About nine km away from the former French enclave, in a layout in Moratandi, an ochre-coloured building stands out from the other households. This traditional Tamil house built without cutting a tree or using steel, has space not only for its occupants but also for birds, butterflies, fish, plants and trees.
Inspired by architect Laurie Baker, Nandini. R, a postgraduate in ecology, along with her husband Rajesh. J, identified and chose eco-friendly materials to design their dream house. “To avoid cutting a tree to build this house, we chose re-purposed wood for the doors and windows. We have not used steel for the entire building. If we had constructed in a conventional style, we would have used at least 600 to 700 pillars of steel. In order to reduce usage of cement, we have used cement to mud at the proportion of 1:6 for binding,” says Nandini.
Meticulous selection
With utmost concern to reduce carbon footprints, they meticulously selected every material for construction. They collected all the country clay tiles for roofing from their ancestral house in Erode that were to be thrown in the garbage.
“We were looking for materials that could be reused for our building. During one of our visits to my home town in Erode, my family members were planning to dismantle the ancestral house at the cost of ₹3 lakh. It was built by my great grandfather seven generations ago. They were planning to throw away the roof tiles. Immediately, we decided to bring it here for our home,” he said.
Like the Chettinad architecture, the roof slopes are designed to collect water. The open courtyard has a lily pond with guppy fish to check on the mosquitoes.
Nandini says that since the location was closer to Auroville, they could find a contractor who was able to understand their requirements and build the house accordingly. “We got the re-purposed wood and old pillars from Auroville,” she says.
Instead of paint, walls are embellished with cow dung plastering. The couple travelled to Karaikudi and Athangudi to pick the handmade tiles for flooring.
The power for the entire house is from solar energy. “Except for the motor and air conditioner, all the electrical appliances are run on solar. We have been able to save the cost by 10 times. We now pay only ₹400 to ₹500 as electricity bills which would otherwise be ₹4,000 or ₹ 5,000 per month. The Electricity Department has suggested that we fix a reversible meter which would help reduce the bills for the extra power generated through energy,” he says.
Nesting place for birds
To save rainwater and enrich groundwater, they have a rainwater harvesting system in place and grey water is recycled and used to water plants. “In the past eight months, we have seen an increase in the groundwater table,” she says.
While constructing the house, they left space for the birds to nest. “Few birds like parrot, sparrow and owls nest in cavities. We had a robin till recently in one of the cavities,” says Nandini, pointing out to the nest.
In the 11,000 sq ft area, the built up area occupies only 5,000 sq ft leaving the rest for the plants and trees. They have chosen 13 native trees of Coromandel Coast for their garden. “We have started getting our food from the garden,” she says, showing off the varieties of vegetables and fruits grown in her garden.
Contrary to the perception that construction of eco-friendly houses is expensive, the couple says that the cost was 30 to 35% less.
Nandini believes that they could have done much more than this. “I wanted to use mud blocks instead of bricks which are not eco-friendly. But many advised against it,” she says.
It is Nandini’s love for nature that has shaped this house. “My studies have come to use now. Education is like a flame and will always remain with you,” she says.
