A photo feature on unconventional tiny houses got me thinking about why we never hear of architects designing them in India. Is it because a very small house is much too readily associated with poverty that we, as a country, … Continue reading
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Glaring mistakes
I have ranted about glass façades for a long time and this editorial by Sunita Narain of DTE has inspired me to add a couple of paragraphs to the original one. Among other things, she has written about a recent … Continue reading
Building walls with the rat trap bond
Just in case I’ve got you visualising rodents scurrying about where they’re not wanted, ease your mind; the rat trap bond I’m talking about is simply a method of laying bricks when building a wall. It’s similar to the common … Continue reading
The Architect and the Plantsman
This Wall Street Journal article on the collaboration between reclusive Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and ascetic Dutch landscaper Piet Oudolf made me think about my own (much less famous) interaction with A.Y. Retiwalla for the Karjat Resort a decade ago. … Continue reading
Blocked in China – Not
Reading an article on censorship in China, I came across a website that tests if any site is blocked in the land of the dragon. Google, Twitter and a whole host of other popular sites that we take for granted … Continue reading
ShKo Bungalow at Karjat
Last week ended with a site visit to Nasrapur, Karjat. This is the fourth design in the same general location after the [RaBV], [BAli] and [LGEs] bungalows so I’m extremely familiar with the area and climate. Part of this particular … Continue reading
High-Rises and Sustainability
Reading an article in Architecture Week about the impact that urban towers have on the natural environment, got me sitting on one of my pet hobby-horses. I have never been convinced by arguments that high-rises are better and more sustainable than … Continue reading
Green Listing
If you are the provider of any green / sustainable product or service that is appropriate for mention on this website, please fill the form below listing your website and stating clearly what exactly makes your product sustainable. If, however, … Continue reading
Planting for Birds & Butterflies
Plants that you should consider There are a number of things you can do to attract butterflies and birds to your garden. Here is a basic list that may be useful as a starting point for people living in peninsular … Continue reading
Preventing Soil Erosion
Erosion of soil is a very real problem that can crop up when we encounter sloping land on a site. In this article, I’ll outline the measures taken on two different sites where erosion needed to be controlled. The first … Continue reading