: My Zero-Waste Home Saves 70% Energy By Using the Sun to Run Appliances #IndiaNEWS #Architecture Building a sustainable house was a dream come true for Balasunda Kaushikan, a Bengaluru-based architect.

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My Zero-Waste Home Saves 70% Energy By Using the Sun to Run Appliances #IndiaNEWS #Architecture
Building a sustainable house was a dream come true for Balasunda Kaushikan, a Bengaluru-based architect. Hailing from Hanumanthanpatti in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, Kaushik always wanted to build a house in his village.
Kaushik who has been working as an architect for the past few years in different cities like Dubai, Mumbai and Bengaluru, left his job in 2019 to start an architectural firm in Bengaluru.
“I used to stay in a rented house in my village with my parents. So, when I started my firm, I decided to fulfil my dream of building a sustainable house of my own. My education and the experience I gained over the period made me realise that it’s essential to choose sustainability in our life,� architect Kaushik tells The Better India.
In 2020, he built his dream house on 12 cents in the 4 acres of his ancestral land at Hanumanthanpatti, only using locally-sourced materials most sustainably. “I was very particular about building a sustainable house because I feel it is high time to work towards reducing the carbon footprint and this is my humble attempt at it,� says the 29-year-old.
The construction materials were procured from areas within a 10 km radius of the house, says Kaushik who believes in staying close to his culture and roots. “I tried to bring in regionalism, an architectural approach where the entire construction will be based on aspects such as climate, geography and topography of the region,� he says.
Reducing Energy Consumption
Sustainable house built by architect Kaushik at his hometown in Theni, Tamil Nadu
Besides sourcing materials locally, Kaushik says that he has built his house in such a way that, throughout the day, there’s natural light inside the house. He further explains, “I’ve tried my best to make nature a big part of my house. So, I used several passive solar designs and techniques that help in providing sunlight throughout the day for lighting the interiors. It helped us reduce energy consumption to a great extent. �
Apart from using passive solar methods, the house also makes use of solar energy for everything except for a few heavy-duty appliances like the washing machine, mixer grinder, etc. , says Kaushik.
He adds, “We have cut down the monthly power consumption by around 70 per cent by using solar energy. �
The 3000-sqft house was built using the rat-trap bond method, introduced by the British-Indian architect Laurie Baker, adds Kaushik. He further explains it as a brick masonry method of constructing walls where the bricks are placed in a vertical position, which creates a cavity in the wall, thereby reducing the number of bricks and mortar used during construction.

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