1. BHŪMIJA
Born of the earth
And living in its
fold
HSR Layout, Bangalore, construction completed in November 2011

2. Design Brief
• To construct a house that involves ‘green
concepts’ both in design and in execution
• To design a house that can be ‘green’ post-
occupancy, in its running and maintenance
And
Motivation?

3. Part 1
Architectural
Design and
Construction

4. Site
• Plot coverage < 50%
• Building setback>
stipulated
• Landscaping – no hard
paving
• Soil-filling

5. Design
• Load-bearing
• Optimal spans – minimal steel
• Simple and efficient plan
• Tall windows and shorter lintels
• Ventilator design
• Glass panes in doors for
pervasive natural light
• In-built seats and bed

6. Materials
• Natural materials like stone
and wood
• Material sourced from
nearby as far as possible
• Judicious use of materials
seen in stair design, terrace
finishing, exposed ceiling etc
• Hoordi roof tiles to save on
concrete
• Pre-polished, sun-dried
traditional floor tiles

7. Design Details
• Kitchen interior with left-over stone pieces
• Mechanical chimney
• Parapet with left-over stone pieces
• Staircase detail using stone treads only
• Structure and aesthetics integrated through use of
arches and stone lintels
• Dry and wet bath spaces reduce water used to keep
bathrooms clean

8. Design Detail Examples
Stone bay window
Stone lintel and wall
Staircase windows
Brick
bay
window
Bathroom
with
separate
dry and
wet areas
and
skylight
Kitchen

9. Part 2
Interiors and lighting

10. • Hanging Pendant light
fittings throws more
light where you need it
• Very few
plastered/painted walls
• Furniture – mostly cane
and second-hand
furniture from relatives
• In-built seats and bed
• Stone Kitchen shelves
• No skirting

11. Part 3
Home Utilities

12. Eco-friendly home utilities
• Solar power
• Solar water heating
• Grey-water recycling
• Rain-water harvesting
• Composting
• Use of organic soaps
• Recycling bags
• Eco-friendly fittings
– CFL lamps
– Water-saving flush tank
– Energy saving fans

13. Solar PV and water heater
• No power cuts
• No running costs, moving parts or maintenance
• No pollution
• BESCOM units consumed down to < 20 per month
2KWp Solar PV panels Inverter and battery bank Solar water heater (PV on roof)

14. Water and bio-waste
Reed bed for recycling
INPUT: grey water from
washing machine, showers,
wash-basins
OUTPUT: recycled water for
garden
Rain water harvesting
Whenever rain water is
available, it is stored and
used before BWSSB supply
is tapped
Organic composting
Daily Dump Khamba to
compost kitchen and
garden waste to produce
organic compost

15. ‘Green’ Everyday
• Run the washing machine only on full load
• Keep the soiled vessels wet by filling with water used
to wash vegetables
• Segregate waste and reuse if possible – like broken toys
and used envelopes
• Consume responsibly – no food wastage, allow things
their life-cycle
• Cycle to the local grocer, walk to everywhere else
cloes-by
And
Benefits?

16. The poster on our wall