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As someone who grew up in the heart of a major city, I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of construction. Several rising skyscrapers mark the area around my apartment, painting the skies grey with their concrete and steel foundations. While writing this, I can see three cranes right outside my window, and as much as I feel inconvenienced by constant tearing down and rebuilding, I’d accepted it as the norm. I never considered that there could be an alternative, nor did I evaluate how these projects are more than a personal nuisance. The fumes that leave these construction sites are more than just a bad smell you quickly walk past on your way to work; the incessant drilling into the ground is more than a headache-inducing clamour.
With global temperatures rising, the consequences of overconsumption are becoming imminent. Sustainability is at the forefront of our minds, and yet, amidst conversations about energy conservation and recycling programs, we overlook the day-to-day practices that we’ve accepted as normal. To be clear, I’m not deluding myself into thinking we’re ditching urbanisation and concrete buildings in the name of environmental preservation; I do, however, think it’s important to remember that environmentally conscious options do exist.
Ekarth Studio shows us that development and nature can, and do, go hand in hand. The Delhi-based architecture studio focuses on bamboo construction, using abundant natural materials to create luxurious spaces. Located in the heart of Assam, their new Firefly House merges innovative design with sustainable building practices. Following the guidance of cutting-edge New York-based architect Jorg Stamm, their team of artisans built the bamboo villa to show us that luxury does not have to come at the cost of sustainability.
Firefly House is made almost entirely of bamboo that was harvested and treated by the Ekarth Studio team. The villa was carefully designed to maximise bamboo’s potential, using varied species for different functions around the villa based on the wood’s strength, quality, and integrity. Bamboo’s unique properties offered the architects innovative design opportunities; for instance, rather than building regular, square-shaped bedrooms, Firefly House’s rooms are a beautiful lantern shape to accommodate their bamboo panel walls.
Their team of designers worked with nature rather than against it, opting for organic, flowing lines as opposed to the harsh, industrial lines we’ve grown accustomed to. The ground floor’s common area, for instance, is a wavy, multi-layered setup where patrons can sit, chill, or hold gatherings outside the rigid structure of typical meeting rooms. The pool, also situated on the ground floor, was lined with cement oxide rather than typical fluorescent blue tiles, creating a gorgeous mossy green colour that mimics natural ponds.
Ekarth Studio follows nature’s cues through both its organic aesthetic and its sustainable practices. Firefly House is proof that Mother Earth knows best and a wonderful getaway for anyone looking to ditch the constant noise of the big city for some R&R.
Follow Ekarth Studio here.
