University case study projects happened often in urban India. The main interest in this study was in exploring the lives and living conditions of the people from rural parts of India and developing ways to improve the quality of living.
The live initiative started with an NGO approaching IN:CH architects and planners for sustainable housing designs for parts of rural Karnataka. The region, its issues, requirements, resources, and culture were analyzed by two architecture students Bettina Steuri and Gionatan Vignola from Bern University of Applied Sciences for their thesis. The thesis question was how to create a sustainable, self-sufficient home for a poor family in rural South India, specifically in the region of Malur, outside of Bangalore?
The solutions to this question resulted in a house with a low embodied energy which used very minimal amounts of resources from outside of its premises. Other works have been taken up in the village with small but relevant architectural interventions to enhance the quality of life of the people of the village.
