AHEAD OF THEIR TIME

ARCHITECTS ARE REAPPLYING OLD DESIGN WISDOM TO CONTEMPORARY BUILDINGS TO MAKE THEM MORE SUSTAINABLE

- VAISHALI MANGALVEDHEKAR

HISTORIC BUILDINGS ARE THE most tangible representations of a society's past, its culture and technical ability. We have inherited a wealth of historic buildings that are not just aesthetic but models of sustainability and vernacular architecture. They invite sunlight and wind and reject heat and rain by using principles of orientation, purposeful proportioning, strategic ventilation and other such passive methods to achieve a comfortable indoor environment.

Today, although we have access to cutting-edge technology and materials, imbibing this wisdom and reapplying it to modern-day buildings can significantly lower the use of air-conditioning and lighting, thereby reducing the energy required for achieving comfortable habitable spaces and lowering our carbon footprints.

Here are some of the most ingenious ancient strategies that have inspired modern-day sustainable buildings.

THE JALI

• Screens as heat filters 

• Carved in stone, wood, or brick

• Hawa Mahal (top) is an iconic example of this design

• Krushi Bhawan's (right) jalis save 40 per cent of its cooling load

DIGGING DEEPER

The Pearl Academy of Fashion Design, Jaipur, inspired by Rani-Ki-Vav, Gujarat

Almost invisible until you actually arrive at the entrance, hidden behind a small earth mound that belies its scale, the RaniKi-Vav (Queen's Well) in Patan, Gujarat, is a mammoth subterranean structure that descends seven storeys below the surface of the earth.

Stepwells were structures unique to the Indian subcontinent, built to provide communities year-round access to groundwater. They also played secondary roles-forming well-scaled public spaces that doubled up as temples, gathering spaces reserved for women, well-shaded summer retreats for private use or as a pit stop for travellers.