I t is not uncommon to see mounds of discarded construction material in a construction site. Invariably these get transported to dump yards and landfills. But not all of this construction waste is unusable. There is a sizeable part that can be salvaged, reused, recycled. Such waste can be used in a community project initiative.
Couple this with a sensible design and offer the same to segments which have hitherto failed to see design intervention of any kind, and the value add achieved can be tremendous. The Institute of Indian Interior Designers, Bangalore Regional Chapter (IIID BRC), during its recently held festival ‘Design Yatra’, pondered over possibilities of salvaging waste from the project sites of its member architects and designers and coming up with design interventions.
As an offshoot of this initiative, the Social Warehouse Project (SWAP) and Community Design (CODE) were formed whereby construction waste would be garnered and stored under the SWAP and used in projects taken up under CODE.
Says IIID BRC member Architect Gunjan Das, who along with co-member Architect Kavita Sastry came up with the idea of salvaging the waste and utilising it in community projects, “ Currently there are large segments amongst the less privileged which have seen nil design intervention. The waste can be effectively used in such community projects to make a meaningful difference.”
As part of CODE, member architects are expected to offer 5 per cent of their professional time to execute community designs. IIID BRC has successfully executed one community project under the CODE umbrella which involved constructing bath and toilets for orphaned boys housed in Lakshya Udaan Boys Home at Siddapura Circle. The orphanage, comprising four classrooms in a government school, lacked sufficient bathrooms and toilets for the boys.
Sponsors
Says Kavita Sastry, “The intervention involved not only designing but also constructing clean toilets and bath facilities.” While IIID BRC provided the design intervention, sponsorship came from industry in the form of funds and materials, with FunderMax India providing the required funding while others like Ram Ceramics, and Sarda Plywood supplied materials. “We are planning similar interventions in the future especially with SWAP making available materials that can be used”, adds Sastry.
Storing construction waste requires space even when member architects are forthcoming. This was solved by the offer of a warehouse space for SWAP by the Dayananda Foundation. Adds Gunjan, “We do not want to stop this initiative with just Bengaluru, but would like to take it across the country where satellite warehouses can be created to which architects can divert waste from their project sites.”
According to her, an inventory could then be maintained of what is being held at different places. “This would facilitate easy access and effective use of the materials stored for community projects.” She is however quick to add that SWAP should not become a dump yard for architects where they can divert materials that are beyond reuse and meant only for landfills. “The materials that will be received by the warehouses will be only those that can be effectively recycled, reused or upcycled.”
Says Architect Shyamala Prabhu, “Invariably there is excess material in a project site which is discarded as debris. This can be transported to the warehouse for use elsewhere, in a community project. SWAP and CODE members will not only salvage waste but also offer their time in the form of community design intervention as part of their social responsibility.”
She further adds, “Having trade members in our organisation makes it easier for industry funding and participation in community projects. Besides local government bodies, IIID BRC is also interacting with NGOs to participate in such community design interventions.”
With already a couple of projects underway as part of CODE, IIID BRC is confident that this initiative will gather momentum in the coming months.
