The Architect Duo from Bengaluru - Houses designed by them are Saving Lakhs of Litre of Water

If I say that I am going to construct a house in which there will be zero water bill , almost negligible electricity bill and the cost of house maintenance is also minimum, what will be your response? Ecocological architecture answers this question very effectively. Meet the Architect duo Chitra Vishwanath and Vishwanath S whose green buildings are setting standards in the field of green architecture and they are a popular name in this field.

Introducing the Amazing Personalities

Chitra Vishwanath has completed her diploma in Civil engineering from Nigeria and degree of Bachelor of Architecture from CPET University, Ahmedabad. She started practicing architecture in 1990. She got married to S Vishwanath, a civil engineer by profession specialized in water harvesting structures and water management and is also the founder of their architectural firm BIOME Solutions along with her wife Chitra. Chitra is currently the Principal Architect and Managing Director of BIOME Environment  Solutions.

Starting BIOME Environment Solutions

After starting her practice in 1990, Chitra noticed that about 50% of the world total energy consumption comes from field of construction and it is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases. As per Chitra once Gandhiji told Lorry Baker that all the materials needed for construction of house should be obtained from a 5 km radius from the existing site." but why from 5 km radius why not just below your feet? You can collect the soil just below your feet to make your house. " with this belief , she laid the foundation of BIOME Environment Solutions in 1991 - a multi disciplinary firm providing a complete solution to ecological issues established with a mission to built eco friendly and sustainable structures with minimum energy demands.

Challenges Faced

Chitra is one of the pioneers in the field of eco architecture but this incredible journey was challenging indeed. When she started her journey, her peers considered this thought as unworthy and awful. " It was rather disrespectful. " She smiles. Her first project was their own house built in 1995. With a spark in her eyes, she says " My house is a laboratory for me. Before we teach the world , we designed our own home in an eco friendly manner. It is closest to our heart."

The Sweet Home

They built their sweet home in 1500 square feet plot about 33 year ago from locally available resources. The walls are made up of locally available mud and mortar crushed bricks providing insulation and strength to the house. The house outlines low bamboo gate and recharge well at the front door for water harvesting. Most fascinating feature of the house is that it is naturally ventilated and it has no fan and well planted with trees all around. Most of the wood used in house is recycled. The house uses each and every drop of water in a city like Bengaluru where water comes from Kaveri ,100 km away from the city. Grey water from Green toilet is used for growing rice and irrigating other plants at the rooftop. Segregation of biodegradable and degradable waste is done for composting and this manure is used to feed kitchen garden. 70% of energy needs are fulfilled by solar panels and rest by a biomas heater installed at rooftop in cloudy days.

Unique Initiatives

So far, the architect duo have designed more than 800 ecofriendly houses so far which are saving more than 1 lakh litre of water. They have also dug 2 lakh recharge wells in association with a local community called "Mannu Vaddar "involved in the digging of traditional wells near Bengaluru. When people started digging borewells, they became jobless. Biome started a mission called "Million Wells for Bengaluru" in 2015 and dug wells with the help of  this community. They are aiming at digging 10 lakh recharge wells in Bengaluru. 

The architect duo is setting standards in the field of Green Architecture by their initiatives and leaving a legacy behind for future generations.Hats off to them!