How do you create a sustainable, self-sufficient home for a poor family in rural South India, specifically in the region of Malur?
The project started with an NGO approaching us for sustainable housing design for rural Karnataka. The region, its issues, requirements, resources, and culture was analyzed by two architecture students Bettina Steuri and Gionatan Vignola from Bern University of Applied Sciences for their thesis. Their research then formed a basis for execution and was adapted to build a house with various partners in Malur. We at IN:CH architects and planners along with other partners helped with rural on-site information, finance control, and civil work.
The walls and floor are constructed with rammed earth. The roofing sheet is made of recycled compressed packaging material and the energy for the house is drawn for a solar power connection installed. The house collects all the rainwater that falls on its roof and utilizes it for the household. The garden provides for a part of the nutrition needs of the family. The family owns a cow, which produces milk and material for biogas. This biogas is used for cooking meals. The house has a low embodied energy and uses minimum amounts of resources from outside its premises thereby rendering it self-sufficient. We have started more work in the village with small but relevant architectural interventions to enhance the quality of life of the people of the village.
