Name of the project
Private Residence in Trivandrum
Type of project
Bungalow using cost-effective technologies
Location
Trivandrum
Role played by the member
Designers and implementers
Context
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the alternate building movement in India started in Kerala with the pioneering efforts of Mr. Laurie Baker. It has been over 35 years since the time the people began to feel a need for an alternative to the expensive and environmentally unsustainable construction practices that were taking roots in those days. There have been many who have been sensitized and have collectively tried to make a change in the built environment. However, this effort remains small. Even now, in Kerala itself, less than 5% of the government and public buildings get built in appropriated technologies, despite of the large-scale efforts of organizations such as COSTFORD, Habitat and the Nirmiti Kendras.
Background
This bungalow has been designed by COSTFORD for a retired official and his family. The owner wanted a private bungalow on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast valley of coconut plantations. Hence, he approached COSTFORD. The site is actually a part of an undulating peak of a small mountainous cliff. It is situated at the end of an extremely steep approach road which borders it one side. Most of the other side of the site is an almost vertical face of the mountain leading into the valley.
The city of Trivandrum has a general topography, which is undulating. COSTFORD has numerous experiences in dealing with such difficult sites. Hence in this project too, COSTFORD's approach to handling the site was to disturbing the contours of the land as less as possible, with minimum excavation and retaining as much possible of the natural features such as rocks, boulders and trees. The building is made to virtually hug the slopes and contours of the site. |
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