Bengaluru architect Sharanya Iyer’s enterprise is aptly named ‘Studio Verge’, for her work “is on the verge of the old and new, of urban settings and the natural environment,” she says. The 41-year-old architect focuses on making ‘earth buildings’ — those made of earth as a material of construction and using sustainable earth-friendly techniques. She gives these eco-friendly buildings a contemporary feel, with a minimalist aesthetic and facilities that ensure comfort and convenience.
“Around 25% of these projects have been earth buildings.
But these days I am being more selective, and 75% of my projects are based on sustainable construction techniques,” Sharanya says. But earth homes need not have a traditional look. In fact, Sharanya’s design aesthetic is minimalist and each project aims to achieve a balance between functional needs, sustainability, durability, and ease of maintenance, she explains.
Her journey with eco-friendly construction began when she was a student at Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU), Hyderabad. That experience taught me that sustainable solutions need to be linked to local materials, knowledge, and skills to have a wider impact,”. Many architects begin their journey in earth construction with this workshop, she says.
Elaborating on the techniques to make earth buildings, Sharanya says, “Typically, earth from the same site or close by is used and molded into different forms. There are three main techniques — cobb, rammed earth, and mud blocks. The cobb technique involves making thick mud walls and is an ancient form of earth construction that was commonly used for ‘vernacular’ homes – traditional homes found in rural areas.
Sharanya favors the rammed earth technique, where a nine-inch-thick wall is made after compressing mud between two planks of plywood. “When we design earth buildings, we extend the sustainable idea holistically to include energy and water conservation. The designs ensure adequate cross ventilation and glare-free natural lighting, material selection, and details in a building, she explains.
“In conventional construction, there is greater use of steel and concrete, which benefits large corporations. Much of the process is mechanized and the labor component has been declining steadily,” says Sharanya. In the case of eco-friendly construction, material, and labor cost is almost 50-50, she notes.
There are a few disadvantages of earth buildings.
These disadvantages are overcome by not going in for 100% earth construction, says Sharanya. Even architects who are enthusiasts of mud construction hesitate to use the cobb technique, because the thick mud walls occupy too much space, there is more dependence on manual labor, and difficulty in obtaining perfect finishes, she explains.
Most of the earth buildings constructed by Studio Verge are in semi-rural and rural areas. We have participated in earth construction workshops. We have also stayed in earth homes and really liked the feel,” she says. In our earth home, most of the walls are made of rammed earth. Additionally, Sharanya’s latest experiment in terms of a contemporary earth home is in Bengaluru.
For this house, Sharanya has used rammed earth walls in the central courtyard to create an element of sculptural drama, and terracotta jalis to capture the breeze and shade. The Padma Shri recipient says, “Earth construction scores over using bricks for a major environmental reason.
Rammed earth is a very interesting technique. Earth construction is a viable and environmentally sound option with a lot of potential,” he notes. Meanwhile, Sharanya’s dream is that more and more people go in for earth construction. “I don’t want clients to use their earth homes for occasional use. Another plan is to collaborate with nature lovers in Bengaluru to popularise earth buildings, she says.
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