Page 219 - Vogue - India (January 2020)

living

Aishwarya Tipnis

CONSERVATION ARCHITECT, URBAN PLANNER AND
FOUNDER, AISHWARYA TIPNIS ARCHITECTS, INDIA

Q: How can green design practices be adopted in o ce
buildings that house IT paraphernalia and air-conditioning?
A: We should not be asking if we should be providing HVAC
(heating, ventilation and air conditioning), but how we can design
a building more e ciently to reduce the load on the HVAC. Can
we design them using materials that will lessen the heat load? Can
we use screening devices that are integral to the design? Can we
do green walls or minimise the use of glass on the south face?
How do we ensure that our electricity consumption, HVAC load
and water usage is optimised? It’s time to experiment with historic
and new materials to create a novel aesthetic. The bottom line is
not to let engineering dominate architecture but to work out an
aesthetically pleasing solution for the problem.

Billie Tsien

ARCHITECT, CO
FOUNDER, TOD
WILLIAMS BILLIE TSIEN
ARCHITECTS, USA Abha Narain Lambah

Q: In what ways can luxury CONSERVATION ARCHITECT,
and sustainable design be FOUNDER, ABHA NARAIN LAMBAH
melded in the home space? ASSOCIATES, INDIA
A: The most sustainable
materials are those that have Q: Can traditional sustainable practices be
long lives. To destroy and renew relevant while building urban homes?
is a terrible waste that should A: We should stop blindly copying Western
be avoided. So, if one makes a models. If we revive our age-old building traditions
choice knowing that you want with indigenous planning elements—lime and
materials to last longer, then stone walls that provide insulation from extreme
the issue of luxury does not cold and heat, or relying on local craftsmanship
apply. Luxury can be doing and locally sourced materials—it will enable us to
things cheaply and without care, not only create more sustainable architecture, but
because they will soon be ripped also have buildings that last longer. ■
out and done over. Materials
that last a long time (usually
ADIL HASAN necessarily the most expensive.
natural materials) are not

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