A space can be conceived in myriads of design. What are the aspects to be kept in mind while conceptualising a design other than its functional value and aesthetics? Addressing students of architecture and interior designing at a lecture organised by LSM School of Design, Bangalore, recently, Ashish Bhuvan, Design Expert, IdeinLab Architects, asserts, “apart from beauty and utility, issues pertaining to economy, people and earth need to be considered when one comes up with a design.”
Ashish places the art of designing in the macrocosm of economy and environment. Considering the dependency of design on the material, he observes, “the scope of design is greatly influenced by the modern production system.” This model of production system, “processes material linearly, encourages higher consumption leading to the generation of enormous amount of hazardous waste worldwide,” he adds.
In his opinion, the choice of right raw materials is the key for sustainable architecture. The approach to design therefore “needs to be cyclic as opposed to linear,” points out Charanya, Space Architect, IdeinLabs. For her, the first step is to think of eco-friendly alternatives (that are biodegradable) for building desired structures. “This conscious exercise turns the linear system into a circular one which would generate zero or minimal waste,” adds Ashish, rendering a lecture on the Importance and implications of Sustainability in Design and Architectur e.
Secondly, the objective should be to minimise the extravagant usage of raw materials. “We often come across fat walls, staircases, sofas and dining tables which add neither to the beauty nor utility. Such structures could be modelled better with lesser quantity of wood, cushion or cement,” argues Charanya.
It is also the creativity of the designer, she says, “to exploit the old and discarded items in the neighbourhood and give it a new look by integrating them into the theme.”
For instance, the architect duo Ashish and Charanya, brought Coffee bush branches into a boutique and turned them into antique jewellery hangers. In another project where the duo were asked to construct a false ceiling for an office space, they instead roped in all the hanging wires into a running tube and hung down lights from the ceiling. “This arrangement not only served the purpose of covering up the shabby roof, but cut down the use of material by 80 percent conserving vertical space of the office,” they explain.
As ‘maximising quality and minimising waste’ has been the motto of IdeinLab, the architects advise students to think of reused and recycled stuff for their design proposals as that would bring down carbon footprint.
“Visiting junk shops has become my pastime lately where I collect astonishing elements for my themes,” reveals Charanya gleefully.
