Alternative Architecture: How to Design Sustainable and Eco-Friendly House

We live in a world where resources are increasingly getting scarce, but the frenzy with which we are building refuses to slow down. It is, therefore, imperative for us to explore some sustainable alternatives.

Alternative architecture

'Alternative architecture' seeks to strike a balance between ecological sustenance and the design, materials and techniques of construction.

But designing such a building can be a real challenge — it has to be both sustainable and eco-friendly without compromising on beauty and comfort. Here, we look at three essential elements of any construction — foundation, walls, and floors/roofs — and see whether there are any alternative ways of doing it:


Foundation: Mix Soil into the Mortar


Ideally, the building should be constructed on a hard stratum, which besides reducing the cost of foundation, frees up land to foster bio-diversity or to grow food. The conventional way of building a foundation is to use stone with cement, sand and mortar. But if we mix soil into it, it cuts down both the cement and sand content.

Soil also helps retain moisture and increases the strength of the mortar. If the land is too hard, we can cut down on the material requirement by making arch-foundations.


Water is Precious: Harvest & Reuse it

Another significant step towards making an equitable society is to cut down on wastage of fresh water. Harvesting rainwater and using it for domestic purposes can go a long way in reducing urban flooding as well as ensuring this scarce resource lasts longer.

Whatever waste water is generated, should also be treated and used for flushing and gardening purposes. You can use your terrace for setting up small, in-house water treatment plants.


Walls: Use Mud Instead of Bricks & Cement


Conventionally, walls are made out of burnt brick or concrete blocks. Brick kilns render large tracts of land unusable and use up precious wood while concrete blocks consume large amounts of cement. Building with mud is an alternative here, and is possible even in urban areas.

Ideally, mud for construction should be sourced from the ground below. The excavated space can also serve as a basement, which when adequately ventilated and lit up can give you a room that stays cool in the summers and warm in winters.

 
Roofs: Vaulted/Domed

Stabilised mud can also be used for making floors and roofs, thereby reducing the need to source a different material for the roof while also reducing waste since fewer different materials are used. House designs in our largely tropical country should be solar passive and must have adequate natural ventilation and lighting.

These features also reduce maintenance and operational costs. Jalis covered with mosquito mesh are one of the best ways to bring in fresh air without the use of expensive windows.

Wooden windows are twice the cost of a regular wall or even more. In cities, where houses are built very close to each other, skylights at strategic points can help bring sunlight into various corners of the house.