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about the project

The eco-friendly approach

The eco-friendly approach
Another main focus of the architects was to make the hotel as eco-friendly as possible. Kerala being excessively humid, and over-cast for a great part of the year, a great emphasis is laid on the natural lighting and cross-ventilation in the buildings, using artificial lighting and ventilation only where absolutely necessary. All the lighting in the hotel is done with Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs), which consume just 25 % of energy of conventional lighting systems. They are also planning to install an energy saving solar steam generator for cooking, dish washing and for hot water requirements.

The constraints imposed by the excessively clayey soil helped Inspiration innovate a unique system of road construction, using bamboo-grid reinforcement below the tarmac, thus giving additional tensile strength to the road surface.

Considering the poor bearing capacity of the clayey soil, they were forced to use concrete foundations, which had to be additionally reinforced with steel against earthquakes as recommended by their structural consultant.

Kerala receives a very good rainfall through the bi-annual southwest monsoon winds, hence, the architects feel that it is the right place to consider the installation of decentralised water systems. Since the beginning of the project, they were experimenting with the possibility of rainwater harvesting to achieve self-sufficiency in their water requirements and also counter the shortage of municipal water supply in that area. After almost a year of debates, discussions and consultations, they came up with the idea of constructing a system which would harvest the rainwater, purify the collected water and supply it for use.

Hence, they decided to construct an artificial lake, which serves as a catchment for all the rain that falls on the site, through a combined system of roof top collection and sub-surface filter drains. Initially they considered the possibility of letting the treated effluent along with rainwater to the lake to recharge it and have a single plumbing system. However, later, they decided to separate the rainwater harvesting and waste water-recycling systems and have a duel-plumbing layout. They decided to use a new technique for constructing the retaining system of the lake using a thick layer of wet clay, which already existed in-situ as the excavated sloping soil surface and covering it with a new kind of lining called geofabrics, which is a combination of HDEP and jute, to help it retain its wet state. This lining is covered with a layer of cement slurry to make it free from rodent attack, over which a pitching of dressed stones is laid in a dry rubble pattern that holds the lining in place and protects the HDEP from the ultra-violet rays of the sun. The idea is that the thick layer of clay that constantly remains wet and acts as an impervious barrier and holds the water in the lake.

An elaborate network of plumbing and purification system has been installed to ensure the supply of clean and potable water. The aquaculture planted in the lake including the fishes, keeps the water free of organic deposits.

The cost of constructing the lake was about 10 lacs and that of the treatment and purification system was about 3.5 lacs, which brings the cost of the entire lake to about 13 lacs, almost 1/5 th of a similar lake that would be constructed in RCC. The lake has already paid back its cost of construction if one considers the cost of transported water one would have to bring to the hotel everyday due to the non-availability of the municipal supply.

This 50-lack litre capacity freshwater lake occupying almost 3/4th of an acre of land forms a pleasing landscape feature, the bank of which houses the cottages. After almost two and a half years of completion, the present water requirement of almost 35,000 litres per day is entirely met from the lake for almost 9 months a year. However, with prudent use, they feel that they will be able to use it for the whole year.

Apart form the water supply system, they also have an elaborately designed waste water treatment system. The waste water from all wash areas is collected and treated through a combined system of anaerobic filters, constructed wetlands and polishing pond and is to be used for flushing, gardening and other non-potable end uses.