India.”
She feels that, “Green movement
is good and need of the day. It has to be extremely contextualised because what
is happening in the West cannot be followed here in the Asian countries. We
need to design for different regions, suppose what we designed for the cold environment
of Ladakh cannot be the design for Kerala.”
Ar. Chitra strongly supports the
use of rain water harvesting and energy savers in the building. She elucidates,
“Water harvesting like storing the water as well as recharging the water should
be part of every built space. Also, in the long
run it reduces urban flooding.” She feels that solar makes sense for lighting
and it pays back in a long run.”
Ar. Chitra’s observation on
‘Earth as a future building material’ is strong. She feels that, it is the only
building material. She explains, “48 percent of house in India is built with
brick. Where do we get brick from? It is the clay taken out from either ponds
or river bed. Brick was a logical progression as a building material from earth
walls. But making of brick, requires energy which adds to the greenhouse gas
emission.” So, why go for a material like bricks, when there are other
possibilities? She questions.
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| Uma Nagaraj Residence, Bangalore Photograph by Jagadeesh NV |
She says, “There should be mix of
new and old systems. By stabilising the soil, we can make thinner walls of
stabilised mud blocks. Good site planning and land use management is a must.
One should not build in agriculture fields or tank beds, where the soil is not
suitable for construction.”
Referring to her own office space
as an example, she says, “For this office and the home below, the material came
from the basement.”
In a long run of her career, Ar.
Chitra thinks that designing her own house was most challenging because it was
her first time to use mud in the construction and also, installed water
harvesting system. She adds, “Our home became a
workshop of ideas and continues to be so, considering that, ours is a small
plot of 1,500 sq.ft. Through the years many things have been added and changed.
It gave us a benchmark of how to design in a small plot while we also kept
looking at the bigger picture.”
Presently, the firm is doing a
project for ISKCON in Mumbai and also a temple in Salem. The Salem project’s
uniqueness is that they are not using concrete or steel, it is only built with
mud and stone.
Pavithra TG
Built Expressions
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