“You learn a lot when you’re barefoot. The first thing is every step you take is different.”
– Michael Franti, musician.
The intention of environmentally conscious architecture and construction is for the process and the product to be as close to nature as possible like in any realm of life. Living in earthen structures requires one’s lifestyle in alignment to the requirement of the natural built structure, the preparedness for the changing nature of natural materials and the inclination to understand the aesthetics of imperfections in natural and handmade materials.
Spaced by gardens, this residence sprawls along the site making the house seem sizable. A central entrance opens into a passageway that overlooks a garden dividing the private and the semi-private spaces. Punctuated by courtyards and gardens, each space enjoys three sides peeping at different gardens with corner windows flaunting its structural freedom. Built with mud blocks (CSEB) and stone, plastered in mud, capped by projected slabs and small lean-to roofs light filters through the gardens and diffuses onto the handmade floor tiles with filtered light from the terracotta jaalis adding to the earthy tones.
The fun and the challenging part of the design was the point of intersection of the diagonals – diagonals to the site, diagonals to the built, their intersections. The associated symbolism had the volumes changing and the walls moving by several feet to precisely some inches. The construction witnessed much excitement for the materials, the craftsmanship and the notion of eco-friendly process of building. The habituation then saw the explorations of newer lifestyles to complement the natural building.
Team Acknowledgement
Architects: Akarmaa Designs
Execution: Earthen Nest
Photography: 1.6 Frames
Residence | Trichy | 2022
ADS/Re/A/Jl20/04
