Eco-friendly Architecture

Eco-friendly or green architecture is gaining some attention now. Probably after a century, people are looking back at ancient art and techniques which are proved be environment friendly. It is really unfortunate that with rapid urbanization and modernization, we are brutally ignoring the depleting resources, encroaching lands to build concrete jungles and fulfilling our needs. It’s time when we learn to minimize our needs, keep enough green belts, open spaces and adopt eco-friendly techniques to build houses and other buildings.

Some of us might relate the eco-friendly architecture or house-plan, when we visit houses of our grandparents. Houses then were spacious with proper ventilation for air and natural light. There were high ceilings and an open to sky space (aangan/ chowk) in the middle of the house with corridors or verandahs in front of every room to protect from direct rains and sunlight but giving adequate exposure to light and air. These houses were also Vastu friendly. Before modernization, there were small houses made of clay, cow-dung and thatch roofs (Indian history). Such houses can still be seen in the agricultural areas or a few villages now. Well, for our modern needs, safety and security we may not regress that back, but we can definitely start drawing lines and go back to the eco-friendly architecture for our own and our planet’s health.

Natural Water cooler at Amber Fort, Jaipur India

If we look into our individual space we occupy on this earth, we would realize how much carbon footprints is each of us leaving! Indians, who were known to conservative, are adopting western ways at an astonishing pace. Our heavy consumerism and quick disposal leads to more demand, more space crunch, land filling and pollution.