earth sheltered building

‘Style’ emerges from the project and not from the architect. Every project deserves its own style based on the site, user requirements, available materials and technology.                ← Space - design Consultants

  

AIIS

Architects: Space-Design Consultants

In the age of ’hero’ architects or architectural heroism somehow I tend to veer towards this credo of Space - Design Consultants. I am asking myself why it is so that style (first &/or only) attracts most of us more than anything else!

Space Design Consultants is Delhi based architectural firm which is concerned about sustainability in buildings. Energy efficiency, material selection for reduction in wastes and pollution are their guides for design.

 

The building of American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) has a very traditional look and yet it has adopted innovative and simple energy conserving and passive cooling measures. The walls of the building are insulated. A simple strategy of orienting the windows in most favourable directions has been used.

The roof has a terrace garden to keep the building naturally cool. Two courtyards (and that too sunken ones) bring natural light and ventilation. To create a peaceful ambience the courtyards are created with vegetation and water bodies.

Natural materials like brick, exposed concrete, and sandstone have been used.

 

love post

love bench

Designer: @ sovrappensiero

This park bench - A thing to view in the park

                                        and

                              A place to view

                                        and

                              A moment of pause

                                        and

                              A shoulder to hang your worries on   

Loving the bench, the arch and you know for no reason I am blushing!!

 

loro

It is a place to sit, a bench, a vase, a plant rooted directly in the ground. (the arch is designed in a tubular fashion and extended unto the ground level.)

 love bench

a green arch to frame you - a frame you can view green from

Forging complete harmony with nature by borrowing from nature - her green and incorporating in a design.

the sun, the glass and the light

 

solar light

Designer: @ Pro Idee

The Calla and the globe mouth-blown glass sculptures light up the garden. Stores energy from the sun during the day - and adds accents of romantic light by night.

It has modern solar- and LED-technology, with an automatic sensor-controlled activation switch. Even during cloudy day, the 6 x 6cm solar module soaks up enough energy to light up the beautiful sculptures. Approximate 10 hours of sunlight is sufficient to fully charge the NiCd-battery for 6-8 hours of light. A sensor automatically activates the lights when it becomes dark.

Other details see here.

this Earth Day … 5 favourite design-ers

Designer: @ DUMDUM

lamps made of mineral bottles

This post is salutation to those designers who create stunning designs out of day today waste and other small little things to inspire me!

What is day today life made of?

A lot of waste occupy space in everyday life in form of plastic and omg! - newspapers (I am always accused of keeping newspapers till ’the newspaper pillar’ touches the roof!!); so I am happy to discover these designers.

And a little greenery and small buttons also cheer me up!

 handmade handbag @ Nahui Ollin

Nahui Ollin is a collection of unique and fashionable handbags and accessories made from recycled materials - by specially folding and weaving candy wrappers, gum wrappers and soda bottle labels–together to create the various beautiful shapes and sizes

ALL materials are factory rejects from independent manufactures and have never been used. These same materials were certain to be sent to a land fill or garbage dump only to pollute the earth more!

 

Architect-Designer: Charles kaisin

chair made of newspaper

Designer: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec @ Teracrea

Treille is a system of cylindrical vases, horizontally aligned and connected by nylon belts and height-adjustable painted stainless steel tutors. A stair set can be created, made of three containers, to hang from the ceiling or from a wall.

Can be kept inside as well as outside.

Button tray & bowl @ greener grass design

 When sewn and knotted together these simple buttons make interesting design!

this Earth Day … bamboo architecture

Kisama heritage village, Nagaland, India

Via: NMBA

I have been to NMBA’s gallery again and again and have downloaded few bamboo structures, pre-fabs etc. I just needed an excuse to showcase these images!

And I am particularly enamoured with this bamboo structure!

Kisama Heritage Village

 

Kisama Heritage village

The National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA) is a multi-disciplinary Technology Mission. It has been tasked with creating the basis for enlarging the bamboo sector, and with supporting the efforts of the Government of India towards augmenting economic opportunity, income and employment.