A large home (3000+ sft) on a large piece of land with well lit and well ventilated spacious
rooms and ample garden space and an outdoor cooking area for making pizzas and barbeque for a family of three.

High ceiling with a hollow-terracota-block roofing system and compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEB) made at site, along with solar passive features like a terracota-block ventilator close to the ceiling and a heat-reflecting weathering course on the terrace help keep the building relatively cool even during peak summer.

uPVC windows, were used mainly because reclaimed wood was not locally available and  because uPVC windows are better at keeping dust away.

Pondicherry also gets a bulk of its rainfall from the north-east monsoon (Oct-Dec). The rain-water harvesting system installed helps recharge the ground-water after filtration and apart from a 6000 lts sump tank, no other provision has been made for storing rain-water.

All the toilets are connected to an Aquatron system, which segregates the solid and liquid components of humanure (human-manure as opposed to excreta!) The solids are
composted and used in gardening, while the liquids are treated in a separate planted filter bed and then infiltrated into the soil. No septic tanks or connection to any sewer line.

A second planted filter bed treats all grey-water from kitchen sink, all wash basins and bathing areas. This treated water is then pumped to a section of the over-head tank and is  re-used for flushing toilets.

All solid wastes are segregated. The organic wastes from the kitchen are separately composted in a garden composting system.

The garden plan includes indigenous ornamental plants and shade giving trees and a small pond eco-system in the front garden. Raised vegetable beds and fruit trees like lime and pomegranate on the top most terrace. Bamboo, banana and neem along the sides and in the backyard and an ornamental living wall on the split-level terrace.

Contractor: Mr.Sreeram Sambukumar
Designed By: Prasad Dietrich-Wielenga & Ojas Suniti-Vinay
Year: 2014
Location: Kuyilapalayam, near Auroville, Pindicherry.
Site Area: 6554 sft
Built-up Area: 3125 sft