Green Homes to remind you of the 'Old Bangalore'

Bangalore, the garden city of recent yesteryears, has been transformed into a metropolis that attracts a quarter of a million people every year. The growth that was fuelled by the IT boom around Bangalore has become a scourge to living amongst convivial greens. The retirement paradise of remnant sahibs, the Anglos, military officers, and railway baboos has become a cluttered city of undefined character. The steady stream of movers into the city has put immense pressure on the city’s infrastructure and amenities like abundant water supply, clean air and the ‘sound of silence’ in the shade of 500 year old trees, is evanescent.

Image- skyscrapercity.com

Colonial and other terracotta clad bungalows have been torn down and replaced by apartment blocks and shopping malls. Land prices have escalated so much that people are happy to forsake their garden paradise for the sheen that bucks could add to their lifestyle. No consideration has been evinced for the resources of the city, or its past promise of languorous afternoons and walks down tree-lined boulevards. On the pretext of globalization, the city’s people have huddled themselves into a myriad of cubbyholes, all the while pining for Bangalore’s past resplendence as a retirement post among serene environs.
In the last few years, of course, the scenario is changing. Reports of receding glaciers, the thinning ozone layer and the human impact on global climatology, not to forget the CII IGBC promoted green building certification, have woken people out of their slumber of indifference and apathy. People are adopting ‘green’ practices, albeit a few only, almost as penitence for the sins committed against Mother Nature over the last few centuries. But penance alone will not bring about Grace; new ways of living have to be contemplated to make the planet a worthwhile commentator of our times to the next generation.

Bangalore developers who built with impunity are now trying to add a soft touch to their footprint. Eco-friendly housing, waste management, rainwater harvesting, recycling, energy conservation and indoor air quality are terms that are being bandied about as the new mantras to exorcising the past and ushering in an effulgent future for the residents. The denizens are becoming wiser and are demanding adherence to norms; are becoming active and questioning the reason behind every trend. One day, soon enough, the citizens will have realized that they don’t need to be cornered into a pigeon holed high-rise, or brook the shoddiness of a tardy developer.
Building or buying a green home, even if the plot sizes are relatively smaller, or a tad further out of town, makes eminent, and imminent, sense. Such a green home could bring home the essence of the old Bangalore (in spirit if not in form) while doing one’s bit to reduce our ecological footprint. While some of the green concepts are easy to comprehend and implement, there are many aspects which require professional expertise. Greening, besides requiring huge doses of common sense, draws its inspiration from science and technology, social systems and practices, local artisan-ship, heritage architectural concepts and designs, and more importantly, its intent is harnessed on a strong edifice of ethics, morality and prudence. There is an increase in the number of professionals and organizations who now offer consulting services on the elements of green construction and this could be well our chance to make a grab for retiring in serenity in the fractured bosom of Bangalore.

Sunshine Makes You Happy

“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry………”

So wrote and sang John Denver on a spring day in Minnesota. These words set to a melodious tune really make you want to feel the warmth of the sun on a lazy Sunday winter morning. Most of us over 40 have grown up, at some point of our lives, in a house rather than in an apartment. The space that a house offered together with its surroundings, with perhaps, a patch of grass or a shady tree, made for a mood that was buoyant and cheerful.
In the bustle of the modern city old houses have given way to high-rise modern condominiums and have robbed us of that languid quality of life we all enjoyed. This has specially affected the children and the elderly who cannot go out much on their own. Children cannot play or lay about on neighbours’ lawns, and the elderly find that poking around in an apartment, disconnected from the earth, is not as much fun as discovering new facets of their own house even after 50 years of living.
The press of city living has not only confined us into living in cramped spaces but has made huge demands on local infrastructure wherever an apartment complex has raised its ugly head. Water shortages, problems with waste disposal, power outages and a lack of privacy have become manifest in our busy lifestyles. Due to neighbouring high-rises the winter rays (which traverse at a greater slant) are blocked, so much so that many rooms rely on artificial lighting even during the day. Natural light has mood elevation qualities which we sorely miss and this translates to a variety of illnesses from irritability to depression. The impact of such apartment living on the collective health of the urban residents will be high, and will result in an even higher health care bill. Living in a home with the sun streaming through the trees should not merely conjure up images of an era gone by, but look to be a solution to society’s many mental and physical inadequacies.
Besides sunshine there are many other elements that get addressed in a home. A sense of space, more privacy, natural surroundings for pets, and quick access to the garage or the main road are some of the advantages. Some citizens are concerned about security of individual homes, which can be addressed by a simple electronic surveillance system. There are some greater joys that can be added to one’s life while living in a home. The pleasures of gardening, tinkering with your car in the garage, and barbeque parties, all gather a life of their own in a home setting. High-rises, while offering you views that are dramatic for one reason or the other, need some serious lateral thinking in terms of design to match those experiences of a low-rise independent home.
Apart from the pleasures that you can enjoy in-house there are many aspects of living that can be developed sustainably. The potential to harvest and save rainwater is of great importance. With sound planning a home can be water sustainable for years to come. A good rain water harvesting system which includes ground-water recharging, collection, storage, filtration and treatment can be set up on a handy budget. The fact that you are not dipping into the city’s already scarce reservoir of water itself can be reason enough. Take at look at waste management. One can manage all forms of waste in a home through systems like grey water recycling, solid waste treatment, wet-waste composting, and controlling waste through proper collection, segregation, and recycling. There is no need to dump any waste generated into the city’s sewers or into the municipal garbage disposal system. High density modern day apartment living adds this extra pressure on an increased demand of water and energy per unit ground area and also contributes to a greater amount of waste being generated. Densities, therefore are critical..... One can also look at this in terms of carrying capacity of the land where one addresses what densities (families/dwellings per unit ground area) can sustainably exist in terms of the basic resources- water, energy, food, building resource, etc.
The scope of incorporating energy conservation and energy efficiency is even greater. Using renewable sources of power like solar and wind, one can not only enjoy partial off-grid reliance, but also save large sums of money over the long term. The capital costs incurred for these systems can all be amortised over a period of three to seven years. By using natural ventilation systems the indoor air quality also can be improved, thereby assuring better health for the children and elderly.
So the next time you remember to enjoy the sunshine think of building yourself a home, especially a green home. Do yourself a small favour, and a larger favour to the planet.