Man From Kerala Constructs Unique Eco-Friendly Home Without Plaster
Update: 2022-02-04 11:00 IST
Man From Kerala Constructs Unique Eco-Friendly Home Without Plaster
From an assistant engineer in the Maharashtra Minor Irrigation Department to a builder who creates one-of-a-kind homes in Kerala, K Madhavan Namboodiri, 75, has worn several hats, all with one goal in mind about sustainability. Madhavan is a civil engineering graduate with advanced training in hydrological modelling and groundwater management. He is from the rural village of Kuttippuram in Kerala. This septuagenarian, who has 50 years of competence in the field of water management, founded the Susthira Bhavanam Foundation in 2019 with the goal of introducing and promoting alternative sustainable habitat systems.
In the year 2000, he and his wife Uma returned to Kerala and settled in a village to take up the task of living in peace with nature. This was made possible by a 350-year-old traditional dwelling, indigenously farmed land, and the surrounding rural atmosphere. But he soon realised that most of the fundamental features of traditional life are rapidly disintegrating, as seen by the rapid rise of concrete structures.
As a consequence of this, indiscriminate mining of stones, dirt, and river sand occurs, resulting in recurrent natural disasters in the state," Madhavan argues. This was the driving force for his interest in building sustainable homes and his subsequent studies into the subject.
Jose Master learned about the builder through his son in 2019, when he wanted to add another level to his existing concrete house. As a result, Madhavan began his first project at Perinthalmanna. He built compressed maintained interlocking bricks out of the undesired laterite soil from Jose's neighbourhood.
The challenge, though, had only just begun as Madhavan had no expertise as a builder and lacked both staff and infrastructure. He added that firstly had to study the art of mortarless wall construction, then teach local artisans before starting on the wall. But everything went smoothly, and the project was completed at a lower cost.
Simultaneously, Hamza Kakkadavath sought Madhavan, a water management consultant, to tackle the water scarcity issue on his land before constructing his dream house. Hamza also let him play about with the laterite earth he had dug up. It was put to the test and discovered to be suitable for producing interlocking blocks. As a result, another visually beautiful and environmentally friendly home was born. The best part is that it cost a fraction of the price of a traditional concrete home.
According to Madhavan, employing local earth in building construction is an ancient technique that has been proven to be cost-effective, long-lasting, and environmentally beneficial. He emphasised that in semi-urban locations such as Kerala, ways of mining the ground without causing environmental damage must be developed.
Madhavan's Susthira Bhavanam aspires to introduce and propagate sustainable environments, which is only achievable when people, like Jose and Hamza, are willing to adopt sustainable ideals. His hopes to use CSR funds to hold state/district level seminars, village or panchayat level exhibitions, school, college-level education programmes, and build shelters for the homeless as a means of spreading and popularising these principles.