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Green homes are a welcome change in the ever honking, ever temper rising, ever spitting and squatting grey city; designed to soothe the inflammatory squeal running around in the minds of today’s fast food lovers. Nine-to-five jobs are fast depleting and work pressure quickly traipses into the house as casually as the bodies of its residents. A newer pattern reveals, however, that dedication to creating a more environmentally-friendly atmosphere helps such people to enjoy the sensible utterance of the calm that we all seem to seek.
In that spirit, here is a look into some of Bangalore’s greener apartments whose philosophies are bound to inspire you for your own future homes.
This double storied house is built entirely from second hand / discarded material in Sadashivnagar GV Dasarathi, the house’s humble owner, believes in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink as his motto plus his motive proves that conviction can build houses at half the cost of a traditional one. Some of its more impressive features include a 20,000 litre tank for rainwater. He says, “All window frames, staircase, cupboards are made from pinewood crates; bathroom fittings are also old materials,” and insists that the house does not even have steel bars for windows because he has no fear of thieves. After all, he can get the materials for his house at a price that would reduce most of us to tears!
This house is built using natural materials on a 50×80 site. Mud blocks were used for construction instead of bricks. Though the mud blocks are costlier than normal bricks they are bigger in size. Hence, lesser number of these would do the job and the cost more or less evens itself out. Kota tiles and clay tiles which are cheaper and easier to procure have been used as well. The rule of the house is that lights are not turned on between 6am and 6pm as skylights bring in all the light they require during the day. CFLs are used throughout their house and they also plan to install solar panels for electricity as their main source of energy. Rain-water is used for drinking too as it gets purified by a Forbes Designa water purifier system. Karunaprasad and his wife Vishaka have a garden too, a haven of sorts for the eco-friendly couple as they grow many of their own vegetables. His policy is a simple one–“If you can’t manage the garbage then don’t create it.”
Introducing a home that gets 90% of its vegetables from its backyard, uses solar energy for most purposes except for the microwave and the water pump. They are against packaged foods like chips, sodas and products like detergents and bleach. The eco lifestyle helps Rajesh Shah and Vallari Shah live a green life indeed. And incidentally, their garden lives on reused shower water. They save around 15,000 litres of water through rain-water harvesting and almost all of it is reused. The terrace garden has fruits and vegetables from beans to papayas to tomatoes and watermelons.
And now with our last two selections it would appear that it isn’t just individuals at random who share this green mindset, several complexes are also taking this conscience-friendly route. At Renaissance Woods, luxury is in sync with peaceful surroundings. Adjoining Jalahalli Air force station within the well planned BDA approved layout ‘Renaissance HVV Valley’ and adjacent to Jarkabandi State Forest, a short distance from BEL Circle, Renaissance Woods is the perfect dwelling for those in love with Nature.
Similarly, Bangalore’s ‘Embassy Boulevard,’ created for the cognoscenti, is an uber-exclusive community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for the good life. A community for those who appreciate an evolved luxury and seek solace amid verdant spaces removed from the world which are entirely ‘green’ in their philospohies. Indeed, for those who seek the perfect balance, Embassy Boulevard is a lifestyle that traverses the sublime.
Words: Karthik Keramalu
