Isd 5103 green buildings in tropics ramkumar a0123482l

Green buildings in the Tropics NET POSITIVE PROJECTS IN ASIA

RAM (A0123482)

Contents 1. Abstract 2. Druk white lotus school Introduction -Social Capital -Built Capital -Human capital -Symbolic Capital Conclusion 3. Cheonggyecheon River Restoration Project Introduction -Denaturalisation/Renaturalisation -Financial Capital -Natural Capital -Political Capital -Built Capital -Symbolic Capital -Social Capital Conclusion 4. Auroville Eco village Introduction Overall planning of the village -Natural Capital -Built Capital -Human Capital -Symbolic Capital Conclusion

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Abstract In the current world scenario globalisation enables people to go beyond the reach and knowledge of what they perceived before. In the field of Architecture after the various styles from Byzantine to Gothic to Baroque to Modern and Post modern. And the practioners have now understood the need for more greener and sustainable environments. So then came the green movement which started to engineer the building to achieve the goals of lower energy and carbon footprint in search of attaining the green rating for the building by completely moving away from the style and beauty for Architecture.

But the sustainability concept for the buildings is not just getting the green ratings but to go beyond that and being net positive in terms of the following: Financial capital Money-profit-economy Social capital bonds-networks-cohesion-identity Natural capital Hydrology-bio diversity-carbon-abatement-reduction of pollution Human capital Health-wellness-productivity-happiness-livelihood-skills+capability-awareness/knowledge Political capital Votes-power-wealth-fameBuilt capital Beauty-adaptability-resilience-longevitySymbolic capital Reputation-brand-identity Three project has been selected in Asia and has been studied to understand net positive position in terms of the above mentioned values. The projects have been selected in three different scales such as a campus, an urban design project and in a larger community scale.

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DRUKPA WHITE LOTUS SCHOOL Introduction: The Drukpa White Lotus School is built in Shey village in Leh, 10 miles further north from Ladhakh. The school is situated on 3500m altitude above sea level. The site is basically a desert on the hill with extreme weather conditions. The project was envisioned by the Budhist spiritual guru the 14th Dalai Lama as the patron. The school was designed and built

by Arup Associates.

The intial design was started in the year 1992 to build a school for the community which was a remote village with very less amenities in that extreme temperatures. The funding for the school was provided by trust Drukpa, a British non-profit organisation founded by Head of the community Jigmae Pema Wangchan. The school has been constructed incrementally which educates around 750 pupils as well as training centres for teachers.. The first phase of the project the nursery and the primary school which was one among the courtyards that was completed in the year 2001.

Location of the school Source: google map

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The school is situated along the Indus river Source: google map

Apart from giving quality education to the students it also promotes sustainable growth and awareness for the people and has also become the livelihood of the local people by bringing in more jobs for the locals during the construction and periodic maintenance. In a place where a built structure like a school was considered impossible, the design team from Arup has proved by using sustainable building technologies and systems. Thus this project works net positive in terms of Social, Human, Built and symbolic capitals and is discussed below.

Project Information Project Location: Shey, Ladakh, North India Project status: Completed Client: The people of Ladakh User: Infants & Children Concept/Designers/Lead Architect: Arup and Ove Arup partners

1.1 SOCIAL CAPITAL This project has been conceived as an intelligent building not only on the aspects of an entirely sustainable infrastructure but also on construction techniques, operation and education for the young kids. This school aspires to provide the students with the contemporary education in harmony with the local culture, religion and traditions.

Considering the fragile ecological and bio diversity context of the region Arup designers made a clear decision not to build a high tech building with advanced technologies and neither a vernacular architecture. They tried to combine both of these cohorts and designed an intelligent building which is product of culture resources, climate and recapitulating all of this in a responsive and appropriate way.

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1.1.1 Land by the local villagers Once the project was proposed there was no enough land for the construction of the school.

But due to the importance of a school for the younger generations the local villagers of Shey, came together and provided part of their land for the project.

1.1.2 Employment for local people This project had used the construction techniques and labour force from the villagers and parents of the students who wanted a good educative environment for their wards. It also provided a livelihood for the locals during the construction and even got to work in the school for the maintenance.

1.1.2 Amenities for the school In ladhakh everything is typically reused. The local villagers have understood the importance of the existing ecology and always try to work along with it. Infact they don’t cut the trees in the region for fuels, but instead instead uses animal waste as a fuel. Understanding the culture of the local community Arup designers also provided facilities to reuse and recycle most of the elements. a. Energy Since the energy source from the grid is very unreliable the architects decided to generate energy within the site by harnessing the solar energy which is available in abundance. So the team had planned a stand alone power generator system to be developed in phase wise in installation. The total PV panel installations include 270 solar panels to support the complete autonomy of the school. The first phase of the installations was funded by Arup Associates as a part of carbon offset to compensate the carbon emissions produced by the economic operation of the office. This is turn provide green power for the school. This also helps Arup to monitor and assess their carbon offset much effectively rather than giving it to a third party. This also lets them to be confident on carbon neutral and spread the awareness of clean energy to the local Ladhaki community and also to the younger generations.

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PV panels installed at various strategic locations at site Image source: Arup associates

b. Water The water in the region is very scarce and heavily relies on the snowmelt water from the glaciers up hill. Also because of the hydro electric project in the Indus river, drawing the water from the river is prohibited in this region. So the local community relies heavily on groundwater resource. The hydrological cycle of the site relies on pump which is powered

by Pv panels that draws water from the groundwater source and supplies to the school.

Without this system this school would otherwise be deserted. The water id then supplied to the school through gravity feed.

Ground water pumped using solar energy Image source: case study article

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The school also promotes a water demand of 60litres per day per capita which is actually considered of higher standards in this region. This is also to promote hygiene programme among the students which forms an integral part of the education.

Considering the shortage of water resources in this region the school educates the children to conserve water and the Architects have also worked on a strategic sanitation system called ‘ventilation improved latrines’ which practically does not require water for its use. It also reduces the odour and flies. The humus produced in the pit is used as fertilisers for the vegetable farming.

Schematic diagram of Ventilation improved latrines and composting pits Image source : Arup associates

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Construction of Ventilated Improved Latrines painted with dark clours to absorb heat.

Local villager painting the facades Image source: ‘In the land of Sun’ research paper

c. Waste Waste from the domestic uses are allowed to flow through the perforated earth pipes and help to recharge the ground water. In recent years since ladhakh has started importing factory made goods packed in plastic packages from india, many products such as plastic containers and covers are spoiling the pristine environment. So Arup had followed ways to segregate and use the waste on site which also educates the students on how to deal with different kinds of waste.

1.2 BUILT CAPITAL The building was designed to be provide a high standard quality education to the children in that region and the building infrastructure was also designed as a green educative tool for the students. The architects understood the uniqueness of the local materials and designed passive techniques to meet the requirement rather than using advanced technologies which requires more maintenance and gradually does not work to its fullest. These simple building construction methodology also helps the students to learn the construction technique how their school works sustainably.

The whole project was perceived and constructed in many different phases incrementally.

1.2.1 Planning strategies The site is situated on a sloping site facing south situated in a small village called Shey, situated 12 miles away from the main town. In such a remote location the building looks surprisingly modern with usage stone and timber for its construction.

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Concept diagram

Master plan

Image source: Arup Associates

The teaching spaces are oriented 30 degree to facing south east and the residential spaces are oriented due south and uses Trombe walls.

The school is designed around a courtyard to tackle the harsh weather and also to bring a sense of community among the students. The first phase , the infant school and primary school, one of the courtyards was completed in the year 2001.

1.2.2 Spatial Arrangements

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Plan of the school courtyards. Classrooms designed around a common courtyard which acts as an informal teaching space and play area.

Image source: Arup associates

Nursery and Infant school plans Image source: ‘In the land of Sun’ research paper

1.2.3 Usage of Local materials Considering the remote location of the site the whole project was built with locally available building materials which are indigenous to Ladakh. Even the energy is not imported from outside the site but rather produces its own energy required, thus making this school more self sufficient.

In a site which is technically a desert with 6 months of a year covered with snow on the passes the Architects decided to use the local materials available for the construction.

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Local available materials: Stone, reeds, timber, bricks and mortarmade of mud. The designers wanted to interpret and celebrate the vernacularl construction techniques and traditional architectural details Image source: Arup Associates

Internal courtyard and the northern part of the primary school Image source: Arup associates

The solid stone walls forms the datum for the structure and also acts as a thermal barrier during extreme weather situations. This is achieved by using the engineering technique called Trombe walls.

1.2.4 Trombe walls

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The trombe walls is one of the key design element in maintaining the temperature in the interiors during the winter seasons where the temperature drops down to -30 to 3 degree Celsius.

The exterior is covered with a glazing painted in dark colours to absorb heat and the stone wall is constructed with an air cavity in between. The stone wall has air vents in the lower and upper levels allowing the air to circulate inside and thereby keeps the room warm.

Schematic section of a Trombe wall Image source: Arup Associates

Effects of passive Solar heating

Temperature graph showing performances of two various passive solar heating techniques when temperature drops below zero degree Celsius at night

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Image source: Arup associates

From this graph it clearly shows the effectiveness of the trombe wall technology and the appropriate orientation of the building.

1.2.5 Seismic planning After the severe earth quake that happened in neighbouring regions of Pakistan and Gujarat in 2001 and 2005 respectively the Indian government assigned Ladakh in seismic zone 2. Eventhough there was no major earth quake event in Ladakh till now many frequent tremors have been reported in that region.

So the designers from Arup worked on a seismic resistant building by avoiding the conventional method of using concrte for the frame structure as it very brittle during quakes. So the designers worked on timaber frame works with steel cross bracing to hold it on place. The walls were not in connection with the frame works, it works structurally independant.

Timber frame structures for to bare the seismic force Image source: Arup associates

The final phase of the design has been completed in the year 2011 which was the library building at the centre of the Mandala. This space works as a congregational space and library building for the school.

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Completed library structure Image source : Arup associates

Exploded view of the library Image source: Arup associates ISD5101 Green building in the tropics

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1.2 HUMAN CAPITAL Currently after the final phase of the project the school holds around 700 pupils and about 200 students stay in the residential buildings and learn contemporary education, Budhism and sustainability in built environment and other related fields.

Even the Architecture by itself works as a learning tool for the students.

1.4SYMBOLIC CAPITAL This project has bagged numerous international awards on sustainability and planning for the school. To name a few Design for Asia Grand award in 2009 World Architecture awards, 2002 Best Education Building National reputation This project has set an example for sustainable buildings in India and infact Asia as well, which brought it more fame from all corners of the country. Many tourists and motor bike enthusiasts come and visit the school which helped the local government to collect taxes from the tourists and the finance help them in maintaining the road infrastructure for the school.

The school has been featured in many Indian movies as a result of which the Bollywood industry helped financially to rebuild the school after the 2012 cloud burst in that region.

Economic catalyst of the region The Druk White Lotus school building serves as a perfect example on how an architectural project can change the lifestyle of the people and also transform its surroundings. The school is not only sustainable in its built environment but also educates the young minds on how to sustain for the future.

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Conclusion This school highlights the values of sustained international collaboration and progressive nature of the same and how a design can symbolically and physically support the local culture, tradition and infuse on contemporary techniques for its design and its resources.

The design team is in a long term collaboration with local group of people and the operators of the school which had helped in learning and benefitting mutually which can uplift the aspirations and expertise.

Another important aspect of this project is the design take employed by Arup which is more lacalised to the context of ladakh and not imploding the western style of architecture by using high end technologies and materials to make the building a green rated building.

The deign proposal by Arup is very sensitive in terms of making the building a regenerative structure as well as also adapt and gel with the actual needs of the people. This is where the ego-centric design model of the Architect disappears and a collaborative mix from the local craftsman and materials, context brings a product which is more sensitive.

By doing the carbon emission offsetting the design practice also attains to be carbon neutral in its own way which is an important aspect in collaborative practice model.

Thus after looking at how an individual building impacts the surroundings and be net positive and bring values to a region, we move on to how a urban restoration project gives its impacts.

Image source: Caroline Sohie

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CHEONGYANG RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT Denaturalisation and renaturalisation Cheongyang river restoration project is one of the major urban revival project in Korea developed by Seoul Developmental Institute with Government of Seoul metropiltan authority along with other planning authorities. The City Planning Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government also collaborated with the designers.

Cheonggyecheon was one of the several streams streams that drained the water from the nearby ring of mountains which flows into the Han river. This river was once the vital parts of the resident’s lives.

This ecologically friendly urban waterway park was completed in the year 2003. It covers a stretch of 11km long river stream running through downtown Seoul. This urban landscape was designed by SeoAhn Total Landscape team from Korea.

This project is not just any other park built in the city which only increases the green cover of the city but redefines the urban fabric of a city and brings in a bio-diversity intense lung space for the city. Historically the Cheonggyecheon and Han river was seen as a waste water disposal.

Figure 1: river used as waste disposal Figure 2:Squatter settlements along the river banks

This project is built on the land which had one of the major express way of Seoul which was built during the post war period of Korea around the time of 1960. The pace of urbanisation was very high during that time and also the city had the need to accommodate people and develop the infrastructure for the same. During this process the government totally forgot the aspects of people/ pedestrian friendly cities. The project was completed by 2003.

This Urban renewal project becomes net positive in terms of bio-diversity and becoming an epitome of how a public space could mould the entire city.

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Figure 3: The expressway before the restoration in 1990 Figure 4:

Figure 5: Cheonggyecheon Master plan

Project Information: Project Type: Ecologically-friendly urban water stream and park Year completed: September 2005 Typology: Urban rejuvenation Project Client: Seoul Development Institute with Seoul Metropolitan Government Planning body: City Planning Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government Project team      

Lead Designer: Mikyoung Kim Design Landscape architect: SeoAhn Total Landscape Civil Engineer: KECAC Engineering Structural Engineer: Cheong Suk Ken Engineering Lighting: Crux, Seaam Lighting Contractor: Joon Wee Cho, Daekim Construction Company

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1.1 FINANCIAL CAPITAL 1.1.1 Increase in land value The restoration project became a catalyst for the upscale market values. Since the project commencement from 2002 until 2006, the land conversions like change in rentals, change in ownership and shift in ownership kept growing in areas along Cheonggyecheon until 2006.

After the completion of the project the land values in these areas increased quite considerably according to a survey conducted by the Seoul metropolitan government.

For example the average apartment price for Hyundai and Byunk-San Apartment complexes in 2002 was 2.42 million won per sqm and in 2006, the prices of these properties rose to twenty five times from the old value to whopping 3-3.33 million per sqm.

During the similar time frame the apartment complexes further away Cheonggyecheon saw only ten times of price growth from 11 million to 12 million won per sqm.

In terms of the price for rent, the office structures near Seoul finance centre, Samil, and Dongga also saw a better values compared to other buildings that were further away from Cheonggyecheon. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government the former saw a thirteen percent increase in rent.

4 3

property near cheongyecheon

2

property away from cheongyecheon

1 0 2003

2006

Boost in the Commercial sectors Despite to the common fears that the construction and conversion would hamper the local businesses, the businesses in the area closest to the restoration has increased phenomenally compared to the areas in most other districts of the city.

1.2 NATURAL CAPITAL

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The nature zone the river stream Image source: Seoul Developmental otrganisation

1.2.1 Ecologically Friendly metropolis This project has impacted on the overall bio diversity level in that part of the country. It had reduced the urban heat island effect by 8degree centigrade during the summer time measurements which is quite low in comparison to the regular asphalt roadway conditions.

(Seoul Developmental Institute, n.d.). It has also reduced the amount of odour noise and has also improved the quality of water thereby creating a natural habitat.

1.2.2 Increase in Bio-diversity The number fish species has multiplied 8 times by the year 2008 which three after the construction. The number of bird species had increased six times, butterflies and insect species increased high in population from 15 to 192 species compared to the numbers in 2005.(Shin et.al., 2010). The micro climate of that area has improved tremendously over the period of years.

250 200 150

Fishes

100

Birds Insects

50 0 Before

After

On a survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, eight out of ten Seoul residents regard the project as good or very good.

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1.2.3 Nature hub Cheonggyecheon has become a major entertainment and recreation spot for Seoul local residents and has become a must visit destination for tourists after the enhanced air quality, reduced traffic intensity and above all a new liveable space for the people. Undoubtedly this project has increased business and tourism considerable. According to the survey conducted by “Hi Seoul� it is estimated that it draws visitors on an average 53,000 to the revitalized creek during the weekday and 124,500 on the weekends.

visitors count 140000 120000 100000 80000 60000 40000 20000 0

visitors count

weekday weekend

Summary: In the current world scenario nature works as a complex social form of space and relations intertwined with commercial and many other institutional context. All these projects are very much influenced by the capitalism and politics in it. This leads us to see the political impact of it.

1.3 POLITICAL CAPITAL Throughout history the Cheonggyecheon river has gone through the rumbles of political power and statement. The land was once a stream then denaturalised due to its economic and political power and renaturalised again regaining its political status.

Like any other urban design project in the world even the Cheonggyecheon restoration project had many glitches in the initial state of commencing the project. This project was first proposed for the first time by a Seoul mayoral candidate in 2002, which eventually led to the revival of Cheonggyecheon into a spectacular civic place.

Mayor Lee was once the CEO of major private company and with his background he ran for the mayor post for the conservative party. Since political power of Lee was weak in the northern part of Han river he proposed this project to get the affluence of people.

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This lead to the pattern of ‘Neo-developmentalism’ in his administration. This form of mega developmental projects relied on his entrepreneurial skills, but a non democratic leadership with group of elite civil engineer bureaucrats in his government. The objective was to generate a ‘fantastic’ project to express his political capability rather than dealing it in a democratic manner. There were many varying opinions from different groups.

However the project was completed as per the Seoul city government’s plan and was welcomed by a majority of common people in the country. Eventually the outcome of this project lead him to win the next election and served as the President of Korea from 2008 to 2013.

Summary: From many of the Urban restoration project, it is understood that it is very difficult to satisfy people on all sectors. It is always have a glitch in some groups of people and it is better if the project does good for vast category. This is similar in the case politicians in Singapore or in Columbia. This will lead us to discuss on built capital.

1.4 BUILT CAPITAL 1.4.1 Project cost The overall stream restoration project was completed at a cost of 350billion won(U.S $253 million). The project first began in June 2003 and was completed by August 2005.

The estimated cost of the project was 386billion won( U.S $282million). The project has an ongoing maintanance cost of 1.4billion won every year(U.S $0.8 million).

Green blue infrastructure The green and blue infrastructure of the project has brought in many migratory birds and increased the aquatic species ten times.

It has also become the major hang out space for the locals in Seoul and one the top most tourist attraction in the city.

This has also increased the property values of this region and the commercial values of the local shops and restaurants.

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Figure 10: master plan showing the Cheonggyeang stream and the Han river Source: Life & Death of Urban Highways

1.4.2 Critics a. Non Inclusive Design However there are critics by the articles and the media that public participatory in the overall design process was very meagre as a result the walkways are not suitable for wheel chair users. Also some of the areas are suitable for blind people. These issues were raised out to the governing authority and new lifts and ramps have been installed along the stream making it barrier free. b. Non sustainable on planning Also many of the NGOs and other green movement organisations have raised their concerns on government spending more energy on pumping the water from the river to the stream to increase the flow of the stream rather than allowing it to be a natural flow of water.

1.4.3 People safety The project also led to the safety of the people due to the active usage of the space throughout the day rather than what it used to be before as dingy, dark space below the flyover. This also reduced the noise pollution, air pollution and the odour caused by the concrete cover of the stream.

Summary

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The project provides the best output for certain categories such as flood mitigation and restoration but not on restoring the natural ecology. Now let us discuss on how this project has turned to be a symbolic pride of the city.

1.5 SYMBOLIC CAPITAL 1.5.1 Act of Place making The project attracts people from all over Korea and also people from many parts of the world. This was one of kind project in the new urbanism where people and the government understands the urge to be sustainable and more responsible to their environment.

1.5.2 Educative to young generation This project has provided a platform for the young children in the urban life to go close to nature and learn the various forms of life.

Green oasis in the concrete jungle The landscaped restored area of the stream becomes the major green lung space of the city.

1.5.3 International recognition By the year 2006, Seoul won the Sustainable Transportation award for revamping a 4.5 mile elevated highway which once had enclosed the Cheonggyecheon river in the city centre with a riverfront park way, high quality walkways and public squares.

Exclusive bus ways and public transport has been improved in the area giving easy access to the rest of the city.

1.5.4 Alternatives to building New Highways

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This project has become an iconic project for Seoul and had the possibility of bringing a change in the current urbanism. This has also been followed in other countries North and South America and also in many parts of Europe.

a.Removal of highway in SanFrancisco The freeway which got weak after the earthquake has been a replaced by the boulevard, new developments and parks. After which the property prices were raised to about 300% and it also converted the locality to a more liveable space.

Figure 6: The Embarcadero schematic view Source: Life & Death of Urban Highways

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Figure 6: The Embarcaderro, San Francisco, CA , USA elevated highway built in 1970 Figure 7: Urban restoration completed in 2009

b.Bogota, Inner ring Expressway

Figure 7: Bus mass transit Source: Life & Death of Urban Highways

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For the same cost proposed for the JICA which was projected for highway of 17 kms, Bogota decided to build a mass transit thereby reducing the CO2 reduction and it has also been reported that overall crime in the region had decreased drastically.

Figure 8: streets of Bogota Source: Life & Death of Urban Highways

Summary The restoration project has set a standard for many of the developed countries and proved that the age of new urbanism is going back to nature and people centric design.

So does such a project includes people’s participation when designing for people!!. Let us discuss this in the next segment.

1.6 SOCIAL CAPITAL

Despite the success of this project one of the major factor which leads to the critic of this project is the public participation or inclusive design

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1.6.1 Critics The social value of this project is quite controversial due to the fact that the public participation was not encouraged in the initial planning, design process and also during the entire construction period of the project.

Table 1: Differences between the two contending forces in restoration

Source:Politics of Urban nature Restoration

There had been wide spread conflict on many factors such as heritage, ecology, economy of the whole context of the stream. ‘Regeneration & Revitalisation’ versus Re-naturalisation and Genuine restoration’ For example the Opposing forces wanted to just remove the obsolete expressway, built with more concrete and pour water in the stream in a shorter span during his mayoral tenure but the opposing forces wanted to faithfully adhere to the goal of ecological recovery of Cheonggyecheon as a stream ecological community.

One more example is the leading force wanted to demonstrate a design on flood mitigation and shaping a water friendly public space by pumping 122,000 tons of water from the Hans river everyday. On the contrary, the opposing forces emphasised on the rejuvenation of the stream ecology itself and thus proposed for the connection between the east- west bank ecological axis and let the flow of water to on it natural flow from upstream.

Summary Thus the river restoration project evolved as a political agenda focusing on only few of the factors and ignoring the various other sectors and categories of the community. If they had resolved these issues democratically and with social consensus, the process would have led ISD5101 Green building in the tropics

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to a much better result being fruitful to all the parties involved and equally benefitted and satisfied.

Conclusion Thus Cheonggyecheon restoration project what is seen today as an overview is definitely a giant leap in terms of sustainable urbanism and people centric design which is realised in many parts of the world and starting to set the stage in various parts of Asia as well.

However the public participatory design gives a better output and satisfactory results, but not for all sectors of people. The role of the designer and ideas of the visionary is not understood by everyone and by practicing democratic dialogues the essence of the designer may get lost in the process.

The similar ideology process and practice in many parts of the world even in Singapore. Thus to conclude i am stating the point of a steady balance should be mainntained between the leading force and the opposing force and should try to do the best for the majority of the end users.

AUROVILLE ECO VILLAGE COMMUNITY Introduction ISD5101 Green building in the tropics

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Auroville is an experimental eco village in Southern part of India, In the state of Tamilnadu, envisioned by the spiritual guru and philosoher Sri Aurobindo. It was the brain child of the MOTHER (Mirra Alfassa) which was in the year 1968. The master plan for the eco village was designed by French Architect Roger Anger. It was designed to hold a population of 50000 people to live in harmony with nature and maintain social balance.

In this part of the paper it is discussed on how collective entities can pave way for the common good and can go beyond the idea of sustainability. This project has proven to be net positive in terms of natural capital, built capital and human capital.

Figure 1: Location of Auroville

Overall planning of the village The city was planned in a spiral networks of streets with the spiritual center namely ‘Matri Mandir’ as its focus. This master plan was conceived and built after various iterations.

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The distinctive aim of the eco village is promote sustainable development through holistic development strategy through ecological regeneration, alternative building methodology, different way of life style which promotes ‘Human Unity’.

Figure 2:The overall master plan of auroville by Roger Anger Image source: Aurovile.org

Figure 3:Matri mandir Photo source: Ram

Overview of the planning principles * A living system in relation with nature as well as people. * Providing the needs of the people right from the basics to physical, economic, social and spiritual growth. * Balance between the nature and people’s interdependency.

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* Constant focus on the environmental limits considering the natural resources of the earth are limited.

1.1 Natural capital The place where Auroville is built was once a barren land and practically the amount of bio diversity was considerably low. So what was one started as hippie village in the 60s started to understand the importance of the prospective future growth and convert the land to a pristine bio diversity hub for the village.

Photos clicked in 1960s Image source: Auroville archives

According to the sensus on 2012, there are over 350 to 400 medicinal plants in Auroville.

The afforestatinoIn 1982,The Indian Government , Department of Environmenthad allotted 11 lakh rupees a year for the afforestation in Auroville.

Auroville’s Ecological Land Regeneration

The aftermath of the industrial revolution around the world led to extensive usage of natural resources thereby depleting the green cover of the world. On the contrary Auroville was one of the eco city which decided to afforest the whole place managing the water scarcity and the harsh weather.

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Arguably the measures taken by auroville were commendable and is the most sustainable way of reforestation in the region. By doing afforestation in the region they also managed to bring back the bio diversity of the place which paved way for different species to regenerate and thrive on that place.

One of the key intervention in afforestation process is to integrate the tools and techniques to prevent soil erosion and increase the soil fertility. To make this happen Auroville planned for a large number of bunding system which can catch the water and retain in the low lying areas therby letting the water to percolate the soil and which recharges the ground water and increase the bio diversity in the area. The simple methods to make these bunds and scarcity of resources makes this process highly commendable and practice well within the community.

After many restoration of these bunds the trees were planted alongside these dykes where the roots held the soil intact and and also provides shade. Slowly when the water was collected the humidity level increased and provided a better environment for the vegetation to grow and also provided enough water supply for the people in that region.

Green Belt The Auroville also had the green belt surrounding the region which was planted with indigenous trees. They also acted as a bio reserve which brought in more bird species which helped pollination and spreading the seeds across the region. This also helped in by greening the entire Auroville various different ways it provided a variety of opportunities for the local villagers and the aurovillians to make a living out of these vegetation.

The green belt zone also is a fertile area suitable for applied research in organic food production, waste management, eco forestry and water management.

From an earlier report of the government it says that the region of Auroville is an ‘Adverse state of desertification’ Followed by the planning principles of Auroville the focus is now on the sustainable practices incorporated and how the same has been followed in different scales.

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Aerial view of Matri Mandir Image source: Patel college of global sustainability

1. BUILT CAPITAL 1.1Auroville’s Sustainable Design & Technology 1.1.a Renewable energies Technology plays a phenomenal role in shaping a sustainable environment. There are various institutes in Auroville which constantly works on efficient energy usage and water use by working on various methods and technologies. Auroville also becomes a platform for these researches to conduct their study and experiment on various aspects which the concept of sustainability. It provides them a great opportunity to try various ideas and experiments which has no barriers or deadlines.

Due to this Auroville has various new technologies innovated and adapted to its needs. the following strategies are discussed in detail which makes the city sustainable and self sufficient. a. Solar power b. Wind energy c. Waste water treatment d. Electric vehicles for mobility e. Earth Architecture

1.1.b Solar Power ISD5101 Green building in the tropics

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Solar energy is one of the major source of energy in Auroville. the energy derived from the solar power is used for water heating and pumping, street lights and energy generation in few cases.

Some of the communities rely completely on the PV panels for their everyday usage. And the PV panels are customised and produced by the Aurovillians which is adapted to its own context. The excess energy produced during the summer days are stored in the battery or an inverter and the collected energy is used for Auroville during the rainy or cloudy weather conditions. At present there are 390 houses that fully runs with the energy generated from solar power. More than 82% of energy generated is used for pumping the water and heating for domestic purposes.

1.1.c Solar kitchen The solar kitchen in Auroville is one of its kind in the world due to the technology used in it.

This is one of the unique community kitchen that supplies food for almost 250 aurovillians everyday. The food is cooked with the novel design of a semi spherical dome of about 15m in diameter which is cladded with mirrors on the inner that could reflect light to a heat receiver. The receiver has water pumped in through the pipes which gets converted to steam which helps to cook the food. This system is also combined with the diesel system component to replace an inefficient day.

1.1.d Wing Energy The prevailing wind conditions in Auroville is not so high due its geographical condition and not suitable for the generate high amount of energy. But still some of the windmills used here are effective enough to pump wate from a 100m bore well.

The windmill at Aureka is one of the first Cretan mill in auroville made out of wood and cloth. At present, there are almost 30 different types of windmill of various designs.

1.1.e Technology of Electric vehicles - Green Mobility In Auroville, the energy spent on transportation is very high because of the frequent movement of people goods and tourists from the nearby villages and cities. So to tackle this issue the carbon footprint generated is to be reduced and to provide a better and healthy environment. The city is planning to expand its electrical vehicles by increasing the shared electric motorcycles, electric shuttle buses and compact electric cars.

There are multiple factors to successfully integrate the electrical vehicles in the community. a. This system becomes successful only when there are enough charging points within the city.

Currently the electrical charging points are planted in the city zone area and in the green belt zone which can connect the core city to the outskirts.

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b. Also awareness programs and campaigns about the usage of electric vehicles and the benefits of it upon using the conventional fossil fuel based vehicles. This has led the idea of converting the existing vehicles into a smart electric vehicles. c. This is substantiated by providing an integrated transportation scheme that can optimize shared vehicle systems, bike loans and effective public transport.

Waste water treatment The CSR (Centre for Scientific research) has integrated various ways to recycle the available waste water through different technologies to meet the needs in auroville. The treatment system are designed based on few major criteria’s such as affordability, simplicity and sustainability.

To control on the inefficiency and phenomenal cost of the municipal waste water management the CSR has planned for various decentralizes waste water management systems. These systems works with an under ground container which involves centrifugal and centripetal force thereby filtrating and oxygenating the water.

Earth Architecture The architecture and design in auroville is highly experimental involving local materials, highly skilled local labours construction and in co-relation with the nature. By strategically planning the design which fits in the existing context the architect can use the natural lighting and ventilation, thereby reducing the active cooling systems and artificial lightings.

Architectural design follows few basic principles in auroville such as: a. Achieving he basic need of the user. b. Community and end user participation c. Building systems integrated d. Usage od sustainable building materials e. Design in harmony with nature and context Appropriate building materials and technologies Primary building materials used in construction in auroville is ferro cement, earth blocks and bamboo.

The ferro cement and earth block was basically an experiment made in CSR and which proved as a right material for the construction.

Ferro cement It is one of the sustainable material which uses less materials than a conventional construction method. It is also very flexible in construction process and lets the designer ISD5101 Green building in the tropics

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envision the ideas to its fullest. This material is widely used in auroville across schools, religious buildings and other institutional structures as these typologies involves minimal design intricacies.

Earth Blocks These are made up of compound earth with sand and 5% of cement mixture. This ecofriendly material is widely used in auroville building construction as these blocks are produced locally with the soil and water from the nearby places of the site. This in turn keeps the embodied energy very low, which is 19% less than concrete solid blocks and 70% less than fired bricks.

As the natural property of earth block is regulating the humidity, the maintenance cost of the building is reduced compared to a conventional cement plastered wall.

Central Structural Research Institute- Mud workshop Source :Ram 2013

Bamboo It is another predominantly used material for construction in auroville. Bamboo is basically a grass which can grow faster and easier to grow. This in combination with other materials such as mud, cement and concrete works stronger and long lasting construction material.

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Bamboo furniture workshop at Auroville Source: Ram 2013

Everyday green practices The activities on everyday basis from the individual to the community level is centered around the green practices. These practices have a larger impact in a longer run. Some of them includes: a. Recycling and reuse waste on community level Some of them includes Auroville common ‘exchange shop’. One man’s waste is another man’s treasure. So all these wastes are collected and reused or recycled depending on the project. b. Garbage Separation: Based on the garbage disposed the bio-degradable waste are used for compost (for fertilizers and farming) or recycled. c. Eco-Sanitation: The organic sanitation waste is segregated and use of excreta for agricultural fertilizers. The final product produced is cheap and good for vegetation. Community gardens such as Sadhana forest currently follows such practice. d. Communal schedules and programs: Examples of these practices include similar tea time in the evening because the tea preparation is produced in bulk which consumes less energy. The idea behind these scheduled practices are rooted in the conviction to reduce energy consumption by the community.

HUMAN CAPITAL ISD5101 Green building in the tropics

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Many of the people who first came to Auroville wanted a change in their lifestyle, in the government, and almost everything. All they wanted is a change and Auroville became a playground for them to experiment on all their ideas. Many of them even failed but learned to rectify it from their own mistakes. They all worked on a common goal with the common idea and a common master. In this case of Auroville it is Mother (Mirra Alfasa). This is also one of the reasons for the success of Auroville.

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Source: Ram - Excerpts from youtube video clips

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Source: Ram - Excerpts from a youtube video clips

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SYMBOLIC CAPITAL Auroville was one of its kind in India during the 1960s when many cities in other countries around the world where going in the path of path of economic revitalisation and improving on its urban infrastructure.

The total current population of Auroville is about 2000 and at any point of time there are 2000 visitors who come there for a short stint and some for a longer stay for many months.

After the second world wars like minded people from almost countries in the world came together to Auroville to envision its future. Sand from all these 200 countries were laid in the foundation.

Inaugural function of laying of foundation stone Image source: online source ‘integralyoga’ by Gilles Guigan

Auroville in conjunction with Arcosanti During the same period when Auroville was started the same western world also had similar incepetions and started Arcosanti in central parts of Arizona in America by the Italian American Architect Paulo Soleri. The overall conception of Arcosanti was almost similar to Auroville in creating a model for compact urban city system in combining Architecture & Ecology.

But Arcosanti was not as successful compared to Auroville in terms of social values and community engagement. The latter also brought in net positive in terms of financial capital by giving employment and livelihood for he people.

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Local villagers in Auroville does not only Agriculture but get to work employ their skills in arts, crafts and innovating sustainable ideas with the backing of the knowledge and ideology from the westerners in Auroville. It is a actually a mutual exchange by the local villagers to the outsiders and vice versa.

Conclusion As we all (planners, designers, policy makers, future politicians and even school students) keep munching the same words that 60% of the world will be in the urban areas in few decades which causes loss of bio diversity ecological adversities and so on, one of the basic thought is missing that is how to develop the rural areas which can keep the people happy in their own village rather than moving to the cities. These has to be dealt in so many factor like economy, life style, cost of living , etc.

Auroville is one such example where people live in harmony with nature,infact they recreated the nature for the common good. Personally being a frequent visitor to Auroville i got to know that many of the locals are happy about their village, the eco community and the livelihood because of living in tune with sustainability. Only in this case people from the urban areas, well developed cities and metropolis come to stay in Auroville. It is not any other country side but it has some value to it which makes it net positive on the above dicussed aspects.

References: a. Article on Druk White Lotus School, Ladakh,India by Francesca Galeazzi, Arup Associates,2009 ISD5101 Green building in the tropics

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b. Article by Carilne Sohe and Julia Mandell, ‘In the Land of the Sun’, 2003 c. Video by Arup Associates d. Druk White Lotus School, Rancho and the Dragon Garden: Pt6 of Buddhism & Gardens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGIE-qBQPnc e. Deconstruction/Construction: The Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project in Seoul edited by Joan Busquets. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Graduate School of Design, 2011 f.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110118095356/http://www.cabe.org.uk/casestudies/cheonggyecheon-restoration-project

g. Author: Peter Newman & Anne Matan ‘Green Urbanism in Asia’ R EJung SJeong EResearch ALEE RBAE C fish H P‘Temporal A Graduate Pmacroinvertebrates Estream Rchanges Temporal interactions changes with benthic predators after restoration in and the their invertebrates Cheonggyecheon, Lak CHOE ainScience, downtown inKorea Seoul, Korea Sang Woo JUNG Dong Gun KIM Min BAEK Hyo KANG ha Young a,C 1,2 nd Yeon Jae D 1 epartment of Life School, Korea University, Seoul, Korea 2 B iotechnology, h.

Korea Paper University, Seoul, in benthic macro and their interactions with fish predators after restoration in the Cheonggyecheon, a downtown stream in Seoul,Korea i.

Research Paper ‘The politics of urban nature restoration: The case of Cheonggyecheon restoration in Seoul,Korea by Myung-Rae Cho

j.

Author: Institute of Transportation & Developmental Policy – Research Publication: Life & Death of Urban Highways https://www.itdp.org/the-life-and-death-of-urban-highways/

k. Seoul Metropolitan Government online source http://www.visitseoul.net/en/article/article.do? _method=view&art_id=540&lang=en&m=0004003002017&p=03 l.

Choi, J. (2006). Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project: A revolution in Seoul.Retrieved from: http://www.city.minato.tokyo.jp/kurasi/kankyo/kangaeru/mizukaigi/files/03_jinsukchoi_1.pdf, accessed on November 20, 2010

m. Seoul Metropolitan Government. (2006). Monitoring the changes brought about to urban structures and forms by the Cheonggyecheon restoration project.

J.

Auroville archives http://www.auroville.org/contents/194

k.

Article written on Auroville pitchandikulam Forest and Bio-ResourceCentre

n. Online source: Auroville archives http://archive.auroville.org/journals&media/journals.htm o. Online source: Arcosanti https://arcosanti.org/ ISD5101 Green building in the tropics

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p. Article: Restoration of the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest of Peninsular India by Paul blanchflower in 2005 q. Online video: “your role in a Regenerative world’ by Chrisna Du Plessis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1h4E0oMeQ4 r.

Online video: A commune in South India That’s still Going Strong’ by journeyman pictures

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