by Sustainable community development is the need of the hour in developing countries like India. As the population keeps increasing, the need for resources keeps increasing. As a result, renewable resources like water, soil, etc get reduced. Sustainable construction can be achieved in various places by the integration of renewable energy sources, appropriate building technology, architectural design, energy-efficient materials, etc. This article will bring into the limelight a few of the sustainable techniques that fascinated me as an Architect, during the visit to Auroville.
Auroville, Pondicherry
One such self-sustaining sustainable community is Auroville. They have introduced various sustainable development techniques and incorporated them in their own buildings. The ever experimentation of Architecture and design has made Auroville unique.
Auroville comprises of approximately 1.25 kilometers radius area. The people are from around 59 nations living together to create a unified and harmonious place on earth. It has various zones like residential, green, industrial, cultural, peace, and an international zone.
Matrimandir, Auroville:
A perfect example to understand how a building can be designed to merge with the nature and the surrounding.
- The overall form appears like a large golden sphere arising out of the earth. It consists of only circles- arranged and designed with convex and concave discs. An entryway between two meditation rooms leads you to the interior.
- A glass crystal present at the center of the room illuminates the whole inner chamber. This is done by means of the sun rays which fall on the crystal through an opening at the apex of the golden sphere. The crystal radiates the rays falling on it.
- It is a perfect blend of innovation in form, precision in proportions and scale, and exploration in lighting and ventilation. The experience when I entered the chamber was nothing but a peaceful world amongst our present busy world.
Solar Kitchen, Auroville:
The very first building name that interested me was the solar kitchen and so I decided to pay a visit to this particular. Upon visit, I got to know various facts about the place such as:
- The energy use of this building is mostly from solar technology that is produced in (self-sustaining sustainable community) Auroville. With that, they can produce about 1000 meals a day.
- The energy is produced via a big bowl with a heat receiver. The number of mirrors in the bowl directs the heat to the heat receiver, which has coiled around it with water. The water in turn vaporizes and is used for preparing the food.
- The kitchen is also equipped with an alternate energy supply to fulfill the energy requirement during the times of bad (rainy/cloudy) weather. Also, it can run with the help of fuels such as diesel during emergency cases. That is, when the energy produced by solar technology is not sufficient.
Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB):
- CSEB block is an alternative to the conventional country fired bricks. It is used in the sustainable development construction of many buildings in Auroville such as Vikas Community, Auroville visitor’s center, etc.
- AURAM press developed by the Auroville community is used for producing CSEB blocks.
The advantages of using CSEB blocks impressed me even more.
- The material needed for the bricks can be obtained from the site of construction itself.
- It will limit deforestation, as no firewood is required to burn the brick.
- Its strength has been tested for years. It can withstand heavy rains, winds, etc.
- It is cost-effective as there is no transportation charge. Hence it is much cheaper than country fired bricks.
- It is energy efficient and eco friendly when compared to firewood bricks.
The effort and the vision that used into making a sustainable surrounding is remarkable. And the amazing experience people speak about visiting Auroville is indeed true!
Have you visited Auroville before? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Good read!