Creating a balance between green, luxury and economy
“Eco-engineering to make affordable Green”, is the unique selling proposition of Bhuvan Ashish, an architect whose motive is to create meaningful and sensible spaces which are self sustaining in nature. Every design element is thoroughly scrutinized before implementation, to its actual necessity, its intent and its impact on the project and the environment.
Ashish comes from a background of having worked on large infrastructure and commercial projects where he picked up the nuances of project management and detailing. He got introduced to Green Architecture during his stint with retail projects and have ever since continued his journey in creating sustainable and eco-friendly spaces and designs.
Ashish, the principal architect of IdeinLab Architects, which offers comprehensive design solutions covering all aspects of sustainability from built space, interiors, furniture design and landscape design. They believe in integrated design and working in collaboration with a network of consultants consisting of green specialists in the areas of air quality, water hydrology, green structural design, sustainable energy, botany and other green design areas. IdeinLab Architects has recently completed a residential building in Bangalore, completely based on sustainability and eco-friendly principles.
The client wanted a home that is self sustaining and built with natural material : to create a showcase of his passion towards sustainable living. This project was conceptualized as a self-sustaining entity, catering to the basic needs of the inhabitants, being independent of its energy, power and water needs from civil utilities. The objective of maintaining low carbon footprint for the entire home, along with the three R’s of sustainability – Reduce, Recycle & Re-use. This is the common thread seen across all the elements in the home.
Since the locality, being an up-coming residential layout, had poor connectivity to utility grids, and thus making a home independent of these utilities was an important requirement. It is designed to store harvested rain water, which can supply fresh drinking water to the family.
The walls are constructed using earth blocks that are made at site. Added to this is the strategically sized and arrangement of windows, which allows proper aeration and natural lighting without causing heat build-up in the interiors. This practically eliminates the requirement of any HVAC system in the entire house.
Ashish says, “We enjoyed creating a balance between green, luxury and economy and interweaving it with the family’s needs. When the client happily narrates stories behind every element of his house with a smiling face, saying ‘I always wanted this’, it brings a sense of satisfaction and achievement to us.”