In this IG Live, I speak to Donald Sequeira. Donald is an architect, natural builder, and the Director of Gia Mantra Global Village in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. In this first part of our conversation on 'Building with Rammed Earth', we understand the fundamentals. We understand the potential and constraints of rammed earth as a material and learn about preparing the material for construction. We speak about the material's strength and stability and understand construction concerns such as building height and services. We also discuss the durability and maintenance of rammed earth over its lifetime.

Here are some common myths about rammed earth debunked:

• A rammed earth structure can be built in all climatic regions.

  Rammed earth can be used for construction anywhere. It is a breathable but dense material that offers great heat exchange in tropical areas and thermal insulation in extremely hot or cold regions.

• A rammed earth building is durable and has a lifespan greater than concrete.

  Rammed earth structures also possess strength that is at least equal to the strength of concrete. They are extremely sustainable in the long run and require minimum maintenance.

• Rammed earth walls do not have to be very thick and there is no limit to room sizes.

  For a ground floor structure, only a 9" rammed earth wall is required which is equal to the thickness of a brick wall. As long as this criteria is met, it is possible to create spacious rooms of various sizes with rammed earth.

• There is no threat of insects or pests entering the house through the rammed earth walls.

  Once compressed, the rammed earth wall becomes extremely hard and dense. While the material is breathable, it is not not porous. The density does not allow for passages to be made by pests.

The feeling of being inside a rammed earth structure is indescribable. The structure changes with the weather to protect you. It has a quiet, special, womb-like quality - one instantly feels cocooned.

In this IG Live, we speak to Dr. Ajit Gokhale, the founder of Natural Solutions, India to discuss ‘Building Reed-bed system for Wastewater Management’.
Over our conversation, we get into details about the components of a Reed bed system, how the water purification is carried out, and the right methods of implementation. We also debunk common misconceptions about reed beds such as odor and maintenance requirements. Finally, we speak about the different types of flowering and fruiting plants that can be used for reed bed systems in Goa and along the Western Ghats.

Natural Solutions aims to spread environmental literacy and offers sustainable solutions for Urban as well as Rural Problems of water scarcity, Solid Waste Management, and wastewater treatment. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation.

Debunked myths about reed-bed systems

• A reed bed system does not smell if designed correctly. The simple precaution of introducing the inlet pipe at the bottom of the reed bed and not the top of the ensures that no foul smell is emanated.

• A reed bed does not have to be designed in a segregated area. It can very much designed as part of the landscape to be a walkable, usable space that can be accessed regularly.

• A reed bed can be used to effectively purify not just greywater but also black water and industrial wastewater when implemented correctly. It does not require significant additional maintenance.

Maintaining a reed-bed system

• A reed bed system typically consists of two parts - a sedimentation system (a septic tank/ an anaerobic digester/ Jalrakshak) and a filtration system (the reed bed itself). The entire system requires very little external care or maintenance.

• As with any common drainage or waste treatment system, the septic tank/ anaerobic digester/ Jalrakshak has to be cleaned occasionally.

• The reed bed itself does not require any maintenance. The plants can be trimmed for aesthetic value but it is not necessary. Trimming does not hamper the reed bed system as long as it is done as per a pruning schedule. Care has to be taken that the base of the plants are intact.

Benefits of a reed-bed system

• A reed bed system is a one-time investment with lifelong benefits. It is extremely low maintenance in the long run.

• Depending on the microclimate, the reed bed can purify every 1L of impure water to create 0.7 to 0.9L of filtered water that can be reused.

• The filtered water can be reused for irrigation & gardening, washing cars, and for flushing.

• The reed bed can be integrated as an accessible part of the landscape of the house with flowering and fruiting plants and trees that become home to local biodiversity.

Reed beds are sustainable, scalable, cost-effective ecologically engineered systems that can effectively purify wastewater. They are easy to maintain and can be designed into the landscape irrespective of the project size or typology.

Sustainable building is not as complicated as it sounds. Here are 5 simple practices to adopt while building which offer lifelong benefits and returns:

01. Harvest rainwater for reuse or to restore groundwater. Even a system as simple as a collecting tank makes a difference.

We have a conversation covering the basics of rainwater harvesting. Watch it here.

02 Source and use materials and natural stones that are local to the place.

Read about optimal use of local materials in this article.

03 Preserve existing trees and use native species. Use flowering & fruiting trees & plants to retain the habitat and welcome biodiversity.

Find out more about natural landscaping here.

04 Maximise daylight and cross ventilation by creating openings on at least two sides of a space.

Find out how to connect to the outdoors in this blogpost.

05 Create pathways and hardscape with permeable paving to allow rainwater to reach the ground and replenish the water table.

Learn more about designing outdoor paving here.

We love creating spaces with an intention to reconnect with nature - spaces that allow ample daylight and maximise natural ventilation, that seamlessly transition from indoor to outdoor and facilitate outdoor living. All of these aspirations can be easily realised using 5 key strategies to connect the inside with the outside.

01. Build around site's existing features, elevations, topography and consider restoring habitats.

Try to retain the site in its natural state as much as possible by limiting building footprint and preserving the existing ecological patterns. Before building, take time to observe natural patterns such as sun and shade, rain and drain, dry and lush areas, etc.

Visit the link to learn more about taking a site positive approach.

02. Design for extensive verandahs and incorporate verandahs as transition spaces to take everyday activities outdoors

Design indoor spaces that are flanked by generous outdoor spaces in the form of verandahs and courtyards. You can read our blogpost about the benefits of incorporating verandahs here.

03. Create large openings that seamlessly connect the indoors with the outdoors

Introduce large openings in between these indoor and outdoor spaces which can be opened up to connect the two spaces to allow them to function as one space.

04. Frame views

The openings should be designed to frame views and focus on key natural elements on the site, such as an existing tree, water feature, rocky outcrop, and/ or the views offered by the site.

Find out more about framing views here.

05 Continue the same material from indoor to outdoor and play with finish and texture to create variance

We like to use the same material in the indoor and outdoor space, once again connecting them visually and making them appear as one continuous space. The finish can be slightly altered from space to space ranging from mirror polished to rough cut as seen in the photograph below.

Find our answers to frequently asked questions about using natural stone here.

Celebrating Navovado, our design-build vacation house in the Goan countryside through a gallery of photographs of the courtyard house. Earlier this year, Navovado won the prestigious Platinum Certification from the Indian Green Building Council. Navovado harvests all of its roof rainwater and recharges the water well on site. The use of low-flow water fixtures further improves water efficiency. Focus on use of insulation on the roof, double-glazed glass, low­energy use appliances, LED lighting and 100% hot water from Solar power makes this home extremely energy efficient. The structure is constructed using locally manufactured materials and materials with a high recycled content such as Laterite stone, Matti wood, Fly-ash brick and Slag cement. The garden is planted using native local species to reduce water use for ir­rigation. Finally, large openings allow for maximum daylighting and cross-ventilation, reducing the energy use for lighting and cooling.

The heart of the home lies in the large central courtyard that is an extension of the kitchen, living and dining space. The courtyard houses the swimming pool and provides a green private space to be enjoyed by all the residents of the house. The courtyard morphs in its use depending on the time of day and occasion. The guest bedrooms on the ground floor are designed as pavilions on either side of the courtyard, while the first-floor bedrooms have a large terrace overlooking the courtyard that connects the two levels.

Find Navovado featured in detail on our Instagram page here.

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Photograph of Nivim, by Bharath Ramamrutham

The opportunity to build on a contoured site can be both a challenge and a blessing. Even as it requires unique structural solutions, a contoured plot of land offers great design advantages. The sloping site automatically facilitates unobstructed views. It allows the building envelope to feel like a private sanctuary because there is no close visual connection with other neighbouring buildings beneath or above. The rolling site terrain also allows the architecture to cascade, creating multiple distinct ways of experiencing the space and its surroundings. For our houses in Goa, we use the following principles to build on terraced sites sensitively and sustainably.

• When we build on a contoured site, we refrain from cutting or filling excessively. As a principle, the land topography is retained as much as possible.

• Every contoured site speaks a unique story. The soil, water and vegetation indicate how the site fits into the regional topography. The natural paths created indicate how water flows through the site from higher to lower contours. While designing, we like to take a site positive approach and make minimum alterations to these existing natural systems. This ensures that we are not tampering with the natural water flows within the site, hence avoiding any unexpected flooding during the abundant monsoon in Goa.⠀

• We also like to keep the site land around these water channels permeable without any cement cover. The natural paving ensures that there is a simple but high functioning rain water harvesting system where water is allowed to percolate into the ground and does not flow down and away from the site, preventing any water deficits in the future.

• One of our first steps on any site is to understand everything there is to know about the greenery. The kind of vegetation usually indicates where the water collects on site and shows the different kinds of life forms within the site. It helps in developing a cohesive ecological response strategy while designing.

• Understanding the vegetation also helps us design and build with nature. Unlike flat sites, where one would typically only see the base or trunk of a tree from ground level, a contoured site allows one to interact with the dense foliage of a tree on a higher level and the woody bark of another tree on a lower level simultaneously. We try to find these vistas to celebrate and curate through architecture.

• We look for terrain and topo sheets to place the site inside its regional context. Most of these sheets are easy to access, available online, and are often on university websites. Once we have an initial understanding of the levels, we model the site in 3D using software such as Google Earth, SketchUp, and Rhino. Most of these software also allow us to geo-locate our contoured plot to check for accuracy.

• While proposing a design, we usually look at a maximum of a 1m level difference from one space to another. This is done to avoid cutting and filling as much as possible and to move with the land terrain.⠀

• We love to use a material palette that is either sourced locally or naturally and build using local construction techniques. We take cues from the surrounding sites and buildings around us to identify the most effective and least intrusive construction methods for every piece of land we build on.

Practicing these simple steps helps us to build sustainably and design houses that are gentle on the land they stand on. To know more about the methods, tips, tricks and processes we follow while designing, visit our blog series, Designing A House In Goa.

In this session, we speak to Shubhendu Sharma, Founder of Afforestt. Afforestt does amazing work rewilding barren land in rural as well as urban areas, in different climatic zones, using different species through a process called the Miyawaki Method. Over the conversation, we discuss the fundamentals of the Miyawaki technique, the how tos of growing a forest, the benefits of picking native species, the ways and means of making forests and landscapes in the cities, as well as the challenges of growing and maintaining a dense forest. We also delve into the subject of mono-planting and understand how it impacts local biodiversity.

Here are some key takeaways from the session:

• Above ground, we perceive the forest as multiple trees, plants, and shrubs. But below ground, the forest grows as a single organism. ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben is a great read to understand how trees grow and communicate

• ‘Jungle Trees of Central India’ by Pradip Krishen is an excellent resource to learn about Indian native trees.

• One can visit the following native forests in India to find clues about and study the local indigenous species:

  • Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai

  • Kabini Forest in Bangalore

  • Srisailam Reserve in Hyderabad

  • Annamalai Forest in Tamil Nadu

  • Ridge Forest of the Aravalli Range in Delhi

  • Alwar Forest in Gurgaon and Haryana

  • Kanha and Tadoba National Parks in Central India

  • Jhilli Milli Forest in Kolkata

  • Jhalana Forest in Jaipur

  • Bathinda Forest in Punjab

  • Nepli Forest in Chandigarh

• Afforestt also has an open source DIY toolkit on How To Build Forests. You can find the methodology here.

Read more about growing urban forests using the Miyawaki method in our introductory blogpost.

In this IG Live, I speak to Dr Pallavi Latkar, the technical brains behind the ecological site planning at our project, The House with Three Pavilions . Pallavi is an ecological expert, she is the Founder and Director at GRASSROOTS Research & Consultancy in Mumbai. Over the Live session, Pallavi and I discuss the extensive rain water harvesting system we have created at The House with Three Pavilions. For this site with many contours and topographical variations in Goa, this monsoon ready water management has been a great way of rainwater harvesting and distribution to recharge the underground water table. Over the course of our conversation, we get into the details behind the site planning and construction, discussing the key techniques we have employed. We also speak about the benefits of conserving natural water systems and debunk myths around the maintenance of these systems.

Here are some additional takeaways from the session:

• Every site has a story to tell - the story of its soil, water, and vegetation. Listen to the story - smell, see, touch and feel its elements.

• Our sights have many hidden clues in plain sight - within the trees, plants,and shrubbery. FOr example:

  • A Mango Tree with a dense canopy tells us the site has a good water table.

  • The presence of wild Colocassia indicates the spot where water will stand and collect in the monsoons.

  • Moringa and Neem Trees are native trees that are most beloved by birds.

  • ‘Shankasur’ or Cesalphinia is a favourite haven for bulbuls.

  • Fish-tail Palms will attract Barbets, Coppersmiths, and Hornbills.

• Young architects who do not have access to an environmental consultant can start off by using free and universal tools such as:.

  • Google Earth Imagery from which contour levels of the site can be approximately extracted. 

  • Toposheets of India can be found online - it may require some searching on websites of Landscape Universities worldwide. 

  • Rainfall data and history are available online at various sites including The Meteorological Department website to ascertain the precipitation on your site.

  • The website of The Irrigation Department of India which gives the specifics about soil in every region. 

  • Software like Google SketchUp, Revit and Grasshopper which allow you to geo-locate and model the site and surroundings in 3D which will help you visualize the terrain.